For the champions
Movie highlights iconic career of Queen
public domain
November 8, 2018
“Fortune favors the bold.” When it comes to “Bohemian Rhapsody,” the movie is considered a hit after its opening weekend with $50 million in domestic ticket sales after being predicted to make only $35 million. But that’s what should be expected of a movie that cost $52 million to make.
The cost of Bohemian Rhapsody was worth every penny for the way it portrays the life of Freddie Mercury and the renowned rock band Queen. The movie has received a 60 percent fresh rating from Rotten Tomatoes and an “A” from CinemaScore.
“Bohemian Rhapsody” showcases a long, impressive journey beginning with Queen’s creation, to its break up and all the way to its final reunion. It gives insight into how the band created some of their most iconic songs like “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “We Will Rock You.” The film demonstrates how Mercury shattered stereotypes and became one of the most well-known and beloved performers in music history.
Rami Malek could not have done a better job of portraying Mercury’s story and personality. The drama behind the character is exposed by Malek in such a way that could make nearly anyone fall in love with him. He truly embodies Mercury as he is described: a drama queen.
Not only does the movie recreate the extraordinary life of Queen, but it opens the audience’s eyes to the much more harrowing story of the struggles of homosexuality and AIDs in America. When most people think of Queen, they fail to remember, or even realize, the pain living behind the band’s glittering facade.
The last performance at Live Aid, a dual-venue concert held to raise money for the famine in Ethiopia in 1985, will bring some to tears. Knowing this to be Mercury’s last performance, the creators had to depict the scene in the most extravagant way. The cast put everything they had into the Live Aid performance. After watching the movie, the urge to download the soundtrack is impossible to ignore.
Bohemian Rhapsody is the movie to see this fall. As Mercury says, “It’s an experience — love, tragedy, joy … it’s something that people will feel belongs to them.”
