Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2018
	Director: Bryan Singer (X-men)
	Actors: Rami Malek (OldBoy, Papillon, Mr Robot TV-series), Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee, Aiden Gillen (Game of Thrones TV-series), Mike Myeers (Wayne's World 1-2, Austin Powers 1-3)
	Country: USA, GB
	Genre: Drama, Music
	Conditions of visioning: 19&26.03.2019, inflight entertainment, 10" tablet screen
Synopsis: The rise of Queen, one of the greatest Rock bands of all times.
Review: Watching this documentary I realized that I do like the music from Queen, and that I am not the only one finding something special to it. Too bad I didn't see the movie in the theater, I would have stomped my foot for sure. I never knew much about the band, except that its leader Freddy Mercury was extravagant, that he wore a mustache to hide prominent teeth and that he died of AIDS. So I was pleased to see its origin story put on film. I find the lead actor Rami Malek excellent, he fully deserved his academy Award like other biopic stars before him that were until then relatively unknown but rose to celebrity thanks to an entranced performance (Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln for example). I liked that the movie doesn't start with struggle and conflicts but rather shows the spectacular rise the the band to world fame, hit after hit. I got shivers every time they are shown revolutionizing music with new ideas, time after time. Funny however that no mention is made of their theatrical and cinematographic adventures with respectively The Rocky Horror Show and the soundtrack of Flash Gordon. Probably done to keep concise a movie already 2h30 long, and rather focus in the characters. Much of the story, dialogs and characters interactions may be dramatized (this is no Documentary after all), I find it to be done with a purpose. In that respect the highlight is the presence of Mike Myers (the comedian behind the Austin Powers franchise) playing a totally fictional music label representative who drops the band after not believing in the lengthy opera-song Bohemian Rhapsody. The highlight is that Myers is known for his rock comedy Wayne's World in which that very song is played in full with the main characters head-banging in their car. Myers character in the Queen biopic says that precisely this will never happen. Wink. Precious. Not being a big radio listener, that is probably where I heard the song for the first time. At mid-movie comes the expected turn of events in the band's career: increasing conflicts within the band and with their producers, tantrums, loneliness, abuse of drugs sex and alcohol. This is of course sad to watch but a necessary part of a good drama. Throughout the movie I found a nice matching done between the lyrics of key songs and the events occurring on-screen. And the movie concludes in the best way possible with renewed friendship, optimism in the face of coming death, redemption, and like in The Concert or The Pianist before it with 15 minutes of uninterrupted live music. Loved it.
Rating: 8 /10