The movie Bohemian Rhapsody tells the story of how Freddie Mercury (Rami Malek) and his fellow band members Brian May (Gwilym Lee), Roger Taylor (Ben Hardy), and John Deacon (Joseph Mazzello Jurassic Park 1993) formed Queen – one of the most iconic rock groups of all time. The film follows Queen as they produce hit after hit, topping the charts while constantly evolving their sound. Through disparate songs like Killer Queen, Bohemian Rhapsody, We Are the Champions, We Will Rock You and countless others, the band reaches unparalleled success and Freddie becomes one of the most beloved entertainers on the planet.
Behind that veil of success, however, Freddie struggles to reconcile his duality. Forever trying to determine where he fits in the world as a Parsi immigrant from Zanzibar coming to terms with a sexuality even he can’t define in a culture bound by stereotypes and expectations. Freddie dares to defy them all but also pays a price. Lured into excess and surrounded by darker influences, Freddie shuns Queen in pursuit of his solo career. What becomes an attempt to redefine himself as a solo artist, ends in disappointment and further isolation.
Having suffered greatly without the collaboration of Brian, Roger and John – his rock’n’roll family – Freddie comes to terms with the realization that the magic of Queen and their success lies in all of them working together, challenging one another. Freddie manages to reunite with his bandmates just in time for Live Aid – the biggest concert in history.
But fate and past behaviors throw a devastating obstacle at him, one that forces him to confront then accept his own mortality. Pulling himself up from personal strife one more time to overcome the odds, the band puts on one of the greatest performances in the history of rock music. Queen cements a legacy that continues to inspire outsiders, dreamers and music lovers to this day. On Freddie’s terms, not the rest of the world’s.
Check out photos from Bohemian Rhapsody:
