Bohemian Rhapsody - don't look, Bann!!

vraiblonde

Board Mommy
PREMO Member
Patron
I saw it the other night and here are my thoughts:

The guy who played Freddie Mercury is getting rave reviews, but I was unimpressed. He just doesn't bring the intensity or energy. They made his teeth so prominent that they distract, plus the actor emphasizes them as well and it's annoying. The wigs were terrible - like Wayne's World Garth terrible - and they should have had the actor playing Freddie wear dark contacts. He resembles Ned Flanders more than Freddie Mercury.

They focused way too much on his relationship with Mary, like they were making a love story instead of a biopic. They gloss over Freddie's sexuality and drug use, which is what ultimately caused his death. He is played as a light, frothy singer rather than the tortured tragic genius he was. This movie doesn't tell you who he was, or explore him in any meaningful way.

The band itself is underrated in the movie, which is amazing considering Brian May played a big part in making the damn thing. These were not the Beatles - a pack of grubby blokes rummaging around in bars. Each member of Queen was highly intelligent and educated - Brian May is a freaking astrophysicist, for crying out loud - but they're portrayed as one-dimensional, and their genius is barely touched on.

My biggest complaint is the praise being heaped on Rami Malik for his portrayal of one of rock's greatest legends and creative geniuses. (Don't even argue with me about that - there is Freddie Mercury, and there is Michael Jackson, and then there is everybody else. ) I understand that it's difficult to adequately play a unique personality like Freddie Mercury, but Malik doesn't appear to even make the effort. It's like he's never heard of Queen, and they just gave him a script and some direction. Even when you see the stills and the trailers, you're like, "Who is that?" Because it's NOT Freddie Mercury. Malik just doesn't bring it, nor do his makeup people make an effort to have him look like Freddie beyond a passing resemblance.

The whole thing was bland and didn't touch me like Gaga's "A Star is Born". I am an enormous Queen fan, and a fan of Freddie Mercury as well (see his performance of "Barcelona" with Montserrat Caballé - my god!), so I expected to love this movie - and part of me did because, well, Queen music - but it was really a disappointment.

Vrai gives it a C-. Maybe a D+.
 

glhs837

Power with Control
I was reading a lot of his friends are unhappy with the way they played with his timeline to make the Live Aid thing some magic turning point, that the band had broken up because of him wanting to do his own thing, and then he found out he had aids, and called them back together for that show. When in reality they had recently been touring together, and he and another member had already done solo stuff and it was no big deal. And nobody's quite certain when he was diagnosed, but one friend thinks it was 87, two yeas after Live Aid.
 

Yooper

Up. Identified. Lase. Fire. On the way.
I saw it the other night and here are my thoughts:

...

...

Vrai gives it a C-. Maybe a D+.

Fantastic review. Thank you. Like you, I absolutely love Queen and was devastated when Freddie Mercury died. What a voice, what talent (both Mercury and band).

What intrigues me about your review was that you pointed out what I was sensing in seeing the TV ads/trailers: that something was off, that the movie did neither Mercury nor Queen justice, that the movie spent more time trying to get 1970s UK correct than on getting the story of Queen correct....

Rami Malik, to me, was not a good choice. I get that there is some facial similarity, but the "energy levels" (i.e., what Mercury and Malik project to the audience) are worlds apart. And no matter what Malik does from here on out he will always be "Mr. Robot" to me. So no matter that both Mercury and Mr. Robot's Eliot Allderson are both tormented souls, the way the torment plays out couldn't be more different.

Again, great review. Thank you.

--- End of line (MCP)
 

gemma_rae

Well-Known Member
If you can find a transcript of Sacha Baron Cohen's explanation of why he refused to do it the way Brian May wanted, it would read like V's review nearly verbatim. SBC is a dick, but he is also a good actor.
 

Bann

Doris Day meets Lady Gaga
PREMO Member
I saw it the other night and here are my thoughts:

The guy who played Freddie Mercury is getting rave reviews, but I was unimpressed. He just doesn't bring the intensity or energy. They made his teeth so prominent that they distract, plus the actor emphasizes them as well and it's annoying. The wigs were terrible - like Wayne's World Garth terrible - and they should have had the actor playing Freddie wear dark contacts. He resembles Ned Flanders more than Freddie Mercury.

They focused way too much on his relationship with Mary, like they were making a love story instead of a biopic. They gloss over Freddie's sexuality and drug use, which is what ultimately caused his death. He is played as a light, frothy singer rather than the tortured tragic genius he was. This movie doesn't tell you who he was, or explore him in any meaningful way.

