Considering the poor health Freddie was in while recording them, "The Show Must Go On" and "Mother Love" are far more tragic songs than "Who Wants To Live Forever"
Well, still....I liked it's use partially because of how it was also used in Highlander. Aka that and Flash Gordon are my Queen touchstones of my childhood.
their's french band called Pryapisme. It's a weird band who make experimental highly technical metal blended with jazz and about every other musical genre under the sun mashed with cat memes. enjoy the glory: ruclips.net/video/8h4GdXIcwnY/видео.html
You sort of nailed it for me when you mentioned settling the score. I got that vibe when watching the movie. SPOILER: The part when he decided to do a solo album and the others treated him like judas stands out because they never mentioned that Roger already had 2 solo albums, and Brian a mini lp by the time Freddie decided to do his own solo album. But, you do get the impression that Brian and Roger still have some bitterness towards Freddie for doing something they both did before him. Yeah, it was really a lot of 'You see, Freddie wasn't the only rock star in the band, he flopped with out us.' True, but it wasn't because the album was bad like it alluded to in the film, in fact, if you listen to the Mr. Bad Guy album you will be amazed how Freddie opens up in a manner that he rarely did with Queen. It wasn't a bad album, it just wasn't appreciated, and I'll even go as far as saying that it was a better album then some of their releases in the same decade. I liked the movie only for Rami's performance, he really did become Freddie.
Hey, I have a question: why is the word "QUEEN"" readable left-to-right to the viewers in the sunglasses, as wouldn't that mean he's looking at an image that said "ͶƎƎUϘ"? (Yes, I know I"m overthinking it because the tail of the Q sticks out past the lens, but still)
Pretty sure what you think is the tale of the Q is actually part of the nose pad on the sunglasses. An unfortunate coincidence, but a coincidence nonetheless.
So essentially the main crime is that the movie is unambitious when the material called for something over-the-top ambitious, and the production troubles caused by Bryan Singer's well-documented "issues" may have been the reason for that. Unfortunate.
Best thing about this movie was after seeing it I spent the rest of the night watching actual Queen concerts for comparison, and that was time well spent.
:49-honestly, I was going to be upset if there hadn't been a reference to Flash Gordon or Highlander. But...."Who wants to live forever" was played at a VERY appropriate moment in this film-as it was in Highlander.
His criticism comes from the movie being like any other musician biopic, without anything original about it except the final scene. If you know anything about Freddie, is that he is the very definition of Rock. But it's clear the band doesn't want to be forgotten, so they'll dumb down the legend of Freddie Mercury just to make themselves look better. That's very petty.
I agree with the Walk Hard sentiment but I only know a handful of people who even heard of Walk Hard let alone have seen it, and that's mostly because I made them watch it.
@@BartvG88 - The first third of the movie is very obviously edited with breakneck disregard for the sort of originality that typified Mercury and Queen. It's formulaic direct-to-video pacing with production values in the several millions and lead actors trying their damned hardest to make it work. Here. If you ever watch the movie again, grab a whiskey and take a swig every time a character "explains" something. Usually, it's the one exact thing that's going to be the basis of their entire character, or the build up to the next immediate beat in the plot. You will end up drunk before Bohemian Rhapsody even starts playing and with alcohol poisoning after both of those long-ass scenes with Mike Myers. If you're still alive, the run up to Liveaid will have your liver so busted you could use it as a weapon in both chemical warfare or gentleman's fisticuffs.
@@lettuceprime4922 That was entertaining to read, thank you. I guess I enjoyed the movie because I really didnt know much about them, just their music. Also I haven't seen many movies about a particular band. Ignorance is bliss, in some cases. Have a good day and please, take good care of your liver.
If they were lacking sad music to include in the sad parts of the movie... holy fuck, how do they even do that? If we're talking about the death of Freddie Mercury, there are literally whole albums of songs to choose from. Made in Heaven and No One But You being particularly great examples.
QUeen has a ton of sad songs, plus stuff made in context that was sad because it was about Freddie dying! But soundtrack has to go with only the big known hits for reasons. So more stuff from the first seven albums thats already been on a dozen Greatest Hits albums anyway, less from the later works or obscure pieces. I mean, Save Me, Teo Torriatte, Las Polabras, Play the Game, Is This The World We Created, the entirety of the Made in Heaven album...
In fairness, I think you may be overestimating how many people have actually *seen* Highlander at this point, as well as how many people remember it well enough for the Queen song to be immediately associated with it.
This biopic is for Queen fans only (I belong to that group) as beyond Rami Malek everyone and everything else (excepting the songs of course) are just interesting backdrops. Ironic, as throughout the film the term family was used almost as much as in a Fast and Furious movie. Full disclosure I did get a bit misty towards the end of the movie in a non-musical moment at Freddie Mercury's family home. No minds blown by this film, except why Mike Myers...why? Yes this film could have been better and perhaps with Sacha Baron Cohen in the title role along with another director much darker.However, all the way home I listed to Queen, and truth be told I would see this movie again.
I enjoyed it, your comments acknowledged as having some validity. Compared to the other two most anticipated bio-pics I was most invested to see, however, it stands strong, it recalls the era of greatness for fans and piques the interest of those unfamiliar to want to seek out more. That’s what any good bio-pic should do. In comparison, The Doors alienates its subject, presenting Jim Morrison as a sociopath who rattled off lines of his own poetry while throwing his wife into a burning closet while the audience gawks at his antics for motivations we’re never allowed to glimpse. And Chaplin I’ve always said is about a great filmmaker who we never get to see making film. So in comparison, I enjoyed this much more, though the bar was low, as I’ve explained.
