Bohemian Rhapsody

"I love the way you move on stage. The whole room belongs to you. Don't you see what you can be?" - Mary

release year: 2018
genre: drama
viewing setting: home streaming 1/31/23

synopsis: Young aspiring entertainer Freddy Mercury helps form a band that goes on to monumental success.

impressions: Another outstanding musical biography. If you don't end up somehow moving to the music in this one, you might be clinically dead. The movie explores the early history, the issues of the band and its lead singer, and ends at the time of their Live Aid set in 1985, and subsequent comeback. The song segments are great, with attention given to the creation of some of Queen's greatest hits. There's a lot of energy in these scenes, and the movie just rocks and rolls along.

acting: Rami Malek is great as the energetic and flamboyant Freddie Mercury. Lucy Boynton is his soul mate, who he can't be with. Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy, and Joe Mazzello are the other members of Queen, which can make magic when all four of them are working well together. Allen Leech is one of their managers, the one who was selfish and uncaring. Tom Hollander is another manager. Mike Myers is a rather short-sighted record executive. Aaron McCusker is Mercury's final love interest, later in life..

final word: Well-done and song-heavy music/band story.

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