So anyway I saw Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) yesterday and I liked it a lot. It made me emotional, I was mouthing along to the songs, Rami malek is fucking wonderful. Queens a big BIG thing in my family and so I know that there were some historical inaccuracies but honestly? It was a fun, inspiring portrayal of an amazing man. Its well shot, the actors are great. Maybe the dialogue gets clunky but it’s still good.
And then I see that it’s only got 50 odd percent on Rotten Tomatoes which, whatever, critics suck. THEN I read a review to see what everyone’s mad about and let me tell you I am fuming.
I read an economist article that worried that stopping other biopic in 1985 “might prevent an excellent performance from being a prize-winning one, of the sort that earned Oscars for Tom Hanks in “Philadelphia” (1993) and Matthew McConaughey in “Dallas Buyers Club” (2013).”
What. The. fuck. One of my favourite things about this film is that it didn’t show the horrible, pain-porn, graceful and yet horrific decline into aids that every other film about queer men in the 80’s milks out. The LGBT community knows about the aids crisis. Everyone knows that Freddie died of AIDS related illnesses. I’m so fucking sick of gay tragedies.
I loved this film because instead of being a glorification of his death it was a celebration of his life. You want to know when Freddie Mercury informed the public he had AIDS? The day before he died. He didn’t want to be a poster boy, a spectacle. He was a person outside of his illness.
Queer people don’t exist to die peacefully on your screen, leaving you with a hopeful majestic quote about how really everything’s going to be a alright. Growing up gay I truly thought I wouldn’t be able to be happy. Why? Because in every portrayal of a queer character they either died horribly or died alone.
So yes. I like this film. I like having a film about a queer person that focused on their life instead of their death
Reblogging this because I have been absolutely dreading the end of the movie, knowing that it was going to get into the gory details, or at the very least knowing that it was going to show him looking like every other fucking victim in the 80s and I knew I would have to cry the ugly tears because AIDS still evokes such a visceral reaction in me. (Watching half of your family die of that disease will do that to a person, but i DIGRESS.
THANK YOU op for writing this because honestly, we don’t need another sad AIDS story.
We need a story that celebrates a band and its leader for all of the joy they’ve given us, all these years on.
I’m still feeling a lot but I’ll do my best at sharing my thoughts.
SPOILERS AHEAD SO DO NOT READ AFTER THIS.
– I was so happy that it started with “Somebody to Love”. I had no shame in singing along.
– I need to know if Rami actually sang at the beginning of the film after Roger made a joke about his teeth (which by the way, shame on you Roger. I love you though).
– I don’t understand why people were upset. Everything he was, was acknowledged. His ethnicity, his heritage, his sexuality. All of it. They respected him. I loved that.
– I love that they acknowledge what they all did before they became Queen. My boys are smart & educated.
– I love that they still kept the secret that is the meaning of “Bohemian Rhapsody”. They could’ve easily revealed it in the movie but they respected Freddie by not saying anything. Also Rami did amazing in the scene where Freddie’s writing it.
– The “I’m In Love With My Car” shaming was fucking hilarious.
– GWILYM LEE AS BRIAN MAY THOUGH. He is literally Brian.
– The live performance scenes were fucking delightful. So realistic. It made me feel like I was there. Since I’ll never get that experience, I’m glad they did that.
– Bisexual was said in a movie, which is awesome.
– THE CATS
– I actually liked that they made it a point that Mary Austin was a big part of Freddie’s life.
– Mike Myers’ cameo was so fucking great. As a fan of Wayne’s World & Queen, it made me so happy. The reference was everything.
– It was interesting the way they introduced Jim Hutton. I thought they’d stay true to what actually happened but I still liked it. Grateful that they acknowledged Jim at all.
– I DIED WHEN THEY RECREATED A BIT OF “I WANT TO BREAK FREE” IT’S MY FAVORITE SONG/VIDEO
– I’m glad that they showed the not so happy things about Freddie. Because no one is perfect & I’m glad that they didn’t gloss over it.
– FREDDIE SAID MY FAVORITE QUOTE OF ALL TIME IN THE FILM & I DIED
– I loved the chemistry between the guys. You could tell they had gotten close, like Queen did.
– RAMI MALEK. Wow. He went all in on this role. So honest & respectful. Just excellent.
– All The guys did excellent. I saw my boys & forgot at times they were actors.
– The “Another One Bites The Dust” scene was intense & then really funny. John’s just chilling with his bass while there’s a fight happening. I loved that scene so much.
– Hell, I loved all the scenes between the band. They were so good.
– LIVE AID. I’m so happy that they started & ended with it.
– I sang along to everything during the whole movie & I gave no fucks because you can’t help but sing these songs. Especially during the Live Aid scene. Freddie always has his power to control a crowd.
– For the first time ever, “We Are the Champions” made me cry. I was sobbing. And when “Don’t Stop Me Now” started, I sobbed harder.
– I stayed through the credits because I was a wreck & also “The Show Must Go On”.
This movie to me, was everything I hoped it would be. It was honest, respectful & just fun. I give it 100%. Fuck reviews. If you love Queen, you’ll love it. If you’re not a Queen fan, you’ll have a great time.
Steel Phoenix Studios 