I'm not sure even that was true, record execs didn't like any song that "went on too long" because they knew radio stations wouldn't play it as often as other songs that were shorter (thus lowering the amount of money the would make on royalties). But the music industry had already had this issue with wildly popular "long" songs Stairway to Heaven and American Pie years earlier (both of which were 8 minutes rather than 6), so it's hard to imagine it was that big a deal. I think it was the combination of the length and somewhat abnormal material (operatic section) that caused some resistance at first.
haven't seen the film yet, the guy doing the singing bits seems quite authentic, but how's rami malek's british accent holding up? i wasn't that convinced by the trailer.
A better way to close that out, "While the Show must go on, it should probably be a different one." - That's the point to the Stars, the review as a whole. The Show MUST go on, because people are going to see movies even if it isn't this one.
audiences will probably enjoy this film simply because the music is so good. but it would be cool to one day see a film about Mercury in the vein of "Velvet Goldmine" or a Baz Luhrman-style rock opera. the story shouldn't be so much concerned with the band's internal conflicts (who cares, really?). tell it from Mercury's whimsical imagination rather than a corny third person narrative. And the soundtrack is really pedestrian -- not a single deep cut in the whole movie? So many of Queen's songs are tailor-made for the rock opera treatment. Songs like "Nevermore," "White Queen," "You Take My Breath Away", "It's a Hard Life," "Innuendo," and cuts from "Barcelona" MUST be part of his story.
I'm still hoping someone will make a film dramatizing the development and recording of Pink Floyd's The Wall, and how it eventually led to Pink Floyd's breakup. That would be epic.
You know because I'm from 1989 I remember Higlander as a TV movie in the afternoons. You know what else I remember Highlander Part II and III. You can't screw a follow up more than this.
yes but when you hear who wants to "live forever" about the end of the Freddie, would you not think highlander. ... I haven't seen the movie but I do know that if I made a queen movie that how i would end it
It is an awesome movie but I saw it when I was 19 so my judgement far more naive than it is today. See cinemasins review of Highlander. I still love that movie. The other films in that cinematic world don't exist for me though. I hated those films.
Your humor was top notch this round and may I add one edit? "And Singer was fired for ..." blank screen and tone for 5 seconds, then cut back in with "... reasons." I almost get the impression that was your intent and the editor put the blank screen in the wrong place, it's much funnier this way. Oh, and "very unique" doesn't mean anything. (shut up Tony)
Also, not to play devil's advocate, but I'm pretty sure Bryan Singer was fired for constantly showing up late and being a pain in the ass for everyone to work with, not..... the other thing.
Yes but the imagination of the viewer will fill in the blank space with whatever debauched, shameless behavior they think is appropriate. People behave like they have 4 legs more often than having 2 and most find it convenient to project this onto the "other".
Honestly, We don't know what kind of life he had. He only showed his persona to us. There is even a line in the movie "You only see what You want to see". Heck even during interviews he said that he can be a boring person. The movie is amazing and cramps a lot of things into 2 hours and uses Mary and Freddie's relationship as one of the main plot lines. It's mind boggling to me what people expect from this. The movie is filled with wild moments of Freddie and touches upon a lot of things. It doesn't linger on certain things cause it doesn't have to. As Freddie also said, he didn't want to be a gay idol, to be defined by one thing yet people fail to do that. The movie doesn't shy away from him being gay either, it's part of the story. The movie shows an internal struggle of a man and if that's not real enough I don't know what is. Even shows the tension inside the band itself. Freddie was a human being and not just a "rock star".
In this world of remakes, reboots, and competing projects, how come there isn't an also unauthorized Mercury film with Sacha? That I would go see. Probably they couldn't get the music rights.
Setting aside his personal issues, Bryan Singer has been steadily devolving from a really distinct visual craftsman into the blandest, most play-it-Safe hack director in Hollywood.
@@BartvG88 he’s a movie critic, he's supposed to watch too many movies. Why would you want to hear the reviews of someone who only watches the same movies as you? You can get a mirror for that.
Well Shindean, regardless of who's reviews you watch, you need to be aware of their biases to contexualize their opinions. In this case, Bob has watched many band biopics and sees the formula behind it, therefore finding it boring. I don't watch many of these types of movies, so this is no objection for me. So its not about only hearing from people that saw the same movies, its knowing how other people's viewing habits might color their perceptions.
