BLU-RAY REVIEW: BOHEMIAN
RHAPSODY
2/11/2019
OVERVIEW:
Celebrate the iconic and heart pounding music of Queen and
Freddie Mercury with the highest-grossing biopic of all-time
when Bohemian Rhapsody comes to Digital and Movies Anywhere
January 22 and 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray™ and DVD February 12. Fans
can experience the story behind the band and the making of
“Bohemian Rhapsody,” the #1 streamed song of the 20th century
and other favorites like “We Will Rock You,” “Somebody to Love,”
“We are the Champions” and more, for a music adventure that will
make you laugh, sing, dance and cry.
For the first time,
fans can experience a truly one-of-a-kind music movie event with
the complete “Live Aid” Movie Performance featuring two
never-before-seen songs (“Crazy Little Thing Called Love” and
“We Will Rock You) packed into a 22-minute collective experience
recreating the original event. In addition, on Blu-ray &
Digital, fans will get a look behind the making of the film
including interviews with Queen, the cast and creative team.
SYNOPSIS:
Bohemian Rhapsody is an enthralling celebration of Queen, their music, and their extraordinary lead singer Freddie Mercury (Malek), who defied stereotypes and convention to become one of history’s most beloved entertainers. Following Queen’s meteoric rise, their revolutionary sound and Freddie’s solo career, the film also chronicles the band’s reunion, and one of the greatest performances in rock history.
FILM REVIEW:
[Brian May finishes Bohemian Rhapsody guitar solo in
studio]
Brian May:
So now what?
Freddie Mercury: Oh, this is when the
operatic section comes in.
Brian May: Ah. The operatic
section, yeah...
[talking about Bohemian
Rhapsody]
Ray Foster:
It goes on forever, six bloody minutes!
Freddie Mercury:
I pity your wife if you think six minutes is forever.
Roger Taylor:
Ready, Freddie?
Freddie Mercury: Let's do it.
The
year is 1970 and Farrokh Bulsara (Freddie) is a dreamer, a
voice, and a talent with tremendous charisma just waiting
to break out. At that time I can only imagine how
difficult it would be for someone of a non-anglo saxon
heritage to be front and center in the spotlight in Great
Britain, but that did not stop Freddie or even slow him
down one bit. His talent and non-conventional ways made
him stand out at first but musically the time was ripe for
his bohemiam style and sound and it was just what Queen
needed. Together they took the world by storm and
succeeded furiously. He had to get past any initial public
resistance, financial setbacks and risks, how people would
react to his slight dental deformity (his jaw and teeth
which happens to be key to his singing abilities), the nay
sayers in the industry, and even part of his own family to
accomplish his dream and he did. He along with Queen can
proudly say that they did it their way.
Ray Foster:
Mark these words: NO ONE will play Queen.
Jim Beach:
Fortune favors the bold.
Ray Foster:
No-one is going to be head-banging in the car to Bohemian
Rhapsody.
I know I'm using a lot of quotes but I just can't
help it because they are so good and are at some of the
best moments in the film. As for the head-banging quote,
well it's so appropriate that the character that says that
line, Ray Foster, is played by none other than Mike Myers.
You will understand the reference if you've seen Wayne's
World. As for no one will play Queen, well I think we all
know what happened. This film explores Freddie's and
Queen's journey and takes you on a rock and roll ride as
unique as Queen itself. This is not just some kind of
rockumentary, it's a musical and cinematic experience.
It's like going to a concert and what an amazing concert,
what an amazing band, and what an amazing story. This is a
foot stomping, head banging, sing along type of movie that
will pull at your heart strings, maybe even draw a tear or
two, and will demonstrate just how legendary Queen was. It
explores his ups and downs with the true love of his life,
Mary, and his struggle with homosexuality. It basically
follows the band, focusing mostly on Freddie up to and
culminating at the Live Aid concert in London, July 13,
1985. That was one of the best moments in Queen's history.
The cast of this show really did everybody justice, most
especially Rami Malek who just totally nails his
performance as Freddie Mercury. There are certain
biographical films where the lead actor gives such a
genuine performance that you start to believe that the
actor has become the person they are playing. This is one
of those cases. I mean you might think you ARE watching a
rockumentary with actual footage, it is so well done. Even
down to the dialogue and manerisms, these movie makers got
the details right. Well known Director Bryan Singer proves
once again that he is not just an action flick guy, but
can also give us a fine drama/history piece. On a personal
note, the song Bohemian Rhapsody in my opinion is easily
one of the best and most unique songs in worldwide
recorded music history. It is a ballad, it is rock and
roll, it's an opera, and it's a cool story too. This is
one of those songs that demands you sing along and feel
the emotion embedded in it. Yours truly has been caught
many a time singing this song in my car with all the
proper gestures that the song calls for. Thanks to this
song, my performance helped me conquer Priscilla's heart.
She must be a sucker for silly men. If you are a fan of
Queen, this is a must see.
Review By Cine Marcos
cinemarcos@smartcine.com
BLU-RAY:
The film is
presented in widescreen in a 1.85:1 aspect ration preserving its
theatrical format. The picture is just flawless. Not only the
picture looks great in this release, also the sound it is good,
a 5.1 Master Audio in English that provides a good complement
to the picture. It also includes
English Spanish subtitles.
VIDEO:
Widescreen (1.85:1) 16x9
AUDIO:
English Dolby Digital 5.1, English Dolby Digital 2.0, English
Descriptive Audio 5.1,
Subtitles -
English, English SDH, French, Spanish
SPECIAL
FEATURES:
Blu-ray™ unleashes the power of your HDTV and is the best way to watch movies at home, featuring 6X the picture resolution of DVD, exclusive extras and theater-quality surround sound.
The
Complete Live Aid Movie Performance Not Seen in Theaters
(featured in 4K Ultra HD™ HDR on the 4K Ultra HD™ Disc)
Rami
Malek: Becoming Freddie
The Look
and Sound of Queen
Recreating Live Aid