Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)

So I finally saw the film "Bohemian Rhapsody" about the band Queen and Freddy Mercury.  I have to say it was enjoyable to hear the music again, and see how the band actually formed.  But something was missing, and at first I could not put my finger on it.  Halfway through the film my son looked at me and said is this the "cliff notes" of Queen's origin.  He had a point.  It seemed to the story went too quickly.  The story evolved quickly and seems to not dwell on the earlier years of Queen's origin.  I thought so as well, but still was interested in hearing the music and seeing how some songs came about.   What I really wanted to know was more about Freddy Mercury, and though towards the end of the film I did feel I learned a bit more about Freddy, yet I only feel I got a small glimpse into the man's life because if anything the movie shows me how really complex Freddy Mercury really was.

When the movie starts we see Queen perform at the Live Aid concert, and then we flashback to the beginning.  What I was interested in was how Mercury became so proficient in writing the bands song.  In the end I got that Queen was NOT just one particular person, but a group of men who created unusual music that hit a popular chord.  We see Mercury struggling with his sexuality, but don't realize why he does not identify as bisexual or gay.  The performance of Rami Malek as Freddy is amazing and the Oscar he got is richly deserved because it is through his nuanced performance that we get to know Mercury better.  Malek shows the anguish and the pain in his performance as Freddy, but the movie never goes in depth of why or how Freddy became the way he is.

In the movie Malek says as Freddy "that I am the person I want to be", and if that is true why the conflict.  Their is mention of his relationship to his family and in particular his father, but it is never examined or looked at in depth.

Of course this is NOT a documentary, and the film is quite entertaining.  We the audience feel Mercury's pain of being "different".  Maybe that's the movies main objective.  Mercury was "different" and what made him tick was the band.  It was through Queen that he became prolific in his writing and lyrics.

I believe that the film is based on conversations from his family, and his bandmates as well as his immediate close friends.  What is lacking is Mercury himself.  I'm not sure if there is a definitive biography of Mercury, but the movie certainly makes an argument for one.  Freddy Mercury was a complex man who was creative and yet destructive.  It seems he was always at odds with his sexuality until the end, but I don't know if this is true.  The movie is an interpretation of the origin of the band Queen.

I highly recommend the film.  Especially if you're a fan of the music.  Watching the movie made me keenly aware how much of Queens music had on a generation, and still does.  They were unique and special and like as Freddy says in the film when asked to define what and who Queen is he goes on to say: "We're four misfits who don't belong together, playing for other misfits and the outcasts right in back of the room; I'm pretty sure they don't belong together either; we belong to them".
That saying is what makes Queen as a band special and this movie as well.  Malek's performance rings true, and it's because of this that makes the film worth watching.