Bohemian Rhapsody reviews: What are critics saying about Freddie Mercury biopic?

Bohemian Rhapsody stars Rami Malek as one of the best-known rock n’ rollers of all time.

The Freddie Mercury biopic details the rise to fame and subsequent fall-out of the famed frontman of Queen.

With the band members of Queen on board with the production, the movie had a lot riding on its shoulder.

But how did the movie fare and what do critics have to say about the biopic?

Despite the strong performance of Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury, the movie has left some critics wanting.

Currently, Bohemian Rhapsody holds a 52 percent approval rating on aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.

The critics’ consensus reads: “: Bohemian Rhapsody hits a handful of high notes, but as an in-depth look at a beloved band, it offers more of a medley than a true greatest hits collection.”

Posing the question directly, Owen Gleiberman of Variety wrote: “With a performance as commanding as Rami Malek’s at its centre, why isn’t Bohemian Rhapsody a better movie?”

Additionally, reviewers were critical of the smoothing-over of the enigmatic frontman.

Little Whites Lies’ Hannah Woodhead wrote: “Toothless mass-market pop revisionism which is nowhere near as cool or compelling as its subject.”

Less harsh in his criticism, though equally confounded by the pop sheen, was David Ehrlich.

For IndieWrie, he wrote: “The critical failure of Bohemian Rhapsody is that, 134 minutes after the lights go down, the members of Queen just seem like four blokes who’ve been processed through the rusty machinery of a Hollywood biopic.”

That machinery should have given viewers a glimpse into the behind-the-scenes life and never-before-told stories of Queen.

Instead, as Brian Truitt wrote for the NY Post, “the movie is just a conventional rock flick, one all too ordinary for a man and a band that exemplified the extraordinary.”

Sheri Linden of The Hollywood Reporter was hopeful, but not about Bohemian Rhapsody.

She wrote that the movie does “acknowledge the tale’s darker facets ever so lightly, all the while fervently emphasizing what’s sweet and upbeat about it.

“Someday another feature about Queen might go deeper,” Linden added.

Many critics, like Anne Cohen at Refinery29 and Ian Sandwell at Digital Spy, agreed the music was the core heart of the film.

For those who simply tolerate the music, not love it, the film may not be worth going to.

But for those who love Queen: “you can’t help leaving the theatre with a spring in your step,” as Jason Guerrasio for Business Insider wrote.

Alonso Duralde of The Wrap summed it up aptly: “An object example of how a film can be entertaining and even exhilarating without being particularly good, Bohemian Rhapsody has the driving energy of a stadium anthem and the fizzy meaninglessness of a bubblegum pop song.”

Bohemian Rhapsody is now playing in cinemas.