Rock review

“Like Queen, Bohemian 
Rhapsody is three parts good 
but not terribly exciting, 
and one part absolute joyful, 
fabulous entertainment that 
makes you forget everything 
else around it.”
Olly Richards – Empire

---

16
ROCK REVIEW
apparently ‘sanitized’ version of Mercury 
that the film portrayed.
Despite the foot-stomping musical 
numbers, critics and LGBT activists were 
concerned about the straightwashing 
of Mercury’s personal life in the film. It 
seemed to many that the star’s sexuality 
was overly downplayed and that the 
picture was not an accurate portrayal as 
a result. Rami Malek himself has spoken 
on the subject stating that he would 
have liked to include more of Mercury’s 
‘beautiful relationship with Jim 
Hutton’, and elaborated that the 
romance was, ‘… something I 
pushed for, to be quite honest, as 
much as possible and repeatedly 
brought to the attention of 
producers and directors and 
everyone who would listen.’
Despite this controversy the film 
has gone on to become the highest-
grossing LGBT film ever, as well 
as the highest-grossing musical 
biopic of all time. This success was 
mirrored globally and, unusually 
for an LGBT project, the film 
was even released in China and 
Egypt. Although the film was subjected to 
censorship and edits before being shown in 
these countries, it is a remarkable feat and 
a testament to the passion for the music of 
Queen that is felt around the world.
Despite a decidedly lukewarm critical 
reception Bohemian Rhapsody went on 
to storm the awards ceremonies of 2019, 
taking home four Academy Awards 
for Best Actor, Best Film Editing, Best 
Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing, 
and two Golden Globes for Best Actor – 
Motion Picture Drama and Best Motion 
Picture – Drama. With these wins 
Bohemian Rhapsody also took home the 
dubious title of being the lowest reviewed 
Golden Globes winner in thirty-three 
years – a title that seems to perfectly show 
the juxtaposition of feelings regarding the 
picture.
Speaking about the conflicting 
opinions surrounding the awards granted 
to Bohemian Rhapsody, Brian May 
released this statement through Twitter:
‘Well, yes. You saw I went very quiet 
after the Oscars were over, signaling the 
end of the whole movie awards season. 
What really happened? We opened 
the Academy Awards show in a way 
it’s NEVER been opened before, in an 
avalanche of excitement, looking out 
on an instant standing ovation from a 
glittering audience containing many 
of our heroes, all beaming and singing 
with us and punching the air. We then, 
shockingly, walked away with four Oscars 
– the top haul of the night. The head 
of local production came up to me and 
shook my hand as we left the auditorium. 
He said “I’ve been doing the Oscars for 
forty years, and that was the best opening 
we ever had!” A lovely moment. So – 
everyone assumes that we would then all 
go forth, deliriously partying with not 
a care in the world. But I guess I’m not 
that kind of animal. I was, and I am, 
deeply grateful for our Freddie film 
being recognised in a way we never 
had the audacity to expect. But I 
found the public activity behind 
the whole awards season, and the 
behaviour of the media writers 
surrounding it, deeply disturbing. 
If you look at the Press and Internet 
discussions that took place over the 
last few months, you can see that 
90% of it is aimed at discrediting 
one or other, or all of the 
nominated films by innuendo and 
smears, rather than discussing their 
merits and admiring the skills that 
went into making them. Vitriol and 
dishonesty, and blatant attempts to shame 
and influence the members into voting 
the way they, in their arrogance required 
them to. It’s not the fault of the awards 
panels – they stood up well. It’s a kind 
of vindictive sickness that seems to have 
gripped public life. All through it, I’ve 
been biting my tongue, not wishing to 
influence the results of the ballots even by 
a hair. But, when the curtain came down, 
I was left with very mixed feelings.’