7.3 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
A chronicle of the years leading up to Queen's appearance at the Live Aid concert in 1985.
Starring: Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy (IV), Joseph MazzelloMusic | 100% |
Biography | 94% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: Dolby Digital 2.0 (224 kbps)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
English SDH, French, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Digital copy
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
One of the more enjoyable writing assignments for this unabashed music nerd has been the typically very enjoyable concert videos or other music related fare released by such labels as Eagle Rock Entertainment that I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing through the years. These releases have included quite a bit of Queen and/or Freddie Mercury material, including Freddie Mercury The Great Pretender , Queen: Days of Our Lives, The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert , Queen: A Night at the Odeon, and Queen: Live at the Rainbow '74, and I’ve tended to find all of these releases generally entertaining even if at times archival video and audio elements weren’t always totally up to snuff. As is documented in Bohemian Rhapsody, Freddie Mercury (Rami Malek) had a number of hurdles to overcome on his way to success, some accruing from external forces and some others frankly self created, but perhaps ironically, Bohemian Rhapsody itself had a rather extended and problem filled gestation, at one point prominently advertising Sacha Baron Cohen as the actor chosen to play Mercury. The film’s trials and tribulations continued even after the production crew was set, with a now infamous firing of director Bryan Singer as the shoot was just getting ready to wrap. Things have arguably not gotten any better, at least in some ways, even after the film’s largely rapturous reception and a glut of industry awards and/or nominations, with some ongoing controversies swirling around Singer (which won’t be repeated here) continuing to generate some “extracurricular” reporting about the film, which may color some folks’ perceptions of it, rightly or wrongly. Even Malek himself has contributed to the furor, discussing at a press junket some of the allegations lobbed at Singer and stating overtly that his own relationship with the director was, in Malek’s words, “not pleasant” (you can read about the fracas here). In some ways, then, some viewers may need to approach Bohemian Rhapsody in the same way they’ve had to approach films involving other controversial figures (Woody Allen springs instantly to mind, though there are of course others).
Bohemian Rhapsody is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. Aside from a recreation of archival footage which was evidently shot on film, this was digitally captured with Arri Alexa cameras, though I haven't been able to find one word anywhere as to whether this was finished at a 4K or 2K DI. That said, I found a really fascinating interview with cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel, where he addresses all sorts of technical data about the shoot, here. This is a nicely detailed looking presentation that offers an excellent reproduction of the changing palette "structure" that Sigel mentions in the linked interview, and the warmth and pop of quite a bit of the film is very evocative and nicely saturated in this presentation. That said, while often quite enjoyably colorful, a lot of the film actually plays out in relatively drab "everyday" environments. Detail levels are consistently commendable, and despite some arguably overly "arty" framings at times, fine detail levels also pop surprisingly well even in weirdly skewed midrange shots. I noticed one brief flirtation with banding during one of the production company mastheads at the opening of the film, but nothing in the film itself.
I've been what I call "cheating" a bit on some recent reviews which feature 7.1 audio on the 1080p Blu-ray release and Atmos audio on the 4K UHD release, but in this case, I simply can't give the DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track anything less than a perfect score, since it's so consistently impressive. I was repeatedly struck by the strength of low end response when the band moments kicked in, but there's excellent surround activity throughout this presentation, as might be intuitively understood from a film that offers lots of group settings and music being rehearsed and/or performed. The wash of sounds in the live performance snippets are lifelike and really help to convey the energy of the venues and audience support for the band, and the actual performances (evidently a "combo platter" of archival recordings and newly recorded material) resonate with excellent force and remarkable fidelity. Quieter dialogue moments obviously don't have the same "wow" factor, but there is consistent attention paid to the difference in ambient effects in different environments and directionality is frequently noticeable.
- Teaser Trailer (1080p; 1:31)
- Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 2:25)
- Final Trailer (1080p; 2:08)
There's a lot to like and even admire in Bohemian Rhapsody, with Malek's performance being chief among the pleasures. The film has some hit or miss qualities, and is probably too vignette driven to ever provide much of a "history" of Queen, though that doesn't seem to have been the primary focus from the get go. If the ostensible band history here is pretty questionable, on a personal level this film seems to get a lot right about Mercury. I'd highly recommend those interested to check out any or all of the discs I linked to above that document various facets of the real life Mercury and Queen, but for a dramatized version of events, while awfully formulaic, Bohemian Rhapsody manages to hit a lot of the right notes. Technical merits are first rate, and with caveats (including buck teeth) noted, Bohemian Rhapsody comes Recommended.
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