Bohemian Rhapsody - Movie Review - Majestic or treasonous?

This film is a 12A, was released on October 24th 2018, and this review will contain NO SPOILERS

Introduction

When it comes to music, my taste is generally all over the place. There's no specific band / artist that I admire but rather several that I admire. However, if I did have to pick one of those several bands, it'd probably be Queen. I love Queen. All their tunes are extremely catchy and have had a huge impact on the music industry, giving them a terrific legacy as probably one of the greatest bands in history. So, with a band that produced such extraordinary music, surely there's something fascinating behind the curtains for them? 

Thoughts Going In 

I didn't know what to expect going into Bohemian Rhapsody. It's a film that has had quite an interesting life despite the fact that it hasn't been around for long at all. When it first came out, it got very mixed reviews from critics, who criticised it for falsifying many elements of the band's history as well as poorly handling certain elements. But, it had a huge opening here in the UK, and has been bobbing around in the top 10 for around 11 weeks. But what peaked my interest to see this film was that it won the Golden Globe for best motion picture. This was a surprise. So, I finally had the urge to go and see what this film was.

The Story 

In 1970, a man named Freddie meets a rundown band who have just lost their lead singer. He quickly joins and they begin to turn out hit after hit. This of course becomes Queen and the film follows them as they face many hardships but eventually are met with huge amounts of success. 

What I Liked 

The thing I loved about Bohemian Rhapsody so much was that it felt so impactful. What kept me engaged were three things:

Firstly, Rami Malek's performance as Freddie Mercury. This is honestly one of the best performances of a real life figure that I have ever seen. It reminded me of a film called The Theory of Everything in which Eddie Redmayne plays Stephen Hawking, and you feel like you're watching the actual Stephen Hawking than an actor playing him. That's exactly how I felt here as it felt like I was watching the real Freddie. He got the character so perfect that I honestly don't think anyone else could've played him. Very deserving of the Golden Globe as well as any other awards that come his way. 

Secondly, the atmosphere. I was worried that the film wouldn't dedicate enough time to the actual performances or gigs that the band did, but luckily there was tons of it. What was also brilliant was how it showed the creations of several songs. Although I'm sure it's not entirely accurate, it was so much fun to watch. Seeing all the bonkers methods they used to create Bohemian Rhapsody, or watching them build their way up from a single tune to create Another One Bites the Dust, or my personal favourite, watching them create a beat to involve the audience and eventually leading to We Will Rock You. Then you get some scenes where you see these songs being performed to an audience, and it's just amazing. You want to stamp your feet to the beat, you want to sing along, it's just so so good. Then, when you get to the Live Aid performance, which is everything the film has been culminating to, it goes through the roof. There's such a sense of scale, a sense that this is an unbelievably large audience, so when they begin to sing songs like Radio Ga Ga, it feels so big and so grand and completely involving. 

Finally, the story. Before I saw the film, I did some research on Queen's history and it turns out that there are many things this film made up. But, it didn't bother me in the slightest and I think it actually worked to the film's advantage. They've taken a lot of true elements as well as some fictional ones and arranged them in a way that it gives the film a more narrative structure. I don't care if it is inaccurate to what really happened, but it was necessary. You get the sense that the four band members are misfits and don't fit in, you feel the tension between them when they have creative differences, you can understand their anger when not everyone gets a say regarding a certain matter, and because the actors are so good at conveying their characters, you want to see them succeed. So when we do arrive at the Live Aid performance and Freddie knows it'll be one of his last shots due to his unfortunate diagnosis of AIDS, you feel all the tension that you should, and when they start to sing We Are the Champions, you feel the sense of achievement and accomplishment. This was really the cherry on top despite how it ignores history. But in the end, it doesn't matter. I'll take a really well executed and emotionally resonant story over one that goes through history word for word and doesn't try to make it engaging. 

What I Didn't Like 

There are some things wrong with Bohemian Rhapsody but nothing disastrous. My biggest complaint is that there are some slower scenes which are either too long or they're badly executed. One scene involving Freddie firing one of his agents felt a bit too cold and flippant considering what it was trying to show. Another scene showing his early interactions with a man he later had a relationship with felt uncomfortable. Some people criticised how the film glosses over details of Freddie's sexuality or how it mishandles elements of it. Personally, I didn't get irritated by it and I don't think I would've liked any more of it because that stuff didn't really have me interested nor did it add much. I think what they did do was fine and got the message across just fine. That's really the only issue I have with this film, just a few scenes I think were boring, uninteresting or badly executed, which there weren't actually a lot of, looking back. 

