We can’t help but sing along and stomp our feet when we hear those tunes blast out over the speakers.
It has been more than 25 years since the passing of the band’s flamboyant lead singer Freddie Mercury, but the music of Queen continues to live on through the generations.
This year, Emmy Award winner Rami Malek takes on the role of the king of pop rock in Bohemian Rhapsody, a heart-pumping film nearly a decade in the making that celebrates Queen, their music and Mercury’s extraordinary life.
Bohemian Rhapsody is a biopic that follows the dramatic rise and fall of the band through their revolutionary songs and sound, the life of Mercury that spirals out of control, leading up to their triumphant reunion at the 1985 Live Aid concert where Mercury, facing a life-threatening illness, leads the band in what many call one of the greatest performances in the history of rock music.
Throughout this story, the film cements the legacy of Queen that were always more like a family, who continue to inspire music lovers, dreamers and outcasts to this very day.
Now, we have no doubt that every fan of Queen, young and old, will be flocking to the theatres to catch Bohemian Rhapsody without hesitation.
From the trailer alone, who wouldn’t?
However, lukewarm or non-fans of Queen and rock music in general may wonder whether the movie is worth watching.
This week, Rojak Daily had the opportunity to see Bohemian Rhapsody in all its glory before the rest of Malaysia. And man, it felt like we were at an actual Queen concert!
So, we’re here to convince you why you should book your tickets now and catch the film about one of the most beloved entertainers on the planet at the cinema as soon as it is out.
#1 Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury
Just five minutes into Bohemian Rhapsody, we knew that Rami Malek was born to play a role like Freddie Mercury.
His gestures, movements, mannerisms, emotions, speech, right down to the way his mouth moved with those prosthetic teeth to mimic Mercury’s famous overbite were spot on.
Malek admitted that he didn’t sing, dance nor play the piano. But playing Mercury required all those skills he was never familiar with. Yet, he nailed them all in the film.
Acting a completely new role that was created out of pure imagination is a talent of its own, but to portray another real-life human being that was and is still loved by millions? We can only imagine the weight of the responsibility that comes with that.
Nevertheless, the passion, energy, tenderness and humanity that Malek successfully injected into Mercury’s character deserved all the praises.
He even had to sing along to some of the pre-recorded songs while filming on set to make sure that the lip sync was perfect and believable.
So, is Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury convincing enough in Bohemian Rhapsody? Absolutely.
#2 The music of Queen
For a movie like Bohemian Rhapsody, music plays the biggest role. But it wasn’t just one where they threw in existing hits by Queen as background music.
The production made it a point to create a soundtrack that was as authentic as possible, besides paying tribute to the legendary band.
From backing tracks to vocals, to the original vocal and band recordings, to mixing the voices of Malek, Mercury soundalike Marc Martel and of course, Mercury himself, the music in the film became more than just another Queen album.
No matter whether you’re a fan of Queen or not, the songs will keep you pumped up through the film, especially watching how some of the band’s biggest anthems were created.
Our personal favourites were the scenes telling the stories behind ‘We Will Rock You’ and this film’s namesake, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, the six-minute track that was hated by critics but loved by the fans.
And not to mention, the beginning and ending of Bohemian Rhapsody that brings the whole film together, the reenactment of Queen’s earth-shaking Live Aid performance in 1985.
In fact, the 20-minute set was filmed on the production’s very first day of shooting! To give you a rough idea of what this performance will look like in Bohemian Rhapsody, have a look at this actual clip:
Needless to say, we nearly stood up to cheer and clap our hands in the middle of the cinema after each song.
So, is the music of Queen convincing enough in Bohemian Rhapsody? Indeed, it is.
#3 The story of Queen
The journey of Queen in Bohemian Rhapsody is about as real as it gets because the band’s founders and members, guitarist Brian May (played by Gwilym Lee) and drummer Roger Taylor (played by Ben Hardy), were very much a part of the creative process.
With their involvement, we knew that the film remained true to history. It basically told their life stories, so who else would know it better than them?
You can read as many books and articles, watch as many videos and documentaries, but nothing beats having the actual band members and people closest to Mercury in the storytelling.
And this certainly translated into Bohemian Rhapsody. The story of Queen and Freddie Mercury come to life in the most compelling and fascinating way that just captures your attention throughout the movie.
If you’re familiar with Mercury, you would know that his life was not perfect. In the later part of his career, his name was tainted by rumours about his background, sexuality, promiscuous life and ultimately, his tragic AIDS-related death.
The film does capture bits and pieces of that part of the singer’s life, but to keep things PG-13, we understood why the producers left those scenes to the audience’s imagination.
Ultimately, Bohemian Rhapsody is a story about family, love, music and courage, something today's generation probably need to hear more than they know.
So, is the story of Queen convincing enough in Bohemian Rhapsody? Adequately.
Verdict
Now, we’re not going to lie. We did go in with high expectations for the Bohemian Rhapsody after watching several versions of the teasers and trailers.
But true enough, the film satisfied us on so many levels that we believe everyone needs to see it at the cinema with the large screen and surround sound.
Yes, even if you’re not a fan of Queen.
Rami Malek and the music alone are enough to convince us to watch Bohemian Rhapsody again. We hope you’re convinced too.
Final score:
Bohemian Rhapsody is out in theatres nationwide on 8 November 2018.