The band itself is underrated in the movie, which is amazing considering Brian May played a big part in making the damn thing. These were not the Beatles - a pack of grubby blokes rummaging around in bars. Each member of Queen was highly intelligent and educated - Brian May is a freaking astrophysicist, for crying out loud - but they're portrayed as one-dimensional, and their genius is barely touched on.

My biggest complaint is the praise being heaped on Rami Malik for his portrayal of one of rock's greatest legends and creative geniuses. (Don't even argue with me about that - there is Freddie Mercury, and there is Michael Jackson, and then there is everybody else. ) I understand that it's difficult to adequately play a unique personality like Freddie Mercury, but Malik doesn't appear to even make the effort. It's like he's never heard of Queen, and they just gave him a script and some direction. Even when you see the stills and the trailers, you're like, "Who is that?" Because it's NOT Freddie Mercury. Malik just doesn't bring it, nor do his makeup people make an effort to have him look like Freddie beyond a passing resemblance.

The whole thing was bland and didn't touch me like Gaga's "A Star is Born". I am an enormous Queen fan, and a fan of Freddie Mercury as well (see his performance of "Barcelona" with Montserrat Caballé - my god!), so I expected to love this movie - and part of me did because, well, Queen music - but it was really a disappointment.

Vrai gives it a C-. Maybe a D+.

Good review, although, I think I'm more forgiving in my score. :lol:

I'd give it a C+ maybe a B-. That's because of the music. I also have a confession, of sorts, to make. I never realized Freddie Mercury was gay until probably after it came out that he was diagnosed with AIDS! I'm not sure when that was, but it must have been the later 80's when I realized it. NOT sure how that is, but it's true. While I'm a big fan of Queen's music and have been since back in HS - I was only "into" the music/songs that crossed over to the Top 40 Charts. Don't get me wrong, I loved their music - I just didn't follow the band except to listen to their music.

I also had a problem with how the actor who portrayed Mercury seemed to just make those teeth more prominent. (It WAS annoying!) Freddie definitely had an overbite, but after seeing the movie and seeing those TEETH so YUUGE, it makes Freddie seem like he had a tiny little overbite. I kind of agreed with one of our friends on FB who thought they portrayed him with those huge teeth to show his awkwardness with himself in the early days. Maybe that's true, who knows.

In hindsight, I agree they spent a lot of time with his relationship with Mary. If they'd given less time to that, they might have been able to delve or explore deeper into the tortured tragic genius he was, as you said.

I also wholeheartedly agree with you there is Michael Jackson, Freddie Mercury - and then other performers. Watching the movie, I was blown away that so much of Queen's music is still so damn great even now! It's hard to do justice to them as the superstar musical geniuses that they were. I never saw Queen or Freddie Mercury perform live. I saw MJ (with and withouth The Jacksons) perform live 3 different times in my life. It was electrifying magic every single time. Mercury's life story would need to have an EPIC movie to do it justice.
 

littlelady

God bless the USA
I will skip the movie, and just keep listening to the real thing. Queen is an awesome memory growing up. I don’t think any movie could capture their talent, or how much my generation loved their music
 

itsbob

I bowl overhand
The movie was not a documentary, it was a movie.. and as a movie it was highly entertaining, Tracey on the edge of her seat (literally) and she hates going to the movies..

And Mile Myers saying Bohemiam Rhapsody would never be a song people would bang their heads to was awesome.. once you realized it WAS Mike Myers.

I think it was a perfect mix of fact and story telling.. oh, and Mary should have been prominent.. prominent enough to have left 90% of his wealth to her.

She was VERY prominent to him, she should have been in the movie too.
 

Bann

Doris Day meets Lady Gaga
PREMO Member
Bob, you didn't have a problem with his teeth being so big in the movie? It seems like they focused on it so much more, as though his large overbite was what made him different, and stand out from all the other musicians at that time.

Oh, and I did not know that was Mike Myers until after the movie and I was looking at something else about the movie! I kept thinking something about the way that character looked was just off! LOL
 
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itsbob

I bowl overhand
Bob, you didn't have a problem with his teeth being so big in the movie? It seems like they focused on it so much more, as though his large overbite was what made him different, and stand out from all the other musicians at that time.

Oh, and 8 did not know that was Mike Myers until after the movie and I was looking at something else about the movie! I kept thinking something about the way that character looked was just off! LOL

Freddy DID have a huge overbite.. I don't think it was that amplified.
 

vraiblonde

Board Mommy
PREMO Member
Patron
I never realized Freddie Mercury was gay until probably after it came out that he was diagnosed with AIDS!

