Bohemian Rhapsody

What a night this was! I went to the world premiere in my local theatre with the purple carpet event on the big screen and all that jazz.

When I saw the first trailer I didn't think much about Rami Malek as Freddie or the whole movie at all since the majority of biopics are generic and pretty much formulaic. Back then, I even considered dropping Sacha Baron Cohen a huge mistake. But boy was I wrong. Malek shined like he's never shone before. I think Susie Figgis outdid herself as a casting director here.

Ever since I joined the casting industry, I really started seeing what it means to work here, how important this part of showbiz that is, and how just a single miscast can ruin a project. Susie Figgis is a veteran casting director, known for many big and widely loved projects and she did well here. She did extremely well. Up until the moment I joined this business, I paid little to no attention to the actor ensemble, with the exception of clear miscasts that just stood out and you couldn't unsee it. But yesterday I just sat there, mesmerized. Gwilym Lee did an outstanding job portraying Brian May, in fact, I forgot he wasn't him. Lucy Boynton was one of my absolute favorites, portraying Mary Austin and her love and devotion towards Freddie. And Rami Malek. Oh, boy, Rami *was* Freddie Mercury. While I was sitting there in the theatre and staring at the screen I didn't have a feeling I was watching actors play their parts. I felt like I was watching Queen.

I don't have much to say about the plot, or the costumes, the setting, the cast. Everything was close to perfection. A perfect balance of drama and comedy. Exactly how life is.

I was five when my dad came to me, kneeled, put his large and on my tiny shoulder and delivered the tragic news about Freddie passing. Queen was basically the soundtrack of my upbringing, so I didn't take the news too well. I wept like I've just lost a dear friend. Dad and I spent the remainder of that afternoon blasting the tracks we oh so loved.

Queen has been the soundtrack of my life, therefore it's impossible to have an unbiased opinion about 'Rhapsody', but I must admit I had my reservations at first. But in the end, I loved it. The last twenty minutes of the film I spend sobbing and wiping the tears and mascara tracks from my cheeks. I can't remember the last time I cried this much in a movie. And I don't know if it was the music, Freddie's tragic fate or the relationships he had, both with lovers and his family, or maybe it was an amalgam of everything, but from the first minutes the movie started building up, it rose block by block until the huge skyscraper that the story was, finally concluded and all the lights turned on and it shined like a marvelous gem.

Until this day, Live Aid remains the biggest, most epic music event in the history of civilization and it is remembered by millions. And _Bohemian Rhapsody_ did it justice. Malek did justice to Freddie. And I left my seat long after the credits had stopped rolling. The show must go on, and it does.

For those of us of a certain age Queen, and especially Freddie, defined us. Sitting through this movie I had goosebumps. The casting just works and watching the actors playing May and Deacon you'd be forgiven in thinking someone had access to a time machine. Even Kenny Everett was instantly recognisable. I left this movie a strange combination of elated and terribly sad. Elated to hear the music, watch the story and yet sad that Freddie was so desperately lonely. Ultimately, I think Freddie would have approved of the whole thing. His genius and flamboyance shone through. Truly brilliant.

I just saw the world premiere and oh boy let me tell you about it:

This movie might not be a masterpiece but my heart is filled with such happiness and joy after watching it that I think it's going to burst (sorry for the cheesiness), Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon are so exquisitely portrayed I sometimes forgot it wasn't them, the performances were so on point and so powerful you could feel the energy burst through the screen. ¿Have you seen the famous car scene in Wayne's world? well, now imagine a full room doing the same, people couldn't help but sing along (lets be honest, it's impossible not too).

I laughed, cried, sang and wished I could have seen Queen live, this band will live forever.

Wow! I feel mind-blown after watching the world premiere yesterday evening. I am whether a megahuge Queen fan (although I really like many of their songs), nor do I know how accurate the storytelling is (, but I suppose pretty accurate since both Brian May and Roger Taylor are co-producers of the film), but I found the movie both intoxicating and moving. I have read some of the professional reviews, and I cannot comprehend their search of documentary wisdom in this movie; this is not a documentary, but an entertaining story of one of the world's most iconic bands. And the film delivers on all aspects. (And the critics were so wrong about the song Bohemian Rhapsody upon its release).

As Brian May pinpointed in the interview on the red carpet, he found that the casting was excellent (I don't remember the exact word he used). But he is so right. Every major role is perfectly casted, and all the band members are brilliant. But I must emphasize Rami Malek's role as Freddie. It has Oscar written all over it. What he does, is almost beyond comparison. Chapeau for even taking on this role, and then delivering what he does. Even better, although marginally, than Michael Douglas in Behind the Candelabra. And Gwilym Lee as Brian May is also a bull's eye, but Malek really carries the production on his tiny shoulders. It was like watching our beloved Freddie all over again.

Many, many memorable moments, but the Live Aid performance recreated: it is one of the best scenes I have ever seen - and I have seen lots and lots of films. Chapeau for director(s) and producers and the whole team for to me delivering the best film YTD in 2018!!

This movie was a brilliant portrayal of the mixed up life, and massive talent that was Mercury ... and that is in no way meant to diminish the other fabulous musicians who made up this wonderful band. Whilst Freddie's life and death are quite well documented, his inner turmoil is not - this movie opens this up for all to see, and highlights actions and individuals who had a large influence on his fragile life, both good and horrendously bad. If only he could have been happy with the knowledge that he had one of the best singing voices, if not THE best, that ever fronted a rock band. Rami Malek does a wonderful job of portraying him, and in so many ways has captured his mannerisms to a tee. Loved it, and listening to the music in an IMAX auditorium was brilliant.