The new biopic of Freddie Mercury “Bohemian Rhapsody” has been doing outstanding in theaters. The movie has grossed about 473.5 million dollars worldwide, with a production value of merely 52 million dollars.

The movie did not get to the top without a struggle. Bohemian Rhapsody took about 10 years to finish as revealed by Queen’s own Mr. Brian May.

Sacha Baron Cohen was originally cast as Freddie Mercury. The production started filming in 2010, but eventually had to be cancelled due to Cohen leaving.

He left because he could not agree with May on how Mercury’s life was to be portrayed. Cohen wanted a hard R movie about Mercury and things like his struggle with drugs and AIDS, but May did not.

While May did not deny the struggles that Mercury faced, he acknowledged that Mercury has a legacy that needs to be upheld and respected. A hard R movie would ultimately tarnish that legacy.

The movie undoubtedly held up Mercury’s reputation, however it did not portray very important aspects of his life as much as it should have to be an extremely accurate biopic.

It’s understandable why Cohen wanted a hard R.

Mercury was one of the first major celebrities to contract AIDS, as well as go public with it.

The world was a lot different for gay/bi people in the 70’s and 80’s (when Mercury was a recording artist). Especially if they had AIDS.

The amount of scrutiny that Mercury faced regarding his sexuality after being out to the public was far worse than the movie portrayed. In the movie, Freddie is told to be honest about his sexuality to a reporter, and says he gets called a slur every now and then. That’s about it.

Reality is it was a very difficult time for gay people, especially in the United States and Britain.

The level of homophobia was so high, it’s hard for most anyone born after 1985 to understand.

The onset of AIDS in the gay community also gave license for religious extremists and far right fanatics to be extra hateful.

The movie ultimately portrays Mercury as some sort of superhero. His drug problems are ultimately glossed over with only the occasional “Are you high?” from one of his bandmates.

His sexuality hardships are addressed a bit more, but not as much as they should have been. The movie showed how his coming out as bisexual to his Fiancee Mary caused them to break up, but that’s probably the most difficult trial Mercury experiences in the movie.

There’s nothing wrong with not going into extreme detail (not making a hard R movie), but I just wish it showed more human aspects of Mercury.

The hardships and loneliness he experienced make his life and music that much more beautiful, and that is something that the movie was lacking.

The other criticism I have is how the timeline of mercury’s life is a bit messed up.

Slight spoiler warning

Before the scene of the Live Aid concert, Mercury tells his fellow bandmates that he has AIDS. While the scene itself is quite beautiful with everyone in the band having a genuinely emotional moment, ultimately bringing them together before the big concert, it’s technically not correct.

The Live Aid concert happened in 1985, and Mercury was not diagnosed until 1987.

He didn’t even go public about his disease until 1991, and he died just 24 hours after releasing his statement.

While I understand the reasoning behind having Mercury tell his bandmates before the Live Aid concert scene for emotional cinematic purposes, it’s just something a big Queen fan like myself notices.

Slight spoiler over

Other than that the movie was fantastic.

Rami Malek, the actor selected to play Mercury, was incredible. Practically a spitting image.

He nailed everything from Mercury’s voice, to his looks, to his mannerisms, and even his dancing.

The movie is very funny and very emotional. It does an amazing job at giving you a behind the scenes look at how the band became so successful.

By the end of the movie, you really are emotional because it feels like you’ve been on this journey with the band. You see their struggles, their fights and their success, and you want nothing but the best for them.

The heartbreaking loss of such an amazing man leaves many people in the theater in tears.

Ultimately it was more of a biopic about how the Queen’s hits were made than a biopic about Freddie Mercury, but it was still a very informative biopic nonetheless.

The movie has done an incredible job at introducing the incredible band known as Queen to younger generations, and I highly recommend anyone to go see it. Even if you are not a fan of Queen’s music, the story of the band is something you won’t find in any other movie.