Ehhh. Normally I consider your opinion to be a pretty good spring board for whether a movie has substance or is dreck, but this time I'm going to disagree with you. The movie that I saw was biopic that set out to depict a side of Freddy Mercury that's larger than life but still human. Often in popular culture there is this image of Freddy Mercury being this titan of super stardom that just kind of sprung into the world fully formed. Here we saw him grow into that image and that persona. He may have had a natural charisma about him, but he also had more than a few stumbles along the way (his first stage performance at the bar, firing Queen's manager, breaking away from Queen, ect.) He was a legend, but he was also only human. In your written review, you wrote that you felt "there’s also an off-putting undercurrent of score-settling to the revisionism, with the surviving members of Queen...alternately depicted as an Audience POV Greek Chorus of average regular blokes caught up in Mercury’s whirlwind...but also as a trio of paternal-surrogate wingmen exasperated with the antics of a flighty immature man-child." This you see as "uncomfortable." I see it as strength of the movie. Anyone who's worked with talented divas knows they can be some of the most creative individuals in the world and yet some the biggest pains in the ass. The movie didn't seek to gloss over that while Mercury was an extraordinarily talented individual and was arguably the heart and soul of Queen, he was also impulsive, dramatic, and at times a bit of an ass. In many ways this movie reminds me of the biopic _Baadasssss!_, the subject of which specifically said "Don't sugar coat my story. I may have been a success, but I lied and cheated to make that success." But that was the strength of the rest of Queen, at least in this movie. They may not have had nearly the flair that Freddy had, but they were close enough to share in the same vision. And by working together they became far, far greater than they ever could have working alone. Which ties into the theme that defines the whole movie: legacy. A legacy is never created by only one person. Often there are many people who help along the way. Some stay until the project's done, some leave. But there is always one aspect of legacy that's consistent, and that is the person who carries on that legacy. Freddy Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor, and John Deacon created some of the most amazing music ever performed, but it was the fans who remember it and sing it to this day who carry those songs with them. In this movie it is made abundantly clear that those fans were right there along side Queen for every step of the journey and that the greatest moments for Queen as a band was when they connected to an audience. And this movie is a bit of that legacy as well. Like I said, we often see Mercury the super star, but it's not as often that we see Mercury the human. His life was full of glitz and glam to be certain, but it was also filled with slow moments, moments of uncertainty, and very uncomfortable moments as well. In a way, that makes him kind of like us. And in a way this reinforces the theme of legacy. It allows us to be a part of his story by seeing a little bit of ourselves in him. And if that makes you feel that the movie is "bland" for trying to reach out to mainstream audiences, then I'm sorry you feel that way. Because once again, I feel that is one of the great strengths of this movie. For I believe that taking a larger than life legend and making them identifiable in a human way while still respecting the talent and the effort they put into their work is an extraordinary accomplishment and one that deserves respect. And it is for that reason that I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and frankly so do my friends and family as well. But eh, you have your opinion and you're willing to back it up. It's just a shame I can't agree with you on this one.
This will NEVER be as bad as the straight to video Jimi Hendrix bio-pic, seriously FUCK THAT FUCKING GOD DAMN TRASH GARBAGE. (sorry, not a fan of shoehorning an incredibly brutal domestic abuse scene that EVEN the girl in question said NEVER happened.) If you want to show that, there are plenty of famous musical celebrities to go off. Hendrix was a powerful man on stage, but in his personal life, he was an incredibly shy and soft-spoken guy that was known for being pretty gentle to the people that he interacted with.
Sounds cringingly self-indulgent to me, frankly: "Hey, I was once in a popular movie where we played Bohemian Rhapsody during its most iconic scene! Remember me!"
I love this channel Bob, but it's disheartening to see you falling into the worryingly large group of critics who praise Malek's performance but also fail to pronounce his name right...
Pity... I would have been first in line for Sacha Baron Cohen's take on Freddie Mercury, (he would have nailed the singer's larger than life onstage persona as well as the quieter songwriter offstage), but this? Best of luck to Remi Malik, I hope he gets credit where it's due but the rest of this movie just seems like a Queens Greatest album should come with the price of admission.
Well... I've always trusted Bob on movies but not on music. As a Queen fan I enjoyed the movie despite seeing some flaws. And personally, I found the MIke Myers joke really funny.
I think they should make a Rolling Stones documentary next and Rami can play as Mick Jagger. In certain scenes where Rami has a curly hair wig, without moustache, he seriously resembles Mick
I wonder if Sacha Baron Cohen’s R rated vision for the film would have cured whatever issues it has. Plus it’s hard to deny that he and Freddie are absolute doppelgängers
It was a good movie. Standard but good. It might have been better with a third visionary (supposedly that's what Sacha Baron Cohen wanted to go for) But considering the other guys in Queen were executive producers do you really think they'd want to dig up old memory's regarding Mercury's douchebaggery more than they needed to?
This movie was well done and captured a great story of a group of musicians that changed rock in so many ways. I’m sorry that in your mind, this movie didn’t reach your expectations. The theater I was in packed to the brim, and every song was sung and basically gave a standing ovation to this instant classic. Movies are made to capture the audience and keep them on the edge of there seat. This movie wasn’t a CGI disaster full of explosions and crazy creatures of some sort. This was a very well done and must see in theater movie. Now go ahead a pick this comment apart.
The critic/audience split I'm seeing is that critics are bashing this film for being "yet another formulaic musician biopic" but uh, as an audience member, this is the first musician biopic I've seen. Hell this is the first one I've even heard of.
@Orion Burns Oh yeah I forgot about Straight Outta Compton. But otherwise no. Never heard of any of those others. Either way, I don't think bashing the "Musician's Biopic genre" is really a hill critics need to make their war on.
Well that's because Bob actually analyzes and speaks about tone, structure, y'know, actual filmmaking and how said filmmaking affects the final product.
Bob, im a hige fan of your reviews and even though I think you were kinda hard on this movie (I think it was easily a B-), i gotta say if I saw this review before the movie and had the awesome Mike Meyers cameo ruined... id be beyond mad and be looking for as we speak
The problem is that its not accurate to real life. But its still better than many films in this genre. The acting is good, the story is solid and works well with the music, and its not a boring waste of time and I enjoyed myself. So I would recommend it and make sure you DON'T WATCH MILE 22.
Wow usually I totally agree with you, but having been a queen fan all my life you miss the point on this one. They changed a few things timeline wise but it's a biopic not a documentary and if you did not understand how it played out then you probably did not understand how Freddie lived his life and wanted to be remembered.
(longstanding accusations of sexual abuse/pedophilia and specifically, constantly disappearing from the set in the middle of filming and coming back hours and sometimes days later with no explanation)
For being a paint by the numbers movie biopic film about Freddy Mercury (and the other members of Queen), it was fine. It hit all the right notes (pun intended) and was an enjoyable film. I do think they rushed the story about being a band working the local city scene to international stars without the context of what made then so different with Mercury at the helm compared to the other artists of the late 70s to mid 80s. Rami Malek and the music are the stars of the show. But overall, it would make a good way to spend a matinee showing or on a Sunday afternoon at home when you catch it on your TV network in the future. 3 out of 5.
