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Pinkvilla Picks: Feeling blue due to quarantine and need a cheer me up? Bohemian Rhapsody is the apt choice
Bohemian Rhapsody, based on the life of Freddie Mercury and the iconic band Queen, is just what the doctor ordered. With elaborate musical performances and Rami Malek's stunning tribute to Freddie, this 2018 biopic is the apt choice to watch during your quarantine period.
A thing I most certainly regret not doing in 2018 was watch Bohemian Rhapsody in a theatre. What an otherwordly experience it must have been to stomp your feet as Freddie Mercury's iconic vocals scream We Will Rock You! Turns out, in 2019, I may have revisited the movie at least 8-10 times as a pick me up during troubling days, which let's face it, is human nature in the 21st century. Especially now, while being in quarantine mode due to the coronavirus scare. Full disclosure, I was aware of Queen for their hit singles like We Are The Champions and Somebody to Love but thanks to Bohemian Rhapsody, I was able to understand the eccentric concept that was Freddie Mercury.
To play a Freddie Mercury is not an easy job! His personality remains unparalleled and definitely not easy to imitate. Freddie in real-life could be compared to his vocals - loud, proud and addictive! Hence, when Rami Malek was the chosen one to bring Freddie to life on the big screen, there were obvious concerns over what the end product may result in. However, if the Best Actor Oscar win is anything to go by, choosing Rami to play Freddie was a job well done! Malek was able to not just bring forward the physical attributes of Mercury, through his physical transformation and body movement which the Queen's lead vocalist was loved for, Rami also added the right heart into disclosing who the late singer was in real-life.
But, the story is not just about Freddie Mercury's rise in the music industry. It's also the story of how Queen (Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon) was formed and took over the world. Bohemian Rhapsody begins in 1970 when Freddie Mercury was just Farrokh Bulsara while Brian (Gwilym Lee) and Roger (Ben Taylor) were a part of a college band called Smile. Eventually, with the inclusion of John (Joe Mazzello), the foursome formed the band Queen and we see their rise to the top!
Watch the trailer of Bohemian Rhapsody below:
Simultaneously, we're shown the love story that begins between Freddie and Mary Austin (Lucy Boynton) and the eventual 'engagement' break up due to the former being gay. Eventually, we're also shown the decline in Mercury's health due to his AIDS diagnosis, as well as Queen, breaking up in between due to Freddie becoming a bigger star than the band.
The reason why Bohemian Rhapsody personally struck a chord with me is because of the man that Freddie Mercury was; a larger than life celebrity with so many layers to try to get through! Yes, the biopic took several creative liberties but at the heart of it was Freddie's character and with the help of Rami, we were able to understand the late singer, who one may argue is still the greatest vocalist of all time, a little better. Besides his undying devotion to Mary, who will always be the true love of his life, we're shown a tiny glimpse into the love story between Freddie and Jim Hutton (Aaron McCusker), who was by the singer's side through his last few days as well.
The iconic moment, which lasted for 20 minutes in the full duration of Bohemian Rhapsody, is the exact recreation of Queen's iconic set at Live Aid 1985. Whoever is a fan of music, in general, knows about Queen's iconic performance as Freddie took over and entertained the thousands and thousands of screaming fans at Wembley Stadium and sang Queen's iconic hits like We Are The Champions and Bohemian Rhapsody. We all become one with the crowd, crying with goosebumps all over our body as Rami takes over physically to embody what Freddie may have felt at the moment! The entire world watched as Mercury did what he did best; perform!
Besides Rami, the supporting cast did a brilliant job in aiding to their real-life characters, not just physically but emotionally as well. The back and forth between Queen showing their real dynamics and how they were in fact as a real family to even Aidan Gillen as the cunning John Reid (Queen's manager), Allen Leech as the antagonist Paul Prenter (Freddie's manager and lover) and Tom Hollander as the lovable Jim 'Miami' Beach (Queen's manager).
Freddie Mercury may be no more but the love for him and Queen lives on through Bohemian Rhapsody!
