DF-02815_r – Rami Malek stars as Freddie Mercury in Twentieth Century Fox’s BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY. Photo Credit: Alex Bailey.

By: Anton Massopust III

“Queen is whatever I say it is!”

Bohemian Rhapsody won the Golden Globe for Best Picture and Rami Said Malek won the Oscar for Best Male Lead Actor and a Golden Globe for Best Actor as his portrayal of Freddie Mercury. Bohemian Rhapsody was nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture. 

Bohemian Rhapsody is the story of Freddie Mercury lead singer of the rock band Queen. The man who became Freddie Mercury (Farrokh Bulsara) was working at Heathrow Airport, London as a baggage handler. He used to write songs in his spare time, but he could sing. He goes to a small concert for college kids to see a band called “Smile” and convinces them that he can sing for them after their lead singer just quit. After doing some small concerts here and there, Bulsara convinces the to do two things: To record an album and change the name of the band to “Queen.” After recording the album themselves, (by selling their van and spending their own personal money) they had a hit song. This got them the attention of a record label (Trident/EMI) to get them signed to a record contract.  

After the band’s initial success, the record company did not want them to not to transcend boundaries and to stick to the formula of a typical rock band. Mercury said, “no” because he wanted to be more than just a rock band. He wanted to record an album called: “A Night at the Opera.” 

Queen then recorded Bohemian Rhapsody. Some people loved it while some people hated it, but everyone paid attention to it. The song was such a gamble because it was too long, that the record company did not want to release it as a single, so Freddie Mercury took a risk and gave it to the radio stations himself by literally walking in the door of the radio station and doing it. The song and the album became huge hit. 

The movie delves into Queens success and Freddie Mercury’s path to self-destruction with struggle with his own sexuality, living in an abusive relationship, and his alcohol and drug addiction. Eventually Freddy straightens out his own life and Queen came back together for “Live-Aid” to benefit the Ethiopian famine relief and was the hit of the concert. Mercury knew his life was coming to an end because of being diagnosed with AIDS. 

The movie ends with a spectacular set from Live-Aid in which almost didn’t happen. Rami Malek captures the essence who is Freddie Mercury. He gets his mannerisms and singing style down pat. Music is what makes this a terrific film with a great supporting cast. If you love rock ‘n roll, and the rock band Queen, you’ll love this movie. It is worth checking out. Now it’s available On-Demand, DVD, and Streaming.