---
title: "Bohemian Rhapsody"
year: 2018
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/bohemian-rhapsody"
fi1m_score: 55
critics_score: 53
critics_reviews: 26
published: "2026-09-20T07:54:46.443294+00:00"
updated: "2026-09-20T07:54:46.908028+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)

Directed by Bryan Singer · 2h 15m · MPA PG-13 · Music, Drama

**Fi1m score: 55** · Critics 53 from 26 reviews

*In a sentence:* The teeth are right, the songs are right, and everything in between has been ironed

> Rami Malek has the teeth, the walk and the fist, and the Live Aid finale is as good as everyone says. Around it, Anthony McCarten’s script turns one of the loudest lives in British pop into a well-behaved one.

## Synopsis

London, 1970. Farrokh Bulsara (Rami Malek) loads bags at Heathrow by day and lives with his parents Bomi (Ace Bhatti) and Jer (Meneka Das), who would like him to settle down. At night he follows a pub band called Smile, and when their singer quits he offers himself to guitarist Brian May (Gwilym Lee) and drummer Roger Taylor (Ben Hardy), who are unconvinced until he sings. He meets Mary Austin (Lucy Boynton) in the shop where she works, starts calling himself Freddie Mercury, and with bassist John Deacon (Joseph Mazzello) the band becomes Queen, selling its van to pay for studio time and picking up a manager, John Reid (Aidan Gillen). The film opens, though, in 1985, with Mercury walking towards the stage at Wembley for Live Aid.

## Review

Bryan Singer’s film runs from Farrokh Bulsara loading bags at Heathrow in 1970 to Freddie Mercury walking out at Wembley for Live Aid in 1985, and it opens with the second, so you know where it is heading. Anthony McCarten’s script, from a story he wrote with Peter Morgan, fills the years between with scenes from other rock films: the pub where the singer quits, the van sold to pay for a recording, the executive who does not get it, the manager who does. At 135 minutes it moves quickly and says little.

Rami Malek is the reason to watch it. He wears false teeth he never quite gets his lips over, and rather than hide this he uses it; his Freddie talks with a hand near his mouth and sings with the whole jaw thrown forward. On stage he has the walk exactly, the half mic stand held like a sceptre. Off stage he has a watchful loneliness the script keeps forgetting to write lines for. The band around him are a sitcom family: Gwilym Lee’s Brian May the sensible one, Ben Hardy’s Roger Taylor the one who throws things, Joseph Mazzello’s John Deacon the one nobody notices until he plays the bass line of “Another One Bites the Dust”.

The scenes where the songs get made are where the film is happiest and where we were not. Aaron Haye gives the band a farmhouse studio full of tape reels and hay, and Singer stages the recording of the title track as a demonstration, part by part, with a joke on the end of each. John Ottman cuts the film as if afraid it will get away from him; a conversation with John Reid (Aidan Gillen) across a pub table is chopped into so many angles that we started counting and gave up. Mike Myers turns up as Ray Foster, an executive who insists nobody will play a six-minute song. We did not laugh. We were bored, and then cross about being bored, because the man they were making a film about never bored anyone.

Lucy Boynton’s Mary Austin is the second-best performance and the worst used. She plays the woman Freddie loves and cannot stay with in a stillness the script rewards by making her its conscience, which is a job rather than a part. Allen Leech’s Paul Prenter is lit and written as the bad influence from his first scene, so the harder parts of Mercury’s life can be kept at arm’s length. The 12A certificate is not the problem. A film can be discreet and still honest; this one is discreet and vague.

On stage it comes alive, and Newton Thomas Sigel has a good deal to do with that. He shoots the early gigs low and hot, and the arena years from a crane sweeping the crowd during “We Will Rock You”. Julian Day’s costumes do the biography the script does not: harlequin leotards, then leather, then the white vest, jeans and studded armband of 1985, a man who has stopped decorating himself. The Live Aid recreation runs close to twenty minutes and is the best thing here, because it is the stretch where Singer lets the performance carry itself. The plastic cups sit on the piano, Malek plays the opening bars of “Bohemian Rhapsody”, and the crowd answers every call. We were moved, more than we expected and more than the two hours before had earned, and we could not say afterwards how much of that was the film and how much was the songs.

McCarten wrote [*The Theory of Everything*](https://film.one/film/the-theory-of-everything), another film that took a difficult life and made it comfortable, and the method is the same here. The rock biopic at its best gets close enough to its subject to be surprised by him, and nobody here is surprised by Freddie Mercury. They know how it ends and they are hurrying to get there.

