Bohemian Rhapsody

Named after rock band Queen’s innovative, six-minute, genre-melding musical masterpiece anthem, Bohemian Rhapsody chronicles the rise-and-fall of the band’s flamboyant, yet enigmatic frontman, Freddie Mercury (Rami Malek). In 1970, young Farrokh Bulsara was a Heathrow Airport baggage-handler whose conservative Indian Parsi family fled from war-torn Zanzibar to Middlesex, London. Born with four extra incisors, Farrokh/Freddie brazenly tells his future bandmates, “More space in my mouth means more range.” Since they need a lead singer, Freddie is immediately accepted by guitarist Brian May (Gwilym Lee) and drummer Roger Taylor (Ben Hardy), and they are later joined by bassist John Deacon (Joe Mazzello). Queen went on to deliver a string of hits and audience faves, including “Killer Queen” and their classic-rock staple “We Will Rock You,” as well as ballads such as “Love of My Life,” which was poignantly tied to Mercury’s long-term fiancée Mary Austin (Lucy Boynton). But his anguished relationship with conniving manager/lover Paul Prenter (Allen Leech) causes continual conflict, since the droll Mercury carefully closets his hedonistic bisexuality up to his death from AIDS-related pneumonia in 1991. Formulaically scripted by Anthony McCarten, this chaotic, cliché-filled biopic features Queen’s spectacular 1985 Live Aid performance at London’s Wembley Stadium, concluding with a rendition of their iconic “We Are the Champions.” The awkward direction is attributed to Bryan Singer, who was fired during production and replaced by Dexter Fletcher. But what is most memorable here is the amazing Golden Globe-winning Best Actor performance by Malek, who energetically mimics Mercury’s strutting bravado. A Golden Globe winner for Best Picture and multiple Oscar nominee, this is recommended. (S. Granger)