The excitement over Bohemian Rhapsody was long-awaited as trailers teased scenes of the band performing their most famous hits like, “We Will Rock You” and “Somebody to Love.” 

Besides enjoying Queen’s music, I was interested to learn about the band’s history, specifically the role of lead singer, Freddie Mercury, and his influence over the music/pop culture industry. 

While Bohemian Rhapsody featured important landmarks of the band, from their rise to success in London to global popularity, the movie largely focused on Mercury’s accomplishments and struggles with fame. Rami Malek, executed the inner-diva of Mercury’s outspoken personality. Malek’s portrayal of Mercury displays his struggle for identity as he explores his sexuality and self-expression. 

One of the most memorable moments from the movie involve Mercury’s confession to his then-fiancé, Mary Austin, played by Lucy Boynton, about his discovered bisexuality. To his response, Austin tearfully responds with, “I knew you were gay.” While the dismissals of bisexual identities are not a new or uncommon phenomenon, my heart broke for Mercury. However, I appreciated the recognition of a bisexual person in a big-screen movie, considering the lack of queer characters in box office movies. Mercury’s flamboyant personality and gender-bending expression was extremely admirable (not to mention his flashy and skin-tight concert outfits). Since Queen’s popularity reigned in the 1970s to the mid-1980s, it was surprising to observe Mercury’s care-free attitude towards his authentic self. 

Even though Bohemian Rhapsody was a truly iconic film, there were some plot-holes and random jumps throughout the movie. The 2 hour and 15 minute movie could not fit every single detail of the band, but maybe the producers should have glossed over some of their music and focused more on the band members.

For anyone who is a rock music, Queen or movie fan, Bohemian Rhapsody is an excellent choice for your viewing. Be prepared to laugh, cry and belt out some of the greatest rock songs of all time.