For the longest time, I gave Myers some credit for not trying to revive Wayne Campbell, until he did this. Yes, we know, you, and Dana Carvey use to bang your heads to 'Bohemian Rhapsody', but 1992 was A LOOONG time ago, and we don't need to be reminded of your glory days in such a shameless manner.
NO idea why you three are so cynical and can't have a real laugh at a good bit of referential comedy. Hell that bit was why I discounted a lot of bobs review.
IllCaesar yeah I mean I didn’t really expect them to frame his sexuality in an accurate way. Like I expected something along the lines of “he was actually gay he just slept with women because of whatever” which still erases his sexuality, but it’s better than making him straight, or even worse, making it seem like his “gayness” was the source of his problems, which is what I heard they ended up doing.
I liked the movie. And it is defiantly in my top movies this year. My point is you have to judge a movie by seeing if it achieve in what it wanted to achieve. And for me it defiantly did that. I liked the story it made my feel, it was entertaining. maybe not 10/10 but defiantly over average. I think you expected a different type of movie that would be impossible while the Queen Logo had a say in the final draft.
There was only one rule from Mercury himself about his legacy, "Don't make me boring."
The movie is shit. Rami is fantastic in it. All the performances are actually _much much_ better than the script.
The movie was great, a lot of fun and very impactful.
We still have Chromartie High
Considering the poor health Freddie was in while recording them, "The Show Must Go On" and "Mother Love" are far more tragic songs than "Who Wants To Live Forever"
Well, still....I liked it's use partially because of how it was also used in Highlander. Aka that and Flash Gordon are my Queen touchstones of my childhood.
Queen had a ton of sad songs! But the movie soundtrack has to go with the better known pieces for reasons.
Michael Scally Ijj
The show must go on was in the credits
"Psychosomatic Priapic Erections" is a great band name, I'll make a few calls and get back to you.
It's a wonder Bob doesn't use that phrase to call out obvious Oscar bait more often.
I wonder if he meant "priapismic"...
their's french band called Pryapisme. It's a weird band who make experimental highly technical metal blended with jazz and about every other musical genre under the sun mashed with cat memes. enjoy the glory: ruclips.net/video/8h4GdXIcwnY/видео.html
You sort of nailed it for me when you mentioned settling the score. I got that vibe when watching the movie. SPOILER: The part when he decided to do a solo album and the others treated him like judas stands out because they never mentioned that Roger already had 2 solo albums, and Brian a mini lp by the time Freddie decided to do his own solo album. But, you do get the impression that Brian and Roger still have some bitterness towards Freddie for doing something they both did before him. Yeah, it was really a lot of 'You see, Freddie wasn't the only rock star in the band, he flopped with out us.' True, but it wasn't because the album was bad like it alluded to in the film, in fact, if you listen to the Mr. Bad Guy album you will be amazed how Freddie opens up in a manner that he rarely did with Queen. It wasn't a bad album, it just wasn't appreciated, and I'll even go as far as saying that it was a better album then some of their releases in the same decade. I liked the movie only for Rami's performance, he really did become Freddie.
Well history will avenge Freddie over those 2 sooner or later
Hey, I have a question: why is the word "QUEEN"" readable left-to-right to the viewers in the sunglasses, as wouldn't that mean he's looking at an image that said "ͶƎƎUϘ"?
(Yes, I know I"m overthinking it because the tail of the Q sticks out past the lens, but still)
Are you overthinking it, or were the people who made the poster underthinking it?
i think its meant to actually be ON the glasses and the q tail sticking past is maybe an oversight?
*Burp* don't think about it Morty.
Pretty sure what you think is the tale of the Q is actually part of the nose pad on the sunglasses. An unfortunate coincidence, but a coincidence nonetheless.
True
I see a little silhouette of Chipman.
Scaramouche? Scaremoosh? Can you tell me its spelling?
@@apollion888 Moviebob and his writing very very enlightening me
He never had a little silhouetto in his life.
Galileo, Galileo, Galileo past the salt.
He's not a small boy/
Give him some sympathy
Spare him his life from Justice League 3!
So essentially the main crime is that the movie is unambitious when the material called for something over-the-top ambitious, and the production troubles caused by Bryan Singer's well-documented "issues" may have been the reason for that. Unfortunate.
Good summation.
It’s the problem with too many cooks.. and making something mainstream.. its very difficult and becomes too safe for it own good..!
and now it seems they have given him Red Sonja, why does this dude keep getting work?
Do they mention Freddie almost being killed in a genocide as a kid? Or his religious background?
And this is where the operatic comments section comes in.
Hmm.......operatic.
Magnificoooo(ooo(ooo(ooo(ooo(oooooooooooooo)))))!
Which one did they write about?
Best thing about this movie was after seeing it I spent the rest of the night watching actual Queen concerts for comparison, and that was time well spent.
I feel like I'm in the Twilight Zone. All my friends love this movie. It just won best picture at the Golden Globes.
I....I'm lost.
My peers (~40 yo) are going to cream their fucking jeans at that Mike Myers headbanging joke.
Judging by his recommendation, he was hoping for We Are the Champions but instead Another One Bites the Dust.
It's weird; I think Malek looks a lot more like Mick Jagger here than Freddie Mercury.
Uuuhh no. Rami Malek was absolutely perfect as Freddie Mercury
:49-honestly, I was going to be upset if there hadn't been a reference to Flash Gordon or Highlander. But...."Who wants to live forever" was played at a VERY appropriate moment in this film-as it was in Highlander.
