429. Bohemian Rhapsody; movie review

BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY
Cert 12A
134 mins

BBFC advice: Contains moderate sex references, drugs references, strong language

Has there been a movie which has divided audiences more than Bohemian Rhapsody this year? I doubt it.
I suspect that most of those who will watch the Queen biopic will have either from seeing them live, bought their music or simple singing "Galileo, Galileo" at the tops of their voices in their cars.
We all have our own view of Freddie Mercury who prompted universal sadness when he died from AIDS-related complications in 1991.
But was the real Mercury, the one portrayed by Rami Malek?
Well, he certainly looks like him, has perfected his mannerisms and the singing voice which comes from him is astonishing (although I have read since that it is a combo of Malek, Mercury and another singer).
Mercury is portrayed as an airport worker who threw himself towards guitarist Brian May (Gwilym Lee) and drummer Roger Taylor (Ben Hardy) when their singer quit their band.

At the same time, John Deacon (Joe Mazzello) joined them as bassist and within a short time Queen were formed (it didn't happen like that but, hey, let's not allow the facts get in the way of a true story).
Meanwhile, Freddie has fallen for a pretty lass called Mary Austin (Lucy Boynton) and she remains a loyal friend throughout their lives.
Other key players in the Queen story are their manager, John Reid (Aiden Gillen), lawyer, Jim Beach (Tom Hollander) and Freddie's personal manager Paul Prenter (Allen Leech).
Oh, and a record studio boss, played by Mike Myers, who is, apparently, completely fictional.
Bohemian Rhapsody concentrates on Freddie's tumultuous life but focuses, for the most part, rather too much on his excesses rather than his talent.
Therefore, there is much emphasis on his sex life, his drug and alcohol-fuelled parties and unreliability in his professional sphere.
A brighter light needed shining on his genius although there are glimpses during the creation of the magnificent album, Night At The Opera and the final Live Aid sequence.
Indeed, hats off to the film's makers for the Wembley Stadium scenes - they are staggeringly good.
But we ought to remember that Bohemian Rhapsody's director Bryan Singer was fired during its filming and was replaced by Dexter Fletcher.
And I am afraid that a lack of direction can be spotted in a movie which is triumphant in some parts but a bit of let down in others.
My greatest grump is that so much of it is fictionalised or facts are just mangled.
From the moment I heard Fat Bottomed Girls played in a sequence which was meant to be six years before it was actually written, my heart sank.
But my biggest issue was reserved for the lead up to Live Aid which is just a pile of nonsense.
It's a shame because Mercury is an icon and the telling of his story deserved the perfection which Queen sought in their music.
Entertaining it is, factual it ain't.

Reasons to watch: Great music and brilliant portrayal of Freddie Mercury
Reasons to avoid: Strays too far from the facts

Laughs: Two
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 8/10

Director quote - Dexter Fletcher (who replaced Bryan Singer): "Everyone will be very pleased with how it turns out, because it is a great film and Rami, he’s a revelation in it - a tour de force, really.”

The big question - Why did they make stuff up?

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