Bohemian Rhapsody

What a night this was! I went to the world premiere in my local theatre with the purple carpet event on the big screen and all that jazz.

When I saw the first trailer I didn't think much about Rami Malek as Freddie or the whole movie at all since the majority of biopics are generic and pretty much formulaic. Back then, I even considered dropping Sacha Baron Cohen a huge mistake. But boy was I wrong. Malek shined like he's never shone before. I think Susie Figgis outdid herself as a casting director here.

Ever since I joined the casting industry, I really started seeing what it means to work here, how important this part of showbiz that is, and how just a single miscast can ruin a project. Susie Figgis is a veteran casting director, known for many big and widely loved projects and she did well here. She did extremely well. Up until the moment I joined this business, I paid little to no attention to the actor ensemble, with the exception of clear miscasts that just stood out and you couldn't unsee it. But yesterday I just sat there, mesmerized. Gwilym Lee did an outstanding job portraying Brian May, in fact, I forgot he wasn't him. Lucy Boynton was one of my absolute favorites, portraying Mary Austin and her love and devotion towards Freddie. And Rami Malek. Oh, boy, Rami *was* Freddie Mercury. While I was sitting there in the theatre and staring at the screen I didn't have a feeling I was watching actors play their parts. I felt like I was watching Queen.

I don't have much to say about the plot, or the costumes, the setting, the cast. Everything was close to perfection. A perfect balance of drama and comedy. Exactly how life is.

I was five when my dad came to me, kneeled, put his large and on my tiny shoulder and delivered the tragic news about Freddie passing. Queen was basically the soundtrack of my upbringing, so I didn't take the news too well. I wept like I've just lost a dear friend. Dad and I spent the remainder of that afternoon blasting the tracks we oh so loved.

Queen has been the soundtrack of my life, therefore it's impossible to have an unbiased opinion about 'Rhapsody', but I must admit I had my reservations at first. But in the end, I loved it. The last twenty minutes of the film I spend sobbing and wiping the tears and mascara tracks from my cheeks. I can't remember the last time I cried this much in a movie. And I don't know if it was the music, Freddie's tragic fate or the relationships he had, both with lovers and his family, or maybe it was an amalgam of everything, but from the first minutes the movie started building up, it rose block by block until the huge skyscraper that the story was, finally concluded and all the lights turned on and it shined like a marvelous gem.

Until this day, Live Aid remains the biggest, most epic music event in the history of civilization and it is remembered by millions. And _Bohemian Rhapsody_ did it justice. Malek did justice to Freddie. And I left my seat long after the credits had stopped rolling. The show must go on, and it does.

This movie is a must see for any music and movie lover Queen fan or no Queen fan,anyone who sees this movie will be going through a rollercoaster of Emotions Beeing it Queens music or the story behind the music Rami Malek puts down an excellent version of Freddie Mercury, but all the actors play great in this movie In my opinion best thing to do is ignore the criticism and go see it for yourself.

I dont know how to elaborate more than this. If you are 35 and younger, you will understand after seeing this movie.

Have a lot of appreciation for Queen. Not a favourite band of mine by all means, but it is difficult to not understand their importance and appeal. They had some iconic songs (namely "Bohemian Rhapsody", "We Will Rock You", "We Are the Champions" and "Don't Stop Me Now") and Freddie Mercury's immediately recognisable vocals and Brian May's virtuosic guitar playing were always out of this world.

'Bohemian Rhapsody' fascinated me when hearing about it and became most of my most anticipated films for the year. When hearing some negativity for the film, my expectations lowered a little, but saw it anyway because it did look and sound good. It did turn out to be a good decision, it is good to see that others here loved it and don't agree with the mixed critical reception respectfully.

Sure there are clichés (such as what some of the rest of Queen say) , but very few films are not and many are much worse in this regard. Like a lot of biopics, there are inaccuracies that may drive die-hard Queen fans into a frenzy, and the odd factual distortion, but again 'Bohemian Rhapsody' is not the first or worst film to do this and am going to judge it as a film on its own and not on a documentary level.

As a film on its own terms, 'Bohemian Rhapsody' has an awful lot to admire. Getting the issues out of the way, the ones that could have been handled much better was the with the revelation of Freddie Mercury's AIDs diagnosis to the rest of the band, could have been done with more tact and less crass (like saying what it was a consequence of) and revealed too early and at the wrong time, and the implications with the phone ringing off post-taking centre stage that the event was a flop when it actually was a triumph.

Some of the early parts were a touch rushed as well, Mercury's ascent to stardom could have been less breakneck.

However, 'Bohemian Rhapsody' is stylishly film and evokes the period beautifully. As to be expected, the songs are incredible and will be embedded in your brain for a long time, then again it is Queen of course. They are affectionately staged and performed in a way that made me remember what made me appreciate Queen in the first place.

Didn't find the script that simplistic or cliff-notes like, while there is a nice mix of moment of laughter, tension and tears and enough parts that entertained and informed, if not as in depth as it should. The story is never dull and the Live Aid depiction is both rousing and poignant. It's capably directed and while all the performances are fine if underused, it is Rami Malek's outstanding turn as Mercury that will live long in the memory, true to what made Mercury so interesting a person and performer without being an impersonation.

Concluding, impressively done and better than anticipated. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Wow! I feel mind-blown after watching the world premiere yesterday evening. I am whether a megahuge Queen fan (although I really like many of their songs), nor do I know how accurate the storytelling is (, but I suppose pretty accurate since both Brian May and Roger Taylor are co-producers of the film), but I found the movie both intoxicating and moving. I have read some of the professional reviews, and I cannot comprehend their search of documentary wisdom in this movie; this is not a documentary, but an entertaining story of one of the world's most iconic bands. And the film delivers on all aspects. (And the critics were so wrong about the song Bohemian Rhapsody upon its release).

As Brian May pinpointed in the interview on the red carpet, he found that the casting was excellent (I don't remember the exact word he used). But he is so right. Every major role is perfectly casted, and all the band members are brilliant. But I must emphasize Rami Malek's role as Freddie. It has Oscar written all over it. What he does, is almost beyond comparison. Chapeau for even taking on this role, and then delivering what he does. Even better, although marginally, than Michael Douglas in Behind the Candelabra. And Gwilym Lee as Brian May is also a bull's eye, but Malek really carries the production on his tiny shoulders. It was like watching our beloved Freddie all over again.

Many, many memorable moments, but the Live Aid performance recreated: it is one of the best scenes I have ever seen - and I have seen lots and lots of films. Chapeau for director(s) and producers and the whole team for to me delivering the best film YTD in 2018!!