Goddamn is this a mess. Like a sour aftertaste on the eyes.
There’s a certain conflict of interest when watching films about a band or musical act. If you’re a fan of that particular band, and the film is a total mess, does that somehow get in the way of judging the film? Do things work the other way around also, if the band in question is shit, yet the film is a firecracker, do I go and listen to them right after I’m done watching? Maybe not, but these sorts of nuances make commenting on musical biopics ever-more fun.
While my girlfriend was dyeing the tips of my hair pink as some sort of experiment, we watched Bohemian Rhapsody (2018), and while the bundles of foil wrapped around my hair were weighing my head down, this film definitely was not. I never watched it during its theatrical run around the block, not because I don’t like Queen or anything, quite the contrary. Each potential occasion of watching it in cinemas seemed to slip away until it wasn’t showing anymore, so imagine my surprise when my girlfriend told me it’s on TV. A friend of mine told me however that he hated the film, everything about it just seemed to get on his nerves. Naturally I had to see it for myself before I could even take his opinion into consideration. My verdict is diametrically opposed to his because I think this is a charming film about the band and Freddie Mercury, though not without its glaring faults.
As a Queen fan, I loved this film, it was a wonderful ride from start to finish, made even better by the rockin’ soundtrack comprised of many of their classics. As someone who has an eye for film though, I found this whole affair rather bland. You’ll find the usual fare of simple transitions, camera movements and composition that try their hardest to create a strong link of identification between the audience and the characters, and it works. But that’s as far as it goes. It’s squeaky clean, too squeaky clean. Then again, it ain’t an art film and it doesn’t try to be which I appreciate.
Now I’ve also realised there’s a whole list of historical inaccuracies when it comes to dealing with the history of the band. The narrative of the film unfolds with the formation of the band when Freddie meets Roger and Brian, leading all the way up to their phenomenal Live Aid performance. Anyone who knows anything about Queen can easily start picking them out one by one, but that’s something you start to overlook and later turn into a drinking game once you remind yourself that almost every biopic is prone to flowery dramatization. I’ve also read that as consultants on the film, Brian May and Roger Taylor ran a really tight ship on what parts should or should not be shown. They did know Freddie quite close and as a tribute to him, I see why they’d be so picky with what gets attention, but it also throws up the question of which version of history to really believe.
This brings me onto the goddamn rating. How in this merciless world does one go about depicting the life of an eclectic gay man who was high quite often and died of AIDS in a PG-13 rated film? Well, you tone down the sex and drugs to near invisibility, leave in the rock and roll and let it do all the business. I feel like the rating is such a heavy millstone around the films neck, holding back from what could’ve been a layered, gritty and fantastic peek into the life of Queen. But that wouldn’t have pleased the censors and its box office value would take a nose dive. The way I see it, if you want to introduce your damn kids to Queen, do it through the music rather than taking them to see the film, maybe throw in the film later into their Queen-education. Not to say the film doesn’t have its moments though, but those emotional depths come mostly through the historical significance of the moments shown.
I realise that throughout this whole review I’ve complained more than praised the film, but let me clarify, I really did enjoy this film and even paused it each time I left to room for more foil to put on my hair. You can still like a film, even if you have more negatives to say about it than positive. Though it lacks cinematically, it more than makes up for it with the very thing it’s about. Watch it in your own time, or don’t, doesn’t bother me at all.
Post-script
Forget half of what I said, this film is terrible.
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