You're really harsh on this movie. I enjoyed it. It wasn't the best movie I've ever seen, but I enjoyed the sequences.
His criticism comes from the movie being like any other musician biopic, without anything original about it except the final scene. If you know anything about Freddie, is that he is the very definition of Rock. But it's clear the band doesn't want to be forgotten, so they'll dumb down the legend of Freddie Mercury just to make themselves look better. That's very petty.
I guess you could say that... tonight, Moviebob had himself a real bad time
It's a kind of tragic.
I agree with the Walk Hard sentiment but I only know a handful of people who even heard of Walk Hard let alone have seen it, and that's mostly because I made them watch it.
Freddie Mercury is such an important icon to me, and while I fully expected this movie to be bad, it still disappoints. He deserved better.
Can you explain why? I really liked the film.
@@BartvG88 - The first third of the movie is very obviously edited with breakneck disregard for the sort of originality that typified Mercury and Queen. It's formulaic direct-to-video pacing with production values in the several millions and lead actors trying their damned hardest to make it work.
Here. If you ever watch the movie again, grab a whiskey and take a swig every time a character "explains" something. Usually, it's the one exact thing that's going to be the basis of their entire character, or the build up to the next immediate beat in the plot. You will end up drunk before Bohemian Rhapsody even starts playing and with alcohol poisoning after both of those long-ass scenes with Mike Myers. If you're still alive, the run up to Liveaid will have your liver so busted you could use it as a weapon in both chemical warfare or gentleman's fisticuffs.
@@lettuceprime4922 That was entertaining to read, thank you. I guess I enjoyed the movie because I really didnt know much about them, just their music. Also I haven't seen many movies about a particular band. Ignorance is bliss, in some cases. Have a good day and please, take good care of your liver.
@@BartvG88 - Thanks Barackus! I'll do my best. Take care fam.
If they were lacking sad music to include in the sad parts of the movie... holy fuck, how do they even do that? If we're talking about the death of Freddie Mercury, there are literally whole albums of songs to choose from. Made in Heaven and No One But You being particularly great examples.
All Dead, All Dead.
Save me.
These are the days of our lives.
There's three more songs, the last one is also poignant.
I was thinking exactly that.
QUeen has a ton of sad songs, plus stuff made in context that was sad because it was about Freddie dying! But soundtrack has to go with only the big known hits for reasons. So more stuff from the first seven albums thats already been on a dozen Greatest Hits albums anyway, less from the later works or obscure pieces.
I mean, Save Me, Teo Torriatte, Las Polabras, Play the Game, Is This The World We Created, the entirety of the Made in Heaven album...
I'm Going Slightly Mad is my favorite.
Well...Another One Bites The Dust. If you're wondering if I'm referring to either this film or Bryan Singer's career, the answer is "yes".
In fairness, I think you may be overestimating how many people have actually *seen* Highlander at this point, as well as how many people remember it well enough for the Queen song to be immediately associated with it.
Which was better this or Nutcracker and the four realms ?
G Stone This, by a long shot
I really liked the Nutcracker and the Four Realmsz
I always think of that other Queen song when I think of Highlander:
"I am immortal
I have inside me blood of kings!"
This biopic is for Queen fans only (I belong to that group) as beyond Rami Malek everyone and everything else (excepting the songs of course) are just interesting backdrops. Ironic, as throughout the film the term family was used almost as much as in a Fast and Furious movie. Full disclosure I did get a bit misty towards the end of the movie in a non-musical moment at Freddie Mercury's family home. No minds blown by this film, except why Mike Myers...why? Yes this film could have been better and perhaps with Sacha Baron Cohen in the title role along with another director much darker.However, all the way home I listed to Queen, and truth be told I would see this movie again.
"except why Mike Myers...why?"
Wayne's World.
I like your Bad Dudes shirt. Where'd you get it?
I enjoyed it, your comments acknowledged as having some validity. Compared to the other two most anticipated bio-pics I was most invested to see, however, it stands strong, it recalls the era of greatness for fans and piques the interest of those unfamiliar to want to seek out more. That’s what any good bio-pic should do.
In comparison, The Doors alienates its subject, presenting Jim Morrison as a sociopath who rattled off lines of his own poetry while throwing his wife into a burning closet while the audience gawks at his antics for motivations we’re never allowed to glimpse. And Chaplin I’ve always said is about a great filmmaker who we never get to see making film. So in comparison, I enjoyed this much more, though the bar was low, as I’ve explained.
Bob, you been working out? Great review and good to see you as always. Looks like this can wait for streaming.
Execs really didn't like Bohemian Rhapsody though right? They thought it would never get played on the radio because it was "way too long."?
Yes, that much is true - but that Mike Myers bit is so cringey.
"It goes on forever, six bloody minutes!"
"I pity your wife if you think six minutes is forever..."
I'm not sure even that was true, record execs didn't like any song that "went on too long" because they knew radio stations wouldn't play it as often as other songs that were shorter (thus lowering the amount of money the would make on royalties). But the music industry had already had this issue with wildly popular "long" songs Stairway to Heaven and American Pie years earlier (both of which were 8 minutes rather than 6), so it's hard to imagine it was that big a deal. I think it was the combination of the length and somewhat abnormal material (operatic section) that caused some resistance at first.
hentropy Stairway To Heaven wasn't a single though.
haven't seen the film yet, the guy doing the singing bits seems quite authentic, but how's rami malek's british accent holding up? i wasn't that convinced by the trailer.
He nailed it. His performance is really a sight to behold.
Wait, why was Bryan Singer removed from the movie, again?
How do we "wait"? The movie is already finished.
A better way to close that out, "While the Show must go on, it should probably be a different one." - That's the point to the Stars, the review as a whole. The Show MUST go on, because people are going to see movies even if it isn't this one.
