Bohemian Rhapsody (4½ Stars)

I love "Bohemian Rhapsody", the song and the film. Queen's music is the heart of the film, and the recreation of their Live Aid performance is a wonderful climax. It's a pleasure to see those songs brought to life on screen, and the film captures the excitement of a band whose music could be both wildly theatrical and enormously entertaining.

I have mixed feelings about Freddie Mercury himself. As portrayed here, he's not always a particularly nice person to his fellow band members. He puts himself out front and repeatedly arrives late for rehearsals, showing little respect for the others. Brian May is the one who stands out among the rest of the band, acting as their spokesman when Freddie goes too far. Queen might have had a remarkable frontman, but it was a band, not a solo act.

Nevertheless, I don't have to like Freddie in every respect to love the film. The music is magnificent, Rami Malek gives a compelling performance, and the final Live Aid sequence is a tremendous piece of cinema. "Bohemian Rhapsody" left me with a few reservations about its central character, but a great deal of affection for the music that made Queen special.

Success Rate:  + 16.1

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