Bohemian Rhapsody (4½ Stars)

As my regular readers know, my blog isn't a film review site, it's a film diary. They ought to know by now, I've repeated it often enough. The difference is that I don't just write about films once, I write about them every time I watch them. Even if I only watch a film once, it's still possible that my post will barely review the film.

I have a habit, that if I watch a film I've written about in the past, I reread my old reviews before I write my new post. I did that after watching "Bohemian Rhapsody" today. Sometimes when I read an old review I think, "Wow! Was it really me who wrote that? It's so good". That's the case with my first review of "Bohemian Rhapsody" in November 2018. Click here to read it. I only occasionally write a review which is so good that it's professional quality, but this was one of them. It makes me all the sadder that it was barely read, in comparison to my other reviews. I've never fully understood why my readers prefer some reviews over others. None of the film reviews in my top 10 popular posts list are up to the quality of my first "Bohemian Rhapsody" review. I wish my readers would go back and check it out.

I'll just add a few words about Freddie Mercury. I followed Queen closely from 1974 to 1978. At that time I watched "Top Of The Pops" every week, even though I thought most of the songs were rubbish. I thought it was somehow my duty as an English citizen to stay informed about popular English music. Queen was one of the few groups that regularly made good hit singles. I liked Brian May's style as a guitarist. He played mostly high notes, not the full range on his electric guitar, which made his music sound lighter than other rock guitarists. What drew me to Freddie Mercury was his stage presence, the way he made feline movements on stage. It's difficult to describe what I mean, I hope you understand me. Click here to watch this video of the group performing "Killer Queen" on "Top Of The Pops" in 1974.

In later years (the 1980's) Freddie Mercury lost this feline quality. His movements were more masculine, more aggressive. A good example is the Live Aid concert in 1985. This was mainly a result of working out more and becoming more muscular, but maybe it was also due to greater self-confidence and even a touch of arrogance. Whatever the reason, his later performances didn't appeal to me as much visually.

Needless to say, Rami Malek's brilliant performance mirrors this development. If Freddie Mercury changed over the years, Rami Malek changes with him. That's excellent acting.

I recommend this film highly to everyone. It's emotional, it's moving, and the music is damn good! ("Damn" is the strongest swear word I use, so it means a lot).

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