I admit, my hopes for this movie may have been unreachable
Oh hi bidoof
Malik sans 'tache looks more like Mick Jagger.
I smell sequel
I don't see it. Mouth not big enough.
When I watched the trailer, I had the same exact thought.
audiences will probably enjoy this film simply because the music is so good. but it would be cool to one day see a film about Mercury in the vein of "Velvet Goldmine" or a Baz Luhrman-style rock opera. the story shouldn't be so much concerned with the band's internal conflicts (who cares, really?). tell it from Mercury's whimsical imagination rather than a corny third person narrative. And the soundtrack is really pedestrian -- not a single deep cut in the whole movie? So many of Queen's songs are tailor-made for the rock opera treatment. Songs like "Nevermore," "White Queen," "You Take My Breath Away", "It's a Hard Life," "Innuendo," and cuts from "Barcelona" MUST be part of his story.
I'm still hoping someone will make a film dramatizing the development and recording of Pink Floyd's The Wall, and how it eventually led to Pink Floyd's breakup. That would be epic.
I want to see Sasha Baron Cohen's version
You know because I'm from 1989 I remember Higlander as a TV movie in the afternoons. You know what else I remember Highlander Part II and III. You can't screw a follow up more than this.
“Do anything you want with my music dear, but never make me boring!” - Freddie Mercury.
Hey! Highlander is an awesome movie!
yes but when you hear who wants to "live forever" about the end of the Freddie,
would you not think highlander.
...
I haven't seen the movie but I do know that if I made a queen movie that how i would end it
It is an awesome movie but I saw it when I was 19 so my judgement far more naive than it is today. See cinemasins review of Highlander. I still love that movie. The other films in that cinematic world don't exist for me though. I hated those films.
@@badjetterful The Queen song that makes me think of Highlander is "Princes of the Universe"
Yeah but Princes is a better song
badjetterful I only thought of highlander causd I watched this review first
Your humor was top notch this round and may I add one edit? "And Singer was fired for ..." blank screen and tone for 5 seconds, then cut back in with "... reasons." I almost get the impression that was your intent and the editor put the blank screen in the wrong place, it's much funnier this way. Oh, and "very unique" doesn't mean anything. (shut up Tony)
Also, not to play devil's advocate, but I'm pretty sure Bryan Singer was fired for constantly showing up late and being a pain in the ass for everyone to work with, not..... the other thing.
Yes but the imagination of the viewer will fill in the blank space with whatever debauched, shameless behavior they think is appropriate. People behave like they have 4 legs more often than having 2 and most find it convenient to project this onto the "other".
That's how I thought it would go. Another one of those kinda movies and he had such a interesting life.
Honestly, We don't know what kind of life he had. He only showed his persona to us. There is even a line in the movie "You only see what You want to see". Heck even during interviews he said that he can be a boring person. The movie is amazing and cramps a lot of things into 2 hours and uses Mary and Freddie's relationship as one of the main plot lines. It's mind boggling to me what people expect from this. The movie is filled with wild moments of Freddie and touches upon a lot of things. It doesn't linger on certain things cause it doesn't have to. As Freddie also said, he didn't want to be a gay idol, to be defined by one thing yet people fail to do that. The movie doesn't shy away from him being gay either, it's part of the story. The movie shows an internal struggle of a man and if that's not real enough I don't know what is. Even shows the tension inside the band itself. Freddie was a human being and not just a "rock star".
@@valkhii well I'm glad you liked it. Hopefully I'll enjoy it.
@@munkyzzb7504 I hope so too :)
That's why they call you Mr. Farenheit.
And he is travelling at the speed of light
He just wants to make a supersonic man out of you.
@@JadeDragonMeli don't stop him now.
@@darkmyro he's having such a bad time. This movie is balls.
In this world of remakes, reboots, and competing projects, how come there isn't an also unauthorized Mercury film with Sacha? That I would go see. Probably they couldn't get the music rights.
"Heh, that's from Highlander."
Spot fucking on
Setting aside his personal issues, Bryan Singer has been steadily devolving from a really distinct visual craftsman into the blandest, most play-it-Safe hack director in Hollywood.
Ugh that's super disappointing to hear...
I'm not really disappointed. I'm very angry at this movie, but hoping that this failure finally affects Singer's career.
I'm a fan of Queen and I had a great time. I think Bob is just cynical because he watched too many movies...
@@BartvG88 - Nah man. It was really bad. From the first conversation with Freddie's dad the movie starts to flip the shitter.
@@BartvG88 he’s a movie critic, he's supposed to watch too many movies. Why would you want to hear the reviews of someone who only watches the same movies as you? You can get a mirror for that.
Well Shindean, regardless of who's reviews you watch, you need to be aware of their biases to contexualize their opinions. In this case, Bob has watched many band biopics and sees the formula behind it, therefore finding it boring. I don't watch many of these types of movies, so this is no objection for me. So its not about only hearing from people that saw the same movies, its knowing how other people's viewing habits might color their perceptions.
Ehhh. Normally I consider your opinion to be a pretty good spring board for whether a movie has substance or is dreck, but this time I'm going to disagree with you.
The movie that I saw was biopic that set out to depict a side of Freddy Mercury that's larger than life but still human. Often in popular culture there is this image of Freddy Mercury being this titan of super stardom that just kind of sprung into the world fully formed. Here we saw him grow into that image and that persona. He may have had a natural charisma about him, but he also had more than a few stumbles along the way (his first stage performance at the bar, firing Queen's manager, breaking away from Queen, ect.) He was a legend, but he was also only human.
