QUEEN MOVIE: BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY (2017)

Genre: Drama / Musical
Running Length: 2:25
Cast: Rami Malek, Gemma Arterton, Johnny Flynn, Matt Smith, Dominic Cooper, Tom Wilkinson
Director: Bryan Singer
Screenplay: Anthony McCarten

I remember reading quite recently a movie about the legendary Freddie Mercury and his band Queen was in the making but it caught me by surprise that QUEEN MOVIE: BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY is out now and is actually showing in our local cinemas!

First and foremost, this film is not a bio-pic of Freddie Mercury. There are already many documentaries out there. Instead, screenwriter McCarten and director Singer chooses to focus on the dynamics between the genius of Mercury and the rest of the band members. As a result, the final product gives a better coverage of Queen as a band, instead of exploring the wild stories of its frontman.

Bohemian Rhapsody is structured as a three-part story; how the band got together, Queen at Live Aid and when Mercury learned he was dying. Occasional flashbacks are employed to flesh out more of its characters - their motivations and fear. Surprisingly, the movie features very few set pieces but relies more on the acting and dialogue; except Act 2.

Thankfully it wasn't boring thanks to the pacing and camera work. But that said, the big standout to me was the Live Aid concert moment, dubbed as the "20 minutes that changed music". The moments leading to the band playing in front of 72,000 people at Wembley Stadium was filled with so much anxiety I could literally feel the characters cracking under pressure. And when they finally performed, W.O.W, it was such an immersive experience!

So, did Mr Robot's Rami Malek do justice to playing the iconic Freddie Mercury? Well, he doesn’t bear a strong physical resemblance to Mercury but he definitely exudes presence and magnetism. Throughout the course of the film, Malek = Mercury. The supporting cast especially newcomer Flynn (who plays Brian May) are solid and provides an element of balance.

In my mind, Queen always begins and ends with Freddie Mercury. Although the filmmakers made a compelling movie of the band's career as a whole, I would have loved to see more of the madness of Mister Fahrenheit himself.

RATING: 8.5/10

Spoilers! Go to the comments section to reveal an unexpected famous actor who made an unforgettable cameo appearance!

TERMINATOR: GENISYS (2015)

Genre: Science Fiction/Action

Running Length: 2:05

Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Emilia Clarke, Jason Clarke, Jai Courtney, J.K. Simmons, Matt Smith

Director: Alan Taylor

Screenplay: Laeta Kalogridis and Patrick Lussier

TERMINATOR: GENISYS ignores the existence of Terminator 3 and Terminator Salvation, and sets itself up as a direct sequel of The Terminator and T2: Judgement Day. In fact, it follows so closely to the storyline established by James Cameron that some (younger) audience may find it difficult to follow without having seen the earlier installments. Case in point, the guy sitting next to me in the cinema was providing an express back story to his young-ish girlfriend throughout the film. You know this guy was in for a ride when his gf asked him at the start of the movie, "So, Arnold is a robot-ah?" -__-

Sorry, I digressed. 

So, is this movie any good? Sadly, it's pretty bad. I was hoping it to be a "Jurassic World" where it was an updated version for today's generation while keeping the heart of the original intact. Heck, they even threw in a T-1000 in police uniform for nostalgia. But it just didn't work. To be fair, it tries to reboot the franchise by messing up the timelines (think Back to The Future 2) and having a major twist to the origins of the story. However, the more I kept thinking about it, the more headache inducing I became. James Cameron's Terminator series has a sense of realism to it ie. it can happen in today's context. Its memorable action scenes has a sense of clear and present danger; remember the cop shop killing spree and the lorry vs the little dirt bike viaduct chase scene? In GENISYS, the action is so CGI heavy it's boring; everything gets blown up and helicopters can pull 360 degree flips under bridges. Yawn. 

GENISYS is blessed with a diverse cast. Emilia Clarke's Sarah Connor is serviceable and her presence should attract a legion of Game of Thrones fans while former Doctor Who's Matt Smith should bring along his fan base as well. But this is Arnold Schwarzenegger's show through and through. He is the face of the franchise. Without his presence, this movie will be an outright disaster. The best one-liners, the best fight scenes, and even the film's comedy are reserved for Schwarzenegger. The only time this movie entertains is when Ah-nuld is doing his thing. I think the movie could have benefited if the filmmakers took time to weave the theme of predestination paradox into the storyline (A predestination paradox, also called a causal loop, is a paradox of time travel. A time traveler attempting to alter the past, intentionally or not, would only be fulfilling his role in creating history as we know it, not changing it. It's another way of saying whatever has happened was meant to happen. If it's meant to be, it will be)

Rating: 5.5/10

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