Conclusion

Bohemian Rhapsody may not serve as an accurate biopic for those who are genuinely interested in the life story of Freddie Mercury, but I loved it. It has one of the best lead performances of the year, some really powerful and atmospheric song performances, as well as a story that had me engaged and entertained. But above all, this felt like a love letter to Queen. It captures the larger than life scale of their music and pays tons of respect to their legacy. It makes you really understand why they are considered one of the greatest bands of all time, and how upsetting it was that we lost Mercury so soon. This film definitely deserves those Golden Globes it received and hopefully it picks up a few more as we get deeper into awards season. As for me, I'm a really big fan of it and I'm sure it'll live on forever.....

I'm going to give Bohemian Rhapsody an 8/10

Top 10 Most Anticipated Films of 2019

Happy New Year Everyone!

2018 has just gone by in a flash and it was an interesting year for film. Many said it was filled with disappointments or films that didn't live up to expectations. I can see where they are coming from, but I can't say that the films I was looking forward to were let downs. All of my Top 5 of the year exceeded my expectations in some way. But, that's in the past. What will the next twelve months bring to the table? It's time to have a look...

To present my most anticipated films of the year, I will be sharing the 10 films I'm keen to see the most, with No. 1 being the one I'd like to see the most. So, lets have a look at them:

10. Star Wars: Episode IX (December)

I don't consider myself to be the hugest fan of Star Wars, I watch all the films as they come out because I think they're very entertaining and a lot of fun, but I don't particularly care about the decisions made concerning the direction of the franchise or the choices made regarding certain characters and such. I love The Force Awakens, I quite enjoyed The Last Jedi although I think it is worth seeing for a second time, and Rogue One and Solo are both decent despite being unnecessary to an extent. But, I am keen to see what happens next in the franchise and I'm sure it'll be another great addition, especially with JJ Abrams back in the director's seat.

9. How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (February 1st)

I love the first How to Train Your Dragon film. It is one of the films I saw as a child that I really got a kick out of and became immediately fond of. I was less mad about the second one but still really enjoyed it. So, with the third installment looking like the final one, I am very keen to see this as I would like to see how they wrap up this great franchise and if it's possible for an animated film studio other than Pixar to make a perfect trilogy. Additionally, it looks amazing. 

8. Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon (October 18th) 

Aardman are such a wonderful animation studio. Their films have such a wonderful tactility with their signature claymation as well as a charming sense of humour. However, what excites me about this isn't just that it's a sequel to Shaun the Sheep Movie, which was such a terrific film due to its excellent use of silent cinema and expressive animation, it's the fact that Aardman's previous film, Early Man, came out in 2018. So, this could mean that we have an Aardman film annually, or at least more regularly than three years. That's an exciting thought. In terms of this film, it looks bonkers and far-fetched, but I'm sure it'll be just as brilliant as before, so I'm sure to see it. 

7. Kingsman 3 (November 8th) 

This may not immediately spring to mind when thinking about the most anticipated films of the year, but I'm really looking forward to this. I really loved the first Kingsman, it was such an entertaining take on the standard James Bond formula as well as launching the career of one of my favourite actors, Taron Egerton. The second one, while disappointing to some, was still a lot of fun for me. The whole over-the-top style with the action and overload of blood and swearing is enough to make me have a good time. But, with what looks like the conclusion coming this year, I'm excited to see how the franchise will be signed off and also just excited for another round of the same humour and fun. I hope all the criticisms with the second film are taken on board and the director will be able to pull it all together. 

6. Captain Marvel (March 8th)

One of three films you'd be expecting to see on the list. But, I'm not just looking forward to Captain Marvel because it's just another MCU outing or because I want another reason to be excited about a certain other film. I'm keen to see this because I don't actually know much about the character of Captain Marvel. One thing I've really liked about the MCU is that it has brought some really obscure / unknown characters into the spotlight. Hardly anyone could name who the Guardians of the Galaxy or Ant-Man or Doctor Strange were ten years ago, that's why I enjoy this franchise alongside all the popcorn wonder it offers. So, I hope this offers another introduction to a character I know little about as well as making me even more excited for April, you'll never guess why.  

5. Spider-Man: Far From Home (July) 

Once again, this isn't just on here because it's a Marvel movie. The reason I'm excited for this is because I love what recent films have been doing with Spider-Man. I loved Spider-Man: Homecoming because it was a funny and oddly relatable superhero movie, which isn't something you get everyday. Then, more recently, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse gave a visually stunning and hilarious film which gave a different perspective on the character's legacy. So, regardless of where the character is right now in the MCU, I am excited for another adventure with the web-slinger and hopefully we'll get more charming humour as well as cool action, just as long as Tom Holland can keep his mouth shut while doing press...

