Dexter Fletcher took over from Bryan Singer to direct Bohemian Rhapsody, and whilst it remains to be seen whether the film will ‘rock you’ or ‘bite the dust’, it seems set to be filled with the kind of raunchy, unadulterated chicanery you’d expect from a Freddie Mercury biopic.
Set over a fifteen year window, Bohemian Rhapsody charts the rise and rise of Queen; from their formation up to lead singer Freddie Mercury’s infamous performance at the Live Aid concert in 1985.
Rami Malek, of TV’s Mr. Robot fame, seems pretty well pegged as Freddie Mercury, made up in Freddie’s characteristic moustache and horse’s overbite.
It looks to be a solid piece of tribute acting.
The film has an interesting cast, including Ben Hardy playing drummer Roger Taylor, Gwilym Lee as the lead guitarist Brian May and Joseph Mazzello as bassist John Deacon.
Bringing the debauchery of another era onto the 21st century silver screen, it seems fitting that a film documenting one of the greatest rock bands in the world should be marred by infighting of its own.
Since its announcement in 2010, the film has gone through all sorts of production drama.
Bryan Singer was eventually fired from the production after long periods of absence and clashing with cast and crew.
The role of Freddie was also initially to be given to Sacha Baron Cohen, but he was dropped for being too familiar to audiences.
In the end, the casting problems seem to have worked in the film’s favour, as Malek truly seems to be owning the role.
Among the few little insights we get into the film are jokes made towards the tremendous length of your average Queen ‘rock ballad’.
The band was notorious for creating immense ballads with alternating melodies, symphonic intermissions and acapellago montages.
Usually coupled with film clips of decadent visual splendour such as the in momentous track, ‘Innuendo’:
Malek pays homage to this in the trailer by asserting smugly ‘This is when the operatic section comes in’, of course referencing the titular ballad.
When the group’s manager mocks that ‘It goes on forever, six bloody minutes!’, Malek’s Mercury kicks back with characteristic innuendo – ‘I pity your wife if she thinks six minutes is forever!’.
The film is set to be released in Australia on 1 November 2018.
Check out the trailer below, and let us know what you think in the comments.
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