I thought it was common knowledge. I don't think they ever came right out and said it back in the 70s or anything, but...I mean, here's Freddie Mercury....and the band is named Queen... If he ever officially came out, it was like Barry Manilow coming out, or Liberace: "Wow, no ####?? :yawn:" I always figured the flamboyant Euro musical artists were at least switch hitters anyway - Bowie, Jagger, Elton John... It's just something that was and I don't recall any of my friends really discussing it in any meaningful way. We had gay kids in my high school in the late 70s - nobody cared.

I'd have enjoyed it more if they'd made an effort to have the actor look like Freddie Mercury. All the basics were there, just a little bit of tweaking would have done it. I couldn't get past him looking like my 7th grade science teacher.

My biggest complaint: more music, less Mary.

I was blown away that so much of Queen's music is still so damn great even now!

Even as a kid I think most of us understood just how sophisticated their music was and how set apart they were from other bands, even setting aside BoRap. I'd have liked to see their creative process explored more.
 

vraiblonde

Board Mommy
PREMO Member
Patron
Freddy DID have a huge overbite.. I don't think it was that amplified.

Freddie had a slight overbite and gap - this movie shows him with enormous buck teeth. That the actor kept sucking on to emphasize. Ugh. Wrong.
 

Bann

Doris Day meets Lady Gaga
PREMO Member
Freddy DID have a huge overbite.. I don't think it was that amplified.
NOT That big! After I saw the movie and looked at pics of Freddie - I thought - wow his overbite looked small compared to the actor's.
 

Bann

Doris Day meets Lady Gaga
PREMO Member
I thought it was common knowledge. I don't think they ever came right out and said it back in the 70s or anything, but...I mean, here's Freddie Mercury....and the band is named Queen... If he ever officially came out, it was like Barry Manilow coming out, or Liberace: "Wow, no ####?? :yawn:" I always figured the flamboyant Euro musical artists were at least switch hitters anyway - Bowie, Jagger, Elton John... It's just something that was and I don't recall any of my friends really discussing it in any meaningful way. We had gay kids in my high school in the late 70s - nobody cared.

I'd have enjoyed it more if they'd made an effort to have the actor look like Freddie Mercury. All the basics were there, just a little bit of tweaking would have done it. I couldn't get past him looking like my 7th grade science teacher.

My biggest complaint: more music, less Mary.



Even as a kid I think most of us understood just how sophisticated their music was and how set apart they were from other bands, even setting aside BoRap. I'd have liked to see their creative process explored more.

Of course, it most definitely was, but I say that looking back on it now. I probably didn't realize it until the mid-80's after Live Aid and they had such a big comeback. :shrug:
 

Bann

Doris Day meets Lady Gaga
PREMO Member
Freddie had a slight overbite and gap - this movie shows him with enormous buck teeth. That the actor kept sucking on to emphasize. Ugh. Wrong.

Yeah, he did. It was annoying.

One thing about he caps or whatever they used to make those chompers - they couldn't MAKE the overbite in the same way that Freddie's was. They could only work with the exisiting jawline the way his normal bite was. The only way to make those teeth were to build them ONTO his existing teeth. His bite wasn't a good match up. :ohwell:
 

RoseRed

American Beauty
PREMO Member
The movie was not a documentary, it was a movie.. and as a movie it was highly entertaining, Tracey on the edge of her seat (literally) and she hates going to the movies..

And Mile Myers saying Bohemiam Rhapsody would never be a song people would bang their heads to was awesome.. once you realized it WAS Mike Myers.

I think it was a perfect mix of fact and story telling.. oh, and Mary should have been prominent.. prominent enough to have left 90% of his wealth to her.

She was VERY prominent to him, she should have been in the movie too.

:yeahthat:

I finally saw it yesterday and completely enjoyed it.
 

jazz lady

~*~ Rara Avis ~*~
PREMO Member
It came out on PPV today and just finished watching it. I enjoyed it and thought it was fairly well done, but the actor did not match Freddie's energy or showmanship.
 

my-thyme

..if momma ain't happy...
Patron
Watched this yesterday. I wasn't a big Queen fan, but certainly knew all the radio hits.

It was just an entertaining movie to me, and after the apparent "reunion" and confession of a terminal illness, I cried for the remainder of the movie. A life lost, then turned around, only to be lost again.

And Malik will always be Benjamin to me. :whistle:

RIP, Freddie Mercury.
 
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