4. The Lion King (July 19th)

Well, I can't say I'm looking forward to this movie because I'm more obliged to see it. The Disney live-action remakes are not exactly the best of Disney's recent pieces. There are some great ones such as The Jungle Book or Cinderella, but they're good for one reason. That is that the originals are not perfect movies. They may be classics but there is still room for improvements. So, why is there a point of making a reboot of The Lion King? Just like Beauty and the Beast, this is one of Disney's greatest films ever. So why do we need another version? Is it because it's very profitable? Probably. I really hope that this film turns out to be good because The Lion King has a very special place in my heart as one of my favourites of the classic Disney movies. So, if this isn't good, I'll be very upset and the film will just spend its life in the shadow of the original. I don't care if the visuals are amazing and look photo-realistic, I don't care if Jon Favreau, the man most qualified at this point after The Jungle Book, is directing it. There is always a chance this will tip over and disappoint. So, my fingers are crossed very tightly. That said, I just can't wait for this movie.

3. Toy Story 4 (June 21st) 

If you thought I was concerned about The Lion King, you'd better be prepared. The reason I want to see this, other than it being another Pixar film, is because I want to see where the company is going. The Toy Story films are a definitive perfect trilogy. Each installment is better than the last one and expands upon themes / ideas as well as being just as entertaining. By the end, everything is wrapped up perfectly and you feel as if every chapter was necessary. In terms of Pixar's other sequels like Monsters University or Finding Dory, they seem to have been remembered more for financial gain than the story they tell. This is why Toy Story 4 has me worried. If the film does add another meaningful chapter to the Toy Story world as well as being an entertaining movie, I'll be satisfied. But, if it's just plainly good or even mediocre, I'll be disappointed for many reasons. Not only will it ruin the franchise's perfectness of each installment getting better as they progress, but it'll sadly cement Pixar as a company that no longer has any care for the art they put out and is more driven by the money they make in return. What's even more worrying is that the director isn't John Lasseter of the first two films nor is it Lee Unkrich of the third, which is odd because the people who know Toy Story best are not behind the wheel. So, there is a lot at stake here. This better be a great movie, as if not, there will be cataclysmic results. I sound a bit too serious today, don't I? I should make it clear that I am still really excited for this movie despite my concerns.

2. The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (February 8th) 

The fact that 2019 marks the fifth anniversary of The Lego Movie is terrifying. Stuff like that makes me feel old even though I'm only 15. The Lego franchise has been such a joy since then. They have consistently given lots of great jokes, entertaining characters and innovative animation. The first Lego Movie was a huge surprise with how creative and funny it was, as the idea sounded really corporate on paper. Subsequently, The Lego Batman Movie was just as awesome, and while it was flawed, The Lego Ninjago Movie was still a solid enough movie. So, with a return to the main franchise coming, of course I can't wait. I haven't watched any of the trailers, but from what I've seen in the posters and sets, it looks bonkers. And I love a good dose of bonkers! So, if this films gets the perfect balance between the heart and charm of the original with all the new craziness, I'll be very happy. I'm more keen to see this than Toy Story 4 simply because this won't have such a bad impact if it disappoints. Besides, I doubt it'll be a let down, how can it be?

1. Avengers: Endgame (April 26th) 

Well, you all knew it was coming, so what can I say? I cannot wait to see this film because I am simply loaded with questions. Can the snap be reversed? Did the people who turned to dust actually die? Is Thanos actually the hero? Can Hawkeye help? Can Ant-Man help? Will Captain Marvel be able to help? Will this film gross more than the last one? I don't know any of the answers to these and many more, but I want to know, so I can't wait to see what we get as a result of the game-changing thrills of the last film, A.K.A my favourite film of 2018. Endgame has such a tough act to follow but I have such a strong feeling that it'll all work out in the end. This is because nobody could've expected Infinity War to be as coherent, emotional, and generally satisfying as it was. If that film is anything to go by, then surely this will be just as good. I have no doubt this will be the biggest film of the year, but I can't say whether or not it'll top the standards set by it's predecessor. So, all I will say is that it's coming and I am extremely excited to see what direction this franchise goes next!  

Conclusion 

Obviously, there are some other films I am looking forward to, but I think those 10 are the ones I'll be keeping a close eye on. And like any other year, there will be films that pop up throughout that I may see. But from what I can see now, it looks like a very solid line-up indeed. Some risky films, some with a lot to live up to, and some that'll definitely be quality entertainment. I'm really looking forward to seeing how this year pans out, as well as how these films do. If previous years are anything to go by, I'm certain that this one will be awesome. So, I'm ready for 2019.