Bohemian Rhapsody Photo Courtesy of 20th Century Fox

Any time there is a music biopic made, it’s going to be hit or miss generally speaking. Many music fans have been waiting years for a proper Queen biopic, that day has arrived.

Bohemian Rhapsody takes you from the streets to the stardom of Freddie Mercury and the band that would be known to the world as Queen. The stars were aligned perfectly early on when Freddie approached Brian May and Roger Taylor after a gig in where they just so happened to have lost their lead singer afterwards. The film starts off from there and leads to the famous Live Aid concert that Queen performed in 1985. Everything in between will have you on the edge of your seat wondering what happens next, even for fans it’s a ride.

Without providing any spoilers, you should know that it is in fact Freddie Mercury’s voice used in the film. Rami Malek lip syncs the words and for that we are grateful, it’s wonderful to hear the singers voice combined with Rami’s near perfect portrayal of the late great front man. No one is going to be perfect in any fans mind, but in the list of actors that could pull this job off today, Rami is fulfilling his destiny just as Freddie did all those years ago when he approached two guys and asked to join their band.

I was equally impressed with the entire cast of actors, including those that play Brian May and Roger Taylor. Without giving away the film, pay attention to the speechless communication between Freddie and the band during their Live Aid performance. You really get the sense that they are all in awe of the moment and the experience, which I believe was probably very true at the time. It’s difficult (even though it’s a CGI stadium of people) not to get emotional seeing thousands of people sing together in harmony at Wembley Stadium. What an amazing time it was in 1985 when the world got together on such an extraordinary level. Live Aid was an example of what made the 80’s such an incredible decade.

Rami is brilliant in bringing together all of Freddie’s spark, mannerisms, charm and wit throughout the film. For this reason, we’re going to go ahead and stick our selves out there and say that Rami Malek should be nominated for best actor Oscar. Bohemian Rhapsody should also easily get a nomination in sound design in a motion picture, which is a triumph especially if you see this film on IMAX. Everyone is a critic, so go see the film and make up your own opinion.

Freddie Mercury was another unfortunate soul that contracted AIDS in the early 80’s. At a time when little was known about the virus or how to treat patients that had it, there was a lot of fear and misunderstanding about how the virus was spread. Therefore, creating a stigma for patients that had HIV or AIDS. This was a step back for the LGBTQ community that was working so hard for sheer acceptance and equality at the time. It’s now 2018, how has time and education moved us forward? How is AIDS seen today and has the stigma vanished?

We wonder what would the world be like today had Freddie Mercury survived AIDS and was given the proper cocktail of medications that would have kept him alive today. What would he be doing today? In the film when he informs the band about being diagnosed with the disease, he tells them that he doesn’t want to be a “poster boy” and that he doesn’t have time. Is that in fact a true statement or just something for the film? Only Freddie’s closest friends would know.

Like all biopics, not all actions or events are going to be completely true to life. There are probably several dozen things that most fans could pull apart from the film and question, but at the end of the day the film makers have a job to make a film within a time limit and within keeping the movie entertaining and moving along. That said we (the royal Cannapolitan music and movie junkies) feel that this film was entertaining and enjoyable to watch without having to suspend disbelief beyond belief.

Overall, we enjoyed the film and the ride it provided. The film takes you through the experience of becoming a rock legend and finishing it up with a huge stadium show that reached billions of people worldwide.  Check out the trailer below and also check out the soundtrack for the film it has a fun Queen version of the 20th Century Fox opening theme.

Bohemian Rhapsody gets an A- from the Cannapolitan review team.