Who wants to live forever? The line from the classic Queen song was written by a man who knew he was going to die and was made all the more poignant after his passing. Well, we can't live forever but some people will live on in legend and legacy. Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara) is certainly one of those people and 27 years after his death his life and music still touch people of all ages. He was known for being extremely talented and flamboyant and lived his life with some controversy until his untimely death due to complications from AIDS in1991. The new Fox film called Bohemian Rhapsody chronicled his rise to fame as the lead singer of the group Queen and the complications that came along with it.
Freddie (Rami Malik; Mr. Robot) was always a little different but being an adult in London in the '70s lent itself to those who were unique. He didn't look like a rock star but he could certainly sing like one and wrote amazing songs that have endured the test of time. He helped to make Queen one of the biggest bands in the world but his personal demons made him even more infamous. If the movie is to be believed he was certainly one of the driving forces behind the band pushing them to record an album that eventually got them noticed.
As Queen's fame rose Freddie withdrew more and more into the persona he had become on stage. Only a few knew the man beneath including his bandmates and Mary Austin (Lucy Boynton; Sing Street), the woman to whom he was once engaged and who became a lifelong confidante. When the band took a hiatus, Freddie worked on a solo career but never had the same success that he had with Queen. In 1985 the band reunited for Live Aid and continued to tour and record songs until Freddie's death.
Malek is one of the main reasons this film is good at all. His transformation into Freddie Mercury is incredible and his best actor awards are well deserved. Boynton is a nice compliment to Malek and Gwilym Lee (Midsomer Murders), Ben Hardy (X-Men: Apocolypse) and Joseph Mazzello (The Social Network) are solid as Mercury's bandmates. Honorable mention goes to an unrecognizable Mike Myers (The Austin Powers Series) as the record label executive and Tom Hollander (Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End) as the band's lawyer Jim Beach.
The problem with Bohemian Rhapsody is the story. I have no doubts that this telling of the history of Queen is a sterilized version of the events that occurred in real life. When we see the band in the studio "fighting", I'm willing to bet the arguments were much more explosive than those that are portrayed on screen. The timeline for many of the events is also either changed or fictionalized completely which lessens the authenticity of the film.
The 4K presentation of the film is full and robust. The 2160p video quality is as fabulous as Freddie was himself. The details are precise and the recreation of the Live Aid concert (using green screens) is really a treat. The Dolby Atmos audio is equally as impressive as Queen's greatest hits explode through your surround sound making the viewer feel as if they are in the middle of a Queen concert. The extras, while not numerous, are detailed and insightful. They include The Complete Live Aid Movie Performance Not Seen in Theaters, Rami Malek: Becoming Freddie, The Look and Sound of Queen, Recreating Live Aid and Theatrical Trailers.
Freddie Mercury was flamboyant and outrageous. Freddie Mercury was controversial. Freddie Mercury was charismatic. Above everything else though, Freddie Mercury was a brilliant musician who left an everlasting mark on the world. Bohemian Rhapsody offers a small insight into Freddie's world and that of the band Queen. If you consider yourself a fan or loved Malek's performance then you should definitely add this 4K UHD to your collection as it can be watched over and over again without being bored.
Grade: B+
