4/5 Star Rating

Bohemian Rhapsody is a feature that many have been patiently waiting for. With the hopes of a feature length biopic meets musical, the film had received high expectations. Before seeing the film, I had many people expressing to me that it could be compared to the recent smash hit musical film 'The Greatest Showman' Some even stating it to be better. As far as musical films go, 'The Greatest Showman' failed to impress professional movie critics, but ended up being a huge hit with movie goers. Mostly due to it's infectious soundtrack.

(from left to right: Joseph Mazzello as John Deacon, Ben Hardy as Roger Taylor, Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury and Gwilym Lee as Brian May in the recording studio)

I actually loved Bohemian Rhapsody. It was a film that covered a lot of areas when it comes to emotions and film genres. The film also featured important social events and well documented media topics. As a viewer, I was presented with a film that contained a fantastic soundtrack (of course being the hits of Queen). It also included scenes with natural flowing humour as well as some more intense emotional moments. However the movie itself failed to show a big "wow!" factor. Just because I have started there is no "wow" factor, it doesn't make Bohemian Rhapsody a bad film. It is actually quite the opposite. It's enjoyable and really pulls you in.

Since rock band Queen formed in the 1970s, they had received a lot of media coverage and still do to this present day. Queen wasn't just another rock band in the music industry. They gave the world something completely unexpected and different. This giving them a very unique taste to their music, their style and along with that, a huge following of fans. This was all portrayed well within the film as we follow the lives of the band members while we hear infamous Queen tracks being played in the background. Of course we get to hear the infamous 'Bohemian Rhapsody' and also well known hits including 'We Are The Champions' and 'Don't Stop Me Now'.

(Mike Myers as EMI Records Executive Ray Foster)

As the film is based on the true story of one of if not probably the biggest band in the world - there isn't much that we don't already know about these musicians. As expected the majority of the story centres around Queen's front man, the legendary Freddie Mercury. With Mercury being such a high profile and iconic figure in the music industry, it was important that the audience were given the right actor for the role. Initially the casting crew has selected Ali G and Borat actor Sasha Baron Cohen as Freddie. Some reports say that he accepted the role and left due to creative differences and others say that he actually declined the role. Which is right we don't actually know and I have no doubt that he would have portrayed the pop star very well. However the role was finally given to Mr Robot actor Rami Malek so that he could bring Freddie Mercury back to life.

(Rami Malek on stage as Freddie Mercury)

Malek's portrayal of Freddie was impeccable! Every movement, every word he spoke, every facial expression he made, they were all spot on! He dominated the stage exactly like Freddie would have. Malek should be winning awards for this role! He made the audience feel exactly what it was like to be a part of Freddie Mercury's life. Although some reports state online that Freddie's life story wasn't shown truthfully in the film, it really didn't matter. You felt like you knew him well and that you had genuine heartfelt emotions towards the character. During the film, actor Rami Malek took on some difficult scenes within the role including breaking the rules when it came to family traditions, his relationship with the love of his life Mary Austin (Lucy Boynton) and also scenes of a sexual nature when Freddie was battling with his own emotions regarding his sexuality and dealing with severe drug and alcohol addictions. Although, despite Malek's efforts in the role, unfortunately probably the most prominent part of Mercury's life story was when he was given the sad news that he had contracted AIDS. The film swiftly displayed this part of Freddie's life by showing a brief initial diagnosis as well as him then revealing the news to his fellow band members which is met with sadness and empathy.

(Ben Hardy as Roger Taylor)

In regards to the supporting cast we got to see some familiar faces including Game of Thrones actor Aiden Gillen as the band's manager John Reid and Mike Myers (known for roles in films such as Austin Powers and Shrek) taking on a fictional role of Ray Foster - an executive at EMI records. Another face that may be a little familiar is that of Ben Hardy. Hardy is well known for playing the role of Peter Beale in British soap Eastenders as well as his appearance in X-Men Apocalypse in the role of 'Angel'. Hardy took on the role of Queen's drummer Roger Taylor. His role added a little humour to the film, for example there is a scene in the film where we see the band in the recording studio creating the iconic 'Bohemian Rhapsody'. Watching Hardy as Roger Taylor trying his best to reach those extremely high pitched "Galileo's" was quite light hearted and amusing to watch.

(Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury on stage at Wembley Stadium at Live Aid 1985)

Of course featured were the other members of Queen. Bassist John Deacon (portrayed by Joseph Mazzello) unfortunately was a little bit of an underdog in this film. Not much was seen of his character as he received very little screen time. The same can be said for Gwilym Lee as Brian May. Although I will say he looked the spitting image of May and even spoke well with the same soft voice. Thankfully the big focus on Brian May was that we did get to see some of his legendary guitar riffs which makes Queen's music so well known. Considering the real Brian May and John Deacon had roles within the production of the film, it was surprising to see so little of their characters being shown. Although I believe they have said they wanted this film to be a tribute to Freddie Mercury. So this may be why.

(Cast as Queen on stage at Live Aid 1985)

What was probably the film's finest moment was at the end of the film where it closed with Queen's 1985 Live Aid Performance at Wembley Stadium. I was in my element watching this part of the film as I sat in my chair miming along to the band's greatest hits. It made me feel like I was actually transported back in time to be there watching this live show. After leaving my local cinema, I have watched the actual footage from that live show over and over again and I've found that the film's interpretation of that event was almost identical to the actual event. It was just so mesmerising.

Whether you are a Queen fan or not, this is a great film! I am looking forward to adding it to my film collection when it is released on DVD and BluRay. Not only is it nostalgic to the original fans of the band, but it also invites a whole new younger generation to fall in love with the band and their music too.

Take a look at the film's trailer below, and if you haven't already then book your tickets to see Bohemian Rhapsody.

Images are courtesy of Google and Bohemian Rhapsody Film Trailer courtesy of YouTube.