Bohemian Rhapsody

Pending who you talk to, this movie is either great or awful. I’ve read some horrible reviews. I just saw it and I fall somewhere in between. If you like Queen’s music, then you’ll probably dig this. The music and casting is terrific. The guys they got to play some of the band members are spot on. They also do an incredible job of recreating Live Aid. That covers the last 20 minutes and its worth the price of admission right there The story itself is your standard music biopic. Nothing in this is groundbreaking and it’s almost a paint by numbers formula. For the most part, it’s alright. You get the highlights but that’s about it. Freddy Mercury led an NC-17 life in a PG-13 movie, so there is a lot missing or left to the viewer’s imagination, but is touched on well enough. If you want the full disclosure, you’ll have to watch something else. Look for a weird cameo by Mike Myers as Ray Foster, which I could have done without. That’s just stunt casting. This is worth seeing. The acting by Rami Malek is great. He gets all of Mercury’s nuances and ticks and captures the performers persona. As music biopics go, it’s good enough. There are many better ones, but if you like the band, you’ll walk out of the theater humming their tunes. I promise you that.

Rating (***)