See it if you love the songs and can forgive the film for loving them more than it loves the man. Watch at home and you will be tempted to skip to Wembley. We would not blame you, and on the evidence neither would the film.

*Fi1m score 55, published 20 September 2026.*

### Reviews we read (26)

- **Screen Daily** (90/100, inferred): The film is described as a joyful and compulsively watchable portrait of Queen and Mercury, with Rami Malek delivering a magnetic and poignant performance that dominates the proceedings. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/bohemian-rhapsody-review/5133354.article)
- **Vulture** (80/100, inferred): The review is largely positive, highlighting Malek's magnetic performance and the spectacular Live Aid sequence as the film's strengths, despite some liberties and shortcomings in the biopic format. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2018/11/bohemian-rhapsody-has-committed-no-crime.html)
- **Empire**, Olly Richards (70/100, inferred): The critic finds it a safe, competent but non-scandalous biopic that prioritizes Queen over Mercury's full life, praising Rami Malek's spectacular performance as the highlight. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/bohemian-rhapsody-review/)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Sheri Linden (70/100, inferred): The critic finds the film energetic and affectionate toward its subject but notes that the drama is often undernourished. The music sequences, particularly the Live Aid performance, are singled out for praise as thrilling and magnificent. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/bohemian-rhapsody-review-1150772/)
- **Total Film** (70/100, inferred): The critic notes it is toned-down and not Killer Queen but praises Rami Malek's stupendous, Oscar-worthy turn as the main draw for fans. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/bohemian-rhapsody-review/)
- **The Telegraph**, Robbie Collin (3/5): The film delivers swaggering spectacle and strong Live Aid sequences but falls short as a killer Queen portrait due to hit-and-miss elements and production troubles. Malek’s performance is ballsy but imperfect in capturing the full essence. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2018/10/23/bohemian-rhapsody-review-big-swaggering-spectacle-far-killer/)
- **The Times** (★★★): The biopic is flimsy yet wholly enjoyable, with Rami Malek giving a fantastically exotic performance as Mercury. It follows the typical biopic template but shines through its presentation of the music. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/music/article/film-review-bohemian-rhapsody-rami-malek-don-t-worry-he-won-t-get-far-on-foot-joaquin-phoenix-njh6jt6tw)
- **Time Out**, Dave Calhoun (3/5): While the biopic is tune-filled and features a strong performance from Rami Malek, it is criticized as tame, an act of brazen myth-making that prioritizes legend over deeper inquiry. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/bohemian-rhapsody)
- **Variety**, Owen Gleiberman (50/100, inferred): The critic praises Rami Malek's commanding channeling of Freddie Mercury's flamboyant bravura as the film's authentic center. It complains that the middle-of-the-road biopic is conventional and play-it-safe, rarely living up to the lead performance or sinking into its subject. [Read](https://variety.com/2018/film/reviews/bohemian-rhapsody-review-rami-malek-freddie-mercury-queen-1202989409/)
- **Little White Lies**, Hannah Strong (2/2/2): The film is seen as toothless mass-market pop revisionism that fails to capture the coolness or complexity of its subject. It glosses over key aspects of Mercury's identity, race, sexuality, and AIDS diagnosis, leaving a sour taste. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/bohemian-rhapsody)
- **Radio Times**, Terry Staunton (★★): The review highlights inaccuracies and clichés in the script that undermine the story, while praising Rami Malek's superb performance as Mercury. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/bohemian-rhapsody-review-plummets-into-cliche-at-the-drop-of-a-plectrum/)
- **Slant Magazine**, Richard Scott Larson (40/100, inferred): The critic finds the film a reductive and shallow biopic that fails to achieve intimacy despite Malek's strong impersonation and the impressive Live Aid recreation; it sticks to safe choices and lacks depth. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/bohemian-rhapsody/)
- **Evening Standard**, Matthew Norman (30/100, inferred): The critic criticizes the sanitised portrayal of Mercury's life as anodyne and prissy, though the Live Aid finale works well. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/bohemian-rhapsody-review-we-will-rock-you-not-with-this-sanitised-freddie-a3972371.html)
- **IndieWire**, David Ehrlich (30/100, inferred): The critic praises Rami Malek's spirited and convincing performance as Freddie Mercury but deems the film an embarrassing, shallow and royally flawed Queen biopic that fails overall. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/bohemian-rhapsody-review-rami-malek-1202014286/)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Justin Chang (30/100, inferred): The critic finds the film disappointingly airbrushed and formulaic despite Rami Malek's fab and wholly committed star turn as Freddie Mercury. It praises moments when the music and performance stir to life but complains that the movie abandons critical duty in its handling of the story. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-bohemian-rhapsody-review-20181029-story.html)
