Review: BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY

Release Date: Malaysia, 8 Nov 2018

Genre: Drama / Musical

Running Length: 2:13

Cast: Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy, Joseph Mazzello, Aidan Gillen, Allen Leech, Tom Hollander, Mike Myers.

Director: Bryan Singer

Screenplay: Anthony McCarten, based on a story by Anthony McCarten and Peter Morgan

What's this movie about? 

BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY chronicles 15 years of the classic rock band Queen, from their early days in England to the their legendary performance at Live Aid in 1985.

Of course, this movie centres around lead singer Freddie Mercury's (Malek) flamboyant and "drama mama" life as he struggles with fame.

Highlights and Lowlights

The most compelling thing about the movie is the celebration of Queen's music and its musical sequences. It was a good move on the the filmmakers part to opt for a behind-the-scenes look at how some of their "greatest hits" were developed. I tell you...those instances were feel-good-toe-tapping-sing-along moments man.

Unfortunately, despite a strong performance and dynamic stage presence by Malek, the non-performance part of the movie just can't find its footing. The dramatic arc is well...predictable. The filmmakers had to insert a "villain" and even re-arranged the timeline of certain events to make the film more cinematic.

To be fair, it's not plain but it's an expected story of a 70s/80s rock band; their meteoric rise, the break up and getting back together again. We've seen all these before. 

Speaking of Malek, his version of Mercury is initially distracting but as he loses the big hair and grows the moustache in his later years, his transformation is complete.

There are some nice little touches peppered throughout the film that made me smile such as the customized 20th Century Fox opening theme, some good old British one-liners and Mike Meyers' character. 

Of course, the highlight to me was the re-creation of the 1985 Live Aid performance which book-ended the film. That 15-minutes was so electrifying I had tears in my eyes. That voice, that energy, that defiance - there will never be another Freddy Mercury again.

In summary

This is a bias review because I enjoy Queen's songs - alot.

Those expecting a warts-and-all version of a Queen biopic will be disappointed. Instead,  BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY is more of a celebration of the band's songs. If you're a fan, this movie will leave you stomping your feet (twice) and clapping your hands (once) when the credits roll.

RATING: 8/10

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!

X-MEN: APOCALYPSE (2016)

Genre: Action/Adventure

Running Length: 2:14

Cast: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Oscar Isaac, Nicholas Hoult, Jennifer Lawrence, Tye Sheridan, Sophie Turner, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Evan Peters, Alexandra Shipp, Olivia Munn, Ben Hardy

Director: Bryan Singer 

Screenplay: Simon Kinberg 

X-MEN: APOCALYPSE, the third film of The First Class trilogy is the weakest link considering Days of Future Past was such a powerhouse. There is a tongue-in-cheek scene in the movie where one of the characters was lamenting that Return Of the Jedi, "the third one...was the worst”. I believe director Singer was jabbing at The Last Stand (critics ranked it the worst X:Men entry), which he has expressed regrettably not directing it. Looks like the joke's on him for Apocalypse.

To be fair, this movie is not terrible but it's just not groundbreaking. There were moments where it was just absolutely perfect (Magneto's confrontation with a group of Polish soldiers) but such scenes were few and far between. Perhaps we are all suffering from superhero movie fatigue. After all, how many times do we have to sit through massive battle scenes where world iconic landmarks are being destroyed (Golden Gate Bridge, yet again -__-)

My biggest complaint is the chief villain himself. Apocalypse is supposed to be frightening and god-like but he looks like an uncomfortable clown. I blame it on the costume design. And although Quicksilver's THE sequence in Days of Future Past was arguably the most talked about scene, here in this movie, the filmmakers are really milking it. As a result, it feels uninspired eventhough it was well executed.           

As for the highlights, Fassbender's Shakespearean interpretation of Magneto and McAvoy's Gandhi like approach to Professor X are still the anchor of the film. And of course, the wild and brutal sequence of Hugh Jackman's extended cameo as you know who.    

X-Men: Apocalypse is a serviceable superheroes movie, at least the first 2/3 of it. Unfortunately, the last act was just an absolute mess. 

Rating: 6.5/10 

X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST (2014)

Genre: Action/Science Fiction
Running Length: 2:11
Cast: Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellan, Jennifer Lawrence, Peter Dinklage
Director: Bryan Singer

"The past: a place of potential promise, and possibility. We are the sum of our choices, as what we do now defines what we will do. Infinite decisions mean infinite consequences, for the future is never truly set." Professor X

X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST is a film of grand ambitions and epic achievements but yet managed to retain an intimate scale. It doesn't feel like your typical superhero movie ie. no final grand showdown where our hero/heroes beats the pulp out of a bad guy. In fact, there is no single readily identified villain; the main characters have legitimate reasons for their behaviour. Days of Future Past is a very intelligent (aka Nolan's Dark Knight series) film and it plays out more like a sci-fi film aka Terminator, where our distant future is horrific and grim; mutants are massacred and graphically killed by the Sentinels - machines without soul or conscience. The only way to reverse the apocalypse is to travel back to 1973 and undo it all, where the meat of the film rests. Thankfully, Singer occasionally cuts the doom and gloom tension by inserting in some wit especially a jaw-dropping playful action sequence. Michael Fassbender, who dominated X-Men: First Class, is once again magnetic here but this sequel is truly McAvoy's show. The most powerful scene for me was a quiet sequence involving the past Charles Xavier who was desperate to numb his pain and failure and the dystopian future Charles Xavier who's wiser and hopeful; "The greatest gift we have is to bear their pain without breaking and it comes from your most human part, hope."

Indeed, hope is a function of pain/struggle.

Rating: 8.5/10