In your written review, you wrote that you felt "there’s also an off-putting undercurrent of score-settling to the revisionism, with the surviving members of Queen...alternately depicted as an Audience POV Greek Chorus of average regular blokes caught up in Mercury’s whirlwind...but also as a trio of paternal-surrogate wingmen exasperated with the antics of a flighty immature man-child." This you see as "uncomfortable." I see it as strength of the movie. Anyone who's worked with talented divas knows they can be some of the most creative individuals in the world and yet some the biggest pains in the ass. The movie didn't seek to gloss over that while Mercury was an extraordinarily talented individual and was arguably the heart and soul of Queen, he was also impulsive, dramatic, and at times a bit of an ass. In many ways this movie reminds me of the biopic _Baadasssss!_, the subject of which specifically said "Don't sugar coat my story. I may have been a success, but I lied and cheated to make that success."
But that was the strength of the rest of Queen, at least in this movie. They may not have had nearly the flair that Freddy had, but they were close enough to share in the same vision. And by working together they became far, far greater than they ever could have working alone. Which ties into the theme that defines the whole movie: legacy.
A legacy is never created by only one person. Often there are many people who help along the way. Some stay until the project's done, some leave. But there is always one aspect of legacy that's consistent, and that is the person who carries on that legacy. Freddy Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor, and John Deacon created some of the most amazing music ever performed, but it was the fans who remember it and sing it to this day who carry those songs with them. In this movie it is made abundantly clear that those fans were right there along side Queen for every step of the journey and that the greatest moments for Queen as a band was when they connected to an audience.
And this movie is a bit of that legacy as well. Like I said, we often see Mercury the super star, but it's not as often that we see Mercury the human. His life was full of glitz and glam to be certain, but it was also filled with slow moments, moments of uncertainty, and very uncomfortable moments as well. In a way, that makes him kind of like us. And in a way this reinforces the theme of legacy. It allows us to be a part of his story by seeing a little bit of ourselves in him. And if that makes you feel that the movie is "bland" for trying to reach out to mainstream audiences, then I'm sorry you feel that way. Because once again, I feel that is one of the great strengths of this movie. For I believe that taking a larger than life legend and making them identifiable in a human way while still respecting the talent and the effort they put into their work is an extraordinary accomplishment and one that deserves respect. And it is for that reason that I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and frankly so do my friends and family as well.
But eh, you have your opinion and you're willing to back it up. It's just a shame I can't agree with you on this one.
This will NEVER be as bad as the straight to video Jimi Hendrix bio-pic, seriously FUCK THAT FUCKING GOD DAMN TRASH GARBAGE. (sorry, not a fan of shoehorning an incredibly brutal domestic abuse scene that EVEN the girl in question said NEVER happened.) If you want to show that, there are plenty of famous musical celebrities to go off. Hendrix was a powerful man on stage, but in his personal life, he was an incredibly shy and soft-spoken guy that was known for being pretty gentle to the people that he interacted with.
thought it was well edited and the ending sequence was a victory lap it didnt earn. thats pretty much it. And I love Queen.
Man what I would do to see the hard-R Sacha Baron Cohen led version of this movie
Did Bob ever review Across the Universe?
Your "Bad Dudes" is still my favorite.
They were in that moment champions of the world.. Hahahahaha
Oh my gosh, thank you! This is exactly my opinion too. It seemed so passive aggressive. Glad I'm not the only one who felt that.
Saw it last week.
Loved it.
Just saw it last night.....also loved it!
It sounds like Sacha Baron Cohen made the right choice ditching the project.
Ben Wishaw too
The band ditched him you mean. They wanted a sanatised version of the story that also promoted the decades of the band existing after Freddie died.
The Myers bit does sound really funny. :)
Sounds cringingly self-indulgent to me, frankly: "Hey, I was once in a popular movie where we played Bohemian Rhapsody during its most iconic scene! Remember me!"
I love this channel Bob, but it's disheartening to see you falling into the worryingly large group of critics who praise Malek's performance but also fail to pronounce his name right...
Pity... I would have been first in line for Sacha Baron Cohen's take on Freddie Mercury, (he would have nailed the singer's larger than life onstage persona as well as the quieter songwriter offstage), but this? Best of luck to Remi Malik, I hope he gets credit where it's due but the rest of this movie just seems like a Queens Greatest album should come with the price of admission.
Well... I've always trusted Bob on movies but not on music. As a Queen fan I enjoyed the movie despite seeing some flaws. And personally, I found the MIke Myers joke really funny.
I think they should make a Rolling Stones documentary next and Rami can play as Mick Jagger. In certain scenes where Rami has a curly hair wig, without moustache, he seriously resembles Mick
I wonder if Sacha Baron Cohen’s R rated vision for the film would have cured whatever issues it has. Plus it’s hard to deny that he and Freddie are absolute doppelgängers
Bad Times at the El Royale it is, then, got it.
@XZDrake... Which element is that?
Sounds like if I want to see something good with Freddie Mercury I should just go rewatch Cromartie High School 😉
Absolutely bang on, can't disagree!
Thank you so much for the review Bob. I'm glad I didn't give them my money
This movie eerily reminds of that scene from the movie, will all the critic quotes on the Bohemian Rhapsody......
your word play is truly impressive!!
Exactly what I thought it would be; when I saw Mike Meyers in the promos, I knew it was going to be cringe-worthy. Thanks, Bob! :D
Flash!! AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!! He's the savior of the universe!!
Hasn't Walk Hard made most music bio pics just plain silly?
It was a good movie. Standard but good. It might have been better with a third visionary (supposedly that's what Sacha Baron Cohen wanted to go for)
But considering the other guys in Queen were executive producers do you really think they'd want to dig up old memory's regarding Mercury's douchebaggery more than they needed to?
