Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)

Bohemian Rhapsody

• This is definitely a "controversial" film, mostly because there's a hot debate over if it's actually good or not. Does it deserve a Best Picture nomination? Eh, not really. But I still enjoy this film, though it's nothing fantastic. I think it has the same problem that 'Michael' has, which is not enough substance and too many "greatest hits" moments. I'll say that this one does a better job of diving in depth into the main character, but I walk away from the film desperately wishing they explored more. The story focuses on Freddie, and rather than starting from his birth, it kind of jumps almost immediately into his music career. The film delivers its information in a linear manner, which is probably for the best. Despite being over two hours, it moves pretty quickly and has fast(ish) pacing. All the scenes where the band was recording their tracks were fun to watch, though I would've loved to see more of the actual musical/production process. The Galileo and “We Will Rock You” scenes were fun, but the best part, and my favorite part, of the whole film was the Live Aid concert at the end. Now, here's the biggest debate topic of this film: should Rami Malek have won the Oscar for Best Actor? I do think he does a pretty good job of portraying Freddie, both physically and emotionally, but it's nothing Oscar worthy. I felt like I was watching Rami imitate Freddie, not watching Freddie himself. Compared to great musical biopic performances such as Austin Butler as Elvis, Timothee Chalamet and Bob Dylan, and Paul Dano as Brian Wilson, this one falls behind. The rest of the guys in the band also did a good enough job, but very lackluster. Of course, the soundtrack is insanely good, as it's a "Best of" lineup of all of Queen's most infamous tracks. That's the biggest highlight of the film. Overall, this film is good, but it's certainly nowhere near the top of the list for best musical biopic. Again, I still like it, but critically, it's nothing more than decent. I'd still recommend it to most biopic fans, but be prepared for the division and discourse that this film has.