Rami Malek brings Freddie Mercury to life in Queen biopic ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’
Audiences, dare to be dazzled by the Queen biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Rami Malek, who plays Freddie Mercury, has put on an unforgettable performance, reminding us why Mercury was such an influential figure in musical history. Malek’s electric performance, paired with director Bryan Singer’s execution of the film’s visuals and pacing, captures the rollercoaster ride of Mercury and Queen.
It starts off with impulsive quick cuts as a young, ambitious Mercury joins a band against the word of his father. In this sequence, which feels kind of rushed, Mercury brings the energy to the band that led him to fame. When Mercury begins to grapple with his sexual identity, drugs and the hectic nature of his life, the pace of the movie slows down, allowing the viewer to question whether Mercury is truly happy or not.
The film does a great job showing Queen’s recording process. As an avid Queen fan, these scenes gave insight into what made the band so innovative for their era.
Malek played a convincing Mercury, perfectly replicating the energy he had on stage. There were moments where I thought Mercury had been resurrected from the dead just to film this movie. At Mercury’s most vulnerable moments and acts of delusion, Malek realistically portrays a man who has knowingly lost his way but is afraid to admit it.
The Live Aid performance also brought me so much joy. It’s considered to be one of the best live rock performances of all time, and Malek nailed it. In an interview with Jimmy Fallon, Malek described the scene as a “trial by fire.” Malek’s performance was Oscar-worthy in and of itself.
The costumes and makeup for this production are some of the best I have seen in a movie. The detailed designs really help immerse the viewer into the time period, and more importantly, the culture.
The rest of the band’s acting was adequate, but it didn’t seem as though they had much to work with — their characters’ development seemed to be an afterthought to Mercury’s evolution. More could’ve been done with those characters rather than having a bunch of concert montages. Not to say that those montages were bad — but some parts of the film felt a little rushed. I’m just confused as to why the director kept those montages instead of having additional scenes where we could have seen that character development.
Additionally, I wish they included other musical artists in the film. For example, at one point the song “Under Pressure” is played, which features David Bowie’s lovely voice. There could’ve been a great scene of Mercury and Bowie working together in the studio — maybe even one where they perform a duet. Just picturing what could have been gives me goosebumps.
Even with these gripes, I had a great time watching the story of one of my favorite bands and singers — and this ignited my excitement for the Elton John biopic “Rocketman,” coming out next year.
Toby Craner is a newspaper and online journalism major. His column appears biweekly in Pulp. You can email Toby at tlcraner@syr.edu.
Check out Screen Time columnist Patrick Gunn’s review of “Bohemian Rhapsody” here: http://dailyorange.com/2018/11/bohemian-rhapsody-couldve-celebration-queen-isnt/
