In honor of the hit movie, students try their hand at channeling their inner-Freddie Mercury to belt out the infamous song Bohemian Rhapsody by the legendary Queen.>>

Instead of lazing on a Sunday afternoon, I went to go see Bohemian Rhapsody and was not disappointed. “Every band wants more, every band’s not Queen.” This is true, nobody can pull off a biographical movie like Queen. The movie focuses on the start of Queen’s journey, their biggest hit Bohemian Rhapsody, to the legendary performance at the Live Aid concert, telling the story of the four misfits. The rest of this spoiler free review is broken up into two quick sections.

“We’re four misfits who don’t belong together. We’re playing for other misfits. They’re the outcasts right at the back of the room. We’re pretty sure they don’t belong either. We belong to them.”

–Freddie Mercury, Bohemian Rhapsody 2018

The regal storytelling and accuracy

The movie picks up fast, riding on momentum, but the adrenaline slows as the movie focuses more on Freddie Mercury and the choices he makes throughout his life. From the very start of the movie the audience is hit with a sense of nostalgia and energy, from the rocking fox intro to tear-jerking moments. This movie missed nothing, having the potential to make the average fan into a super fan and make the ignorant viewer fall in love with the misfit group.

The movie is a family-friendly tribute to Queen, making no attempt to discredit the legendary rock band nor the lead singer, Freddie Mercury. The audience is guided through key points in Mercury’s life to keep the PG-13 rating. When not obviously shown or stated, the movie poignantly directs the viewer to make assumptions about certain aspects of his life. This is understandably so because of the part Queen’s manager Jim “Miami” Beach and members Brian May and Roger Taylor played in the production of the film. The band’s reputation stayed intake throughout, serving the audience with Queen’s legendary story. Moments throughout the movie will definitely cause goosebumps and a tear or two. Almost no details were left out, especially with the 20-minute recreated masterpiece at the end. Malek and his team got everything perfectly, from facial expressions to the number of cups on the piano. Some might complain that the movie didn’t reveal any dark or personal secrets, but come on, that’s private. The movie served its purpose. Plus, let’s be real, no queen reveals her (or his) compromising personal information.

Killer Queen’s Charming touch

Even in the most desperate moments, the film serves the audience with light-hearted humor and an outstanding dynamic among the band members. The film has a great sense of humor, delivering references from different movies and showing the group’s inner personality. It’ll have you laughing through tears.

Rami Malek somehow pulled off the challenging role of Freddie Mercury, fully immersing himself into the legend he was portraying. The actor did a phenomenal job under pressure of becoming Mercury while acting with prosthetics in his mouth. Everyone who contributed to the making of Bohemian Rhapsody did an amazing job showing what made Queen so special and different from other bands. It truly demonstrates how Queen has music for everyone to connect with. The thought and time that went into the creation of beloved songs such as the movie’s namesake, Bohemian Rhapsody, as well as Another One Bites the Dust, We Will Rock You, Love of my Life was obvious.

In the end it’s the music that makes the movie deliver a special kind of magic. Hearing some of the most iconic songs and albums and seeing Queen’s whole process on the big screen is what makes the movie. To the average fan it will give a new meaning to most of the songs but regardless of the type of viewer stepping into the theatre, the movie will create a memorable, musical experience that should not be missed.

Final thoughts:  I’ll give this emotional story a biased 8.5 out of 10 stars.

“It’s an experience – love, tragedy, joy… it’s something that people will feel belongs to them.” (Bohemian Rhapsody 2018).