In the United States – scratch that – throughout the entire world, the ’80s were certainly a time for great music. While I was not born the in ’80s, it can be said how much of an impact these fantastic artists still have in our society today.

As a fan of classic rock music, Bohemian Rhapsody is a movie I had to see, and it is one you certainly do not want to miss. Click read more to follow my review of Bohemian Rhapsody.

I was quite sceptical upon being asked to join my friend in going to the movie theatre to view Bohemian Rhapsody because of the fact that I am not too much a fan of biographical films – they don’t always have the most action involved. When I want to go see a movie, I want something that is going to hit my emotions in a way that will send me out of the theatre thinking about how the movie would have happened in reality. Bohemian Rhapsody did not disappoint!

Announced in 2010, 8 years were spent trying to get this movie right and ready to release because of its importance to band members Brian May and Roger Taylor. If you couldn’t tell, these two members made sure everything was to their liking – as they should when a movie was made involving a very serious band and franchise.

Unsurprisingly, the movie centres around the life of lead singer Freddie Mercury. The first 30 minutes of this movie show Mercury taking an interest in the band SMILE and the style of music that they played to the people that listened to them. They were considered primarily a bar band and only had prominence in their local areas. Funnily enough, the lead singer of their band quit his position after a concert they played, and Freddie Mercury decided that it was time to show off his skill as a singer. He rehearsed in front of the remaining band members, blew them away, gave them his contact information, and told them to let him know when they were ready to perform. As you might be able to tell, Mercury had a very outgoing attitude. He had great success with the band. As the frontman, he took it upon himself to re-brand the band into Queen who later accepted many deals and tours, becoming popular in a very short amount of time for Mercury’s unbelievable range and tone as a singer – we can’t forget his stage presence as well.

In addition to chronologically showing the entirety of his life in the band, it clearly made available the struggle he had with his sexuality. At the time, being gay in public was a very serious feat to pull off. It was horribly disrespected and had an unbelievable risk in society. Freddie Mercury was in denial his entire life about being gay, becoming engaged to the “love of his life”, Mary Austin. Eventually, he told her that he was gay and they separated, but remained the best of friends as they both partook in their own individual relationships.

The execution of this film had next to no errors. Rami Malek, the actor who played Freddie Mercury, looked exactly like the real deal. It truly is unbelievable how they can pull off such a tough appearance. Freddie Mercury had a problem with his teeth which involved a severe overbite. The stylists working for this team did an amazing job in replicating this look to the extreme. I actually tend to think that they did the best with Brian May in making the actor look exactly like him. With his “hair band” appearance, it is safe to say that upon comparing the actor to Brian May, they did a fantastic job.

Ending the movie, the team replicated the set of Live Aid at Wembley Stadium in 1985. Live Aid was a concert involving multiple famous artists that promoted awareness for HIV/AIDS. This scene was the best part of the entire movie being that everything was so exact to the original. The time spent to get the actor to make the same moves as Freddie Mercury, make the same shapes of his face, and act the same had to have taken multiple years in development. This concert was extremely significant to the entire movie. In ’86, the news was released that he was diagnosed with AIDS. Mercury denied that he had the infections – but he knew about the diagnosis long before the announcement. Live Aid was Queen‘s biggest concert of all time… And I will say this again. They did a fantastic job replicating the concert.

I could write multiple more paragraphs of information to share about the movie, as there is so much more to cover. I don’t want to spoil the entire film for you though, and suggest that you go to see it yourself. I left the movie really appreciating the ’80s and the life of Freddie Mercury. It has been a couple weeks since I watched the film, and I can safely say that Queen is my favourite classic rock band of all time. I’ve had the music stuck in my head for a while now!

Consider giving Bohemian Rhapsody a watch. You won’t regret it.

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