Rami Malek is fantastic as Mercury, but it is clear that Freddie's real-life counterparts had little to do with the film
THERE'S a point while watching Bohemian Rhapsody when you start salivating at the thought of what could have been.
One of the most tumultuous and problematic productions in years finally arrives on screen, with all the hype, marketing muscle and noise of a superhero movie.
A troublesome shoot doesn’t always spell the death knoll for a film though, especially when rumours of an Oscar-worthy performance from Rami Malek started swirling and some tantalising footage of Live Aid was seen.
In this case, we get a perfectly good film - just not the one it should have been.
The movie is bookended by an incredible recreation of the band’s Live Aid performance via the bands rise to fame in a kind of ‘The Commitments’ meets ‘The Doors’ hybrid.
Whilst the story has no choice but to follow Freddie’s story, his touching relationship with Mary Austin and his extraordinary charisma and talent - your hem is constantly tugged by the parallel narrative - “Hey! There were other members of Queen you know!”.
The cast do their best with what they’re given - which is (unless you’re Freddie Mercury) sadly often little more than a caricature.
What’s clear is that very few real-life counterparts (including bass player John Deacon, who’s boiled away to nothing more than a bit of a buffoon in a loud shirt) had much to do with the film.
Lucy Boynton is perfectly fine as Freddie’s companion Mary Austin, offering some depth to an otherwise emotionally thin film - but the whole film depends on Malik’s depiction of Mercury, which doesn’t so much carry the film as save it. He is fantastic.
If the intention was to make you walk out of the cinema and immediately start streaming or downloading the band’s incredible music (which it surely is and certainly worked with this critic), then Brian May and Roger Taylor have more than succeeded.
If, however, you were expecting something more than a rose-tinted version of what could have been one of the most interesting and touching biopics of all time - beware.
I enjoyed it, but this isn’t much real life, it’s more fantasy.
An Evening with Beverley Luff Linn — ★★☆☆☆
Aubrey Plaza and Matt Berry star in this surreal comedy which tries far too hard to be clever and not enough time being funny.
Some good moments, but perplexing in it’s desperation to be quirky.
Possum — ★★★★☆
A distinctly uncomfortable and original horror/thriller fairytale starring Sean Harris as a puppeteer hellbent on destroying his disturbing muse.
Weird, spooky and distinctly British.