I'm Not There is the only music biopic that matters.
Maybe Control and LovenMercy but that's it
Here we are ! Born to be kings!
This movie was well done and captured a great story of a group of musicians that changed rock in so many ways. I’m sorry that in your mind, this movie didn’t reach your expectations. The theater I was in packed to the brim, and every song was sung and basically gave a standing ovation to this instant classic. Movies are made to capture the audience and keep them on the edge of there seat. This movie wasn’t a CGI disaster full of explosions and crazy creatures of some sort. This was a very well done and must see in theater movie. Now go ahead a pick this comment apart.
The critic/audience split I'm seeing is that critics are bashing this film for being "yet another formulaic musician biopic" but uh, as an audience member, this is the first musician biopic I've seen. Hell this is the first one I've even heard of.
@Orion Burns Oh yeah I forgot about Straight Outta Compton. But otherwise no. Never heard of any of those others.
Either way, I don't think bashing the "Musician's Biopic genre" is really a hill critics need to make their war on.
Do they address the fact Freddie surivied genocide as a kid?
huh, that's what I felt when I saw Moulin Rouge
This review is so different from the Jeremy Jahn review I just watched, I think I got whiplash.
JJ is a bit crap tho
@@betweenthepanels9145 There are things about Jeremy that I like and dislike. Same for Bob if I'm being honest.
Well that's because Bob actually analyzes and speaks about tone, structure, y'know, actual filmmaking and how said filmmaking affects the final product.
The target audience for this movie is my dad and he says he had a good time
that sounds incredibly harsh
Bob, im a hige fan of your reviews and even though I think you were kinda hard on this movie (I think it was easily a B-), i gotta say if I saw this review before the movie and had the awesome Mike Meyers cameo ruined... id be beyond mad and be looking for as we speak
The problem is that its not accurate to real life. But its still better than many films in this genre. The acting is good, the story is solid and works well with the music, and its not a boring waste of time and I enjoyed myself. So I would recommend it and make sure you DON'T WATCH MILE 22.
Wow usually I totally agree with you, but having been a queen fan all my life you miss the point on this one. They changed a few things timeline wise but it's a biopic not a documentary and if you did not understand how it played out then you probably did not understand how Freddie lived his life and wanted to be remembered.
I really liked the movie and was a blast to hear those songs again.
rami is pronounced "rah-me" not "ray-me", pls bob
-a fellow arab
Walk hard, hard! Down life’s rocky roads.
reasons?
(longstanding accusations of sexual abuse/pedophilia and specifically, constantly disappearing from the set in the middle of filming and coming back hours and sometimes days later with no explanation)
0:35 Counter point "These Are The Days Of Our Lives"
based on this, not seeing at theatre as planned.
Wow, and here I was hoping that we'd get to hear some of Queen's OTHER great songs - you know, the ones that haven't been played on the radio forever.
Oh, hey..that's the dude from that *Horror video game* called _Until Dawn_ .
Cool.
And the kid from Jurassic Park.
@@JnEricsonx Really? Which one...?
@@paradoxacres1063 Joe Mazzelo, the boy, is John Deacon.
@@JnEricsonx omg i didn't recognise him!
For being a paint by the numbers movie biopic film about Freddy Mercury (and the other members of Queen), it was fine. It hit all the right notes (pun intended) and was an enjoyable film. I do think they rushed the story about being a band working the local city scene to international stars without the context of what made then so different with Mercury at the helm compared to the other artists of the late 70s to mid 80s. Rami Malek and the music are the stars of the show. But overall, it would make a good way to spend a matinee showing or on a Sunday afternoon at home when you catch it on your TV network in the future. 3 out of 5.
"Ha ha haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa" Best line.
For the longest time, I gave Myers some credit for not trying to revive Wayne Campbell, until he did this. Yes, we know, you, and Dana Carvey use to bang your heads to 'Bohemian Rhapsody', but 1992 was A LOOONG time ago, and we don't need to be reminded of your glory days in such a shameless manner.
NO idea why you three are so cynical and can't have a real laugh at a good bit of referential comedy. Hell that bit was why I discounted a lot of bobs review.
Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh *pats Silorthe on the head*
also that da vinci fella won't amount to anything
I’m really curious how much they cover his sexuality.
I heard they avoided it. Not surprising given how many people don't thinm that bisexuality isn't real.
IllCaesar yeah I mean I didn’t really expect them to frame his sexuality in an accurate way. Like I expected something along the lines of “he was actually gay he just slept with women because of whatever” which still erases his sexuality, but it’s better than making him straight, or even worse, making it seem like his “gayness” was the source of his problems, which is what I heard they ended up doing.
@@crazwizardlizard I saw the film and they don't really shy away that he's gay. He himself says he's bi, but his fiancee says he's gay.
@@BartvG88 okay but he wasnt gay he was bisexual
Well I already reserved the damn tickets Bob, what am I supposed to do now?
Watch it and form your own opinion?
Go see it. Bob is too negative on this one. Probably seen too many films.
He was too negative, I've formed my own opinion and Bob is wrong on this one
I still really enjoyed it myself, I'm not a parson whose seen tons of band biopics though.
I liked the movie. And it is defiantly in my top movies this year. My point is you have to judge a movie by seeing if it achieve in what it wanted to achieve. And for me it defiantly did that. I liked the story it made my feel, it was entertaining. maybe not 10/10 but defiantly over average. I think you expected a different type of movie that would be impossible while the Queen Logo had a say in the final draft.
A lot of live clips online ,watch them skip this. Live at Rio is a good place to start.
Nobody should write a musician biopic without having seen Walk Hard and really taking notes.