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T O P I C R E V I E W
Sludge
Posted - 11/26/2018 : 22:32:18 I really enjoyed Bohemian Rhapsody. Not having kept up with the casting changes over this film's lengthy development, I can say that Rami Malek was an excellent choice. He had the humility as an actor to step aside and let Freddie manifest in his entirety.
There is plenty of nitpickingfact checking to go around, and as an unapologetic Queen fan I noticed these things, but liberties taken with both the timeline and whos who helped move the plot along while also conveying some of what the band was up against. The real story behind the song Death on Two Legs is sublimated in favor of a semi-concocted conflict between the band and EMI chief Roy Featherstone (Mike Myers as "Ray Foster"). The real conflict had been with their first manager who made off with the proceeds from the band's first major hit "Killer Queen." But Myers shines as Foster, mis-predicting the future Myers' headbanging car ride that would bring Queen out of relative (Post-Freddie) obscurity via Wayne's World - and Queen's surviving members have frequently credited Myers for that.
Backing up Malek are astounding imitations of the other band members by Gwilym Lee (as Brian May), Ben Hardy (Roger Taylor) and Joe Mazzello (John Deacon). But Malek absolutely carries the film in the way some monday morning quarterbacks say Freddie did the band. Freddie Mercury was larger than life, especially on stage. Malek performs at his finest, however, in the moments when Freddie is left nearly speechless.
Given all of this, and with its substantial input from Brian May and Roger Taylor and the blessings of Freddie's family, Bohemian Rhapsody is one of the more supportable rock biopics and well worth a view.
