There is nothing quite as predictable as a biopic about a musician. The rise to fame. The hubris of popularity. The distancing of old friends. A slow decline followed by death by drugs or AIDs. Bohemian Rhapsody follows this formula to a T, and yet it has two things going for it: Rami Malek and lots of Queen music. Lots and lots of Queen music.
As formulaic and limited in real drama as it is, it doesn’t matter. The movie plays like a two-hour music video of Queen’s greatest hits. And there are much more worse things than sitting through two hours of Queen music.
Critics will blast this movie for all its shortcomings, but the movie is undeniably entertaining, if only because Queen flows freely throughout.
Between each song, the stuff is just fine. You don’t get to know the other members of Queen all that well, and for a 2018 movie the film oddly circumvents Freddy Mercury’s sexuality even though it is also sort of central to the story. The movie builds up a villain (Allen Leech) without much payoff, and it could have been 20 minutes shorter and no one would have noticed, but it’s never dull.
The shining star of Bohemian Rhapsody, aside from the music of course, is its star. Malek is fantastic as Mercury as he pulls off a full transformation into the brilliant if outrageous performer.
Bohemian Rhapsody isn’t a groundbreaking drama by any means, but it effectively tells its story and delivers plenty of greatest hits that will have you rocking in your seat, and ready to blast Queen all over again on the drive home.
Review by Erik Samdahl unless otherwise indicated.