Bohemian Rhapsody is the musical-drama biopic that took the world by storm in 2018. Bohemian Rhapsody portrays the rise, and further rock-and-roll lifestyle, of music legend Freddie Mercury and his band Queen. Much like other biopics in the vein of Straight Outta Compton (based on hip-hop group: NWA), Rocketman (based on singer/songwriter Elton John), and Funny Girl (based on Fanny Brice), Bohemian Rhapsody is a pretty accurate depiction of its stars.
Rami Malek (James Bond:No Time To Die, Papillion) phenomenally provides audiences with a thoughtful, touching, and electrifying Freddie Mercury. Malek – and rightly so – won 4 awards for his performance in Bohemian Rhapsody. The film itself delivered some of cinema's most breathtaking moments.
6 The Beginning Of Freddie Mercury
For fans who know what lies in store, watching the non-famous Farrokh Bulsara (Freddie Mercury) at the beginning of Bohemian Rhapsody is unbelievable. Before his fame, Farrokh Bulsara worked as a baggage handler, living with his mom and sister. He watches a band, Smile, in his local pub and after meeting guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor, learns that their lead singer has quit. He begins to sing, and offers himself as the replacement.
This scene is the first time fans hear Farrokh sing. While it isn't breathtaking in its cinematography or grandiose performance like later moments, hearing Freddie sing is the first step towards his long-lived fame, and the start of one of the greatest influential rock and roll bands in history. Both Brian May and Roger Taylor were consultants for Bohemian Rhapsody, ensuring some degree of authenticity.
5 The Beloved Relationship Between Freddie Mercury And Mary Austin
There are no two people in this world who share a more devastatingly beautiful friendship than Freddie Mercury and Mary Austin. Having met the same night Queen formed, the two date for 6 years before Freddie asks for her hand in marriage. In an emotionally-rife scene, Freddie confesses his bisexuality and the engagement is ended. Freddie claims in both the film (and claimed in real life,) that Mary is truly the love of his life. Despite the break up, the two remain close friends.
Their friendship is unparalleled, and watching young Freddie navigate his way through his bisexuality and split from the love of his life takes your breath away. Incredibly, real-life Mary Austin still lives in the house left in Freddie's will.
4 The Recording Of Bohemian Rhapsody
Bohemian Rhapsody is one of Queen's most famous songs. In a goosebump-inducing scene, fans watch as Freddie pours his heart into singing and playing Bohemian Rhapsody on the piano, lyrics like "I sometimes wish I'd never been born at all" finally making sense as viewers know the hardships Freddie is currently enduring.
In the recording studio, Brian May plays the famous riff and Freddie pushes each band member to their maximum capabilities. Slowly, the layers of Bohemian Rhapsody come together. At the recording label, Freddie defends the honor of the 6-minute musical masterpiece, paving the way for Bohemian Rhapsody to become one of the most powerful rock/opera ballads in history.
3 Freddie Mercury Is Diagnosed With AIDS
By this point, Freddie Mercury had already led an extravagant life. With his new-found fame and wealth, he had hosted lavish parties, battled his substance addictions and had inadvertently caused rifts in Queen – ultimately leading him to sign a solo contract. In one of Bohemian Rhapsody's most heartbreaking scene, Freddie Mercury gets diagnosed with AIDS. The scene itself has no dialogue, but the filming speaks a thousand. As Freddie slowly exits the doctors, a patient says: "Ay-oh." To which Freddie responds, "ay-oh," a nod to Queen's work. Rarely do two syllables hold so much weight.
2 Queen's Performance At Live-Aid
Bohemian Rhapsody portrays the Live-Aid concert of 1985. Live-Aid was a charity concert raising money for famine-struck Africa. The concert saw the likes of Elton John, Run DMC, Bryan Adams, Madonna, Sting, David Bowie and other famous artists performing. Live-Aid was hosted in London and America simultaneously, with approximately 162,000 people attending in total and 1.9 billion people tuning in to watch on TV.
In Bohemian Rhapsody, Freddie tells his bandmates about his AIDS diagnosis before they go on stage. Undoubtedly, this is the most significant and pivotal scene in the movies, and fans see Bohemian Rhapsody for exactly what it is – a sensation. With Mary Austin backstage, and Freddie's parents tuning in at home, many fans found this the most electrifying scene in Bohemian Rhapsody. Energy from the audience and Queen's reunification was infectious, iconic and liberating. The Live-Aid concert alone makes the movie a must watch.
1 The Definitive End Of Bohemian Rhapsody
Bohemian Rhapsody documented the rise and hurdles of Queen's stardom, Freddie's contraction of AIDS, artistic disagreements, and the creative culmination of one of the world's best-selling artists. The film taught audiences the loneliness of fame, with themes of sexuality and bending gender stereotypes.
As the credits roll for Bohemian Rhapsody and the metaphorical curtains close in, the film details: the HIV-related death of Freddie at only age 45; how his friendship with Mary Austin was present until the end; and how the remaining members of Queen held The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert to raise money for AIDS awareness. The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert is said to have raised $35 million. Some sources say this figure has been grossly inflated, but the concert nonetheless raised money for AIDS awareness and honored the extravagant life of the famously non-conforming Freddie Mercury.