If you have not seen Bohemian Rhapsody yet, I highly recommend seeing it ASAP! You don’t need to be a die-hard Queen fan to appreciate the story of Freddie Mercury.
In the film, the audience is given the full story of how Freddie Mercury reached his peak of fame along with quite a number of obstacles along the way. But besides the history of the band itself, there are major themes that aren’t just for the Queen fans in the audience.
One of the major themes presented in the movie was the idea of being an outcast. Time and time again, the band members emphasized that their goal was to make music that was different and unique. They didn’t want to make regular music because they weren’t a regular band. Their music was for the outcasts and for those that were considered different. This is also emphasized through the ever-changing appearance of Freddie Mercury himself, as someone who had been considered an outcast all his life. Through their music, too, the band wants to make their audience a part of the concert experience and a part of their music. These ideas of inclusivity and embracing uniqueness can be appreciated by everyone in the audience.
Another aspect that the film focused a decent amount of attention to was Freddie Mercury’s lifestyle that led up to his contracting of the HIV/AIDS virus. Throughout the film, the audience was able to see how prevalent drugs became in Mercury’s life. There is a particular scene where at a press conference, Mercury is visibly under the influence during the middle of the day. There are also other scenes where Mercury is gradually getting iller, until he finally consults a doctor and is diagnosed. A scene that is extremely heartbreaking is when he notifies his bandmates of his illness. The movie highlights the severity and continuous epidemic that surrounds the HIV/AIDS disease.
If these aren’t enough to make you want to see the movie, I would tell you to go for the music. Queen wrote and produced some of the most iconic songs ever. We still listen to songs like “We Will Rock You”, “We Are The Champions” and “Somebody To Love”, just to name a few. The movie goes in depth into the process of producing such iconic songs, and it is simply mesmerizing. I highly recommend seeing Bohemian Rhapsody in theaters rather than waiting for it to watch online, to really get the full effect of the music.