- **Sight and Sound**, Kate Stables (30/100, inferred): The critic finds the biopic pedestrian and by-the-numbers, criticizing its trite and tidy approach to Mercury's life. Rami Malek's vital performance is singled out as the element that provides depth and salvages the film. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/bohemian-rhapsody-review-freddie-mercury-tied-with-bow)
- **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (30/100, inferred): The film is a formulaic rock biopic that struggles to find fresh ways to tell its story despite Rami Malek’s excellent impersonation of Freddie Mercury. It handles the singer’s off-stage life and sexuality in a moralistic, reductive way that undercuts its potential. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/oct/23/bohemian-rhapsody-review-freddie-mercury-biopic-bites-the-dust)
- **The New Yorker**, Richard Brody (30/100, inferred): The critic notes that Rami Malek delivers an intensely thoughtful performance channeling Mercury's alienation, but the direction is denatured and the film lacks vision. It singles out the movie's unusual focus on Mercury as more interesting than his music. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/review-in-bohemian-rhapsody-freddie-mercury-is-more-interesting-than-his-music)
- **The New York Times**, A.O. Scott (30/100, inferred): The critic finds the film a plodding, literal-minded and conventional biopic that fails to capture the excitement or insight of its subject despite Rami Malek's committed performance. It praises the inclusion of Queen's music but complains that the movie supplies only a superficial sense of the band. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/30/movies/bohemian-rhapsody-review.html)
- **Collider**, Perri Nemiroff (A): The critic praises Rami Malek's phenomenal performance as Freddie Mercury and finds the film effective in capturing the band's rise, personal complexities, and the emotional power of their music, especially the Live Aid recreation. [Read](https://collider.com/bohemian-rhapsody-review/)
- **Deadline**, Pete Hammond (90/100, inferred): The critic praises the film as a thrilling celebration of Queen's music that succeeds on its own terms as a PG-13 biopic, singling out Rami Malek's stunning portrayal of Freddie Mercury as the standout element. [Read](https://deadline.com/video/bohemian-rhapsody-review-rami-malek-freddie-mercury-queen-biopic/)
- **Eye for Film**, Max Crawford (70/100, inferred): The critic finds the film an enjoyable if formulaic rock biopic that succeeds almost entirely due to Rami Malek's phenomenal performance as Freddie Mercury. Performance scenes stand out as highlights amid the box-ticking narrative. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/bohemian-rhapsody-2018-film-review-by-stuart-crawford)
- **The Wrap** (70/100, inferred): The critic finds the film entertaining and exhilarating in parts, particularly the Live Aid sequence and origin stories of the hits, but criticizes it as falling short as a biopic of Freddie Mercury, being more like a rote authorized story with contrivances. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/bohemian-rhapsody-film-review-freddie-mercury-queen-rami-malek/)
- **Digital Spy**, Ian Sandwell (65/100, inferred): The film excels as an ode to Queen and especially Rami Malek's portrayal of Mercury, with strong musical sequences including a standout Live Aid recreation, but it is overly sanitized, aimed squarely at fans, and lacks real insight into the band or Mercury's personal life. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a869012/bohemian-rhapsody-review-freddie-mercury-queen/)
- **Den of Geek**, David Crow (2.5/5): Rami Malek delivers a transcendent performance as Freddie Mercury, but the film is a formulaic, sanitized biopic that whitewashes controversies and prioritizes jukebox hits over depth or honesty about Mercury's life and sexuality. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/bohemian-rhapsody-review-freddie-mercury-queen/)
- **The Playlist**, Kimber Myers (30/100, inferred): The critic calls the film a jumbled, sexless, and shallow biopic that offers little insight into Mercury or Queen, despite Malek's strong efforts in the lead role. The tame PG-13 approach and lack of depth undermine the story. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/bohemian-rhapsody-review-20181023/)

## Details

- **Director:** Bryan Singer
- **Director:** Bryan Singer
- **Writer:** Anthony McCarten
- **Story:** Peter Morgan, Anthony McCarten
- **Cinematography:** Newton Thomas Sigel
- **Editor:** John Ottman
- **Production design:** Aaron Haye
- **Costume design:** Julian Day
- **Producer:** Jim Beach, Graham King, Bryan Singer
- **Cast:** Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury; Gwilym Lee as Brian May; Ben Hardy as Roger Taylor; Joseph Mazzello as John Deacon; Lucy Boynton as Mary Austin; Aidan Gillen as John Reid; Allen Leech as Paul Prenter; Tom Hollander as Jim Beach
- **Runtime:** 2h 15m
- **Certificate (MPA):** PG-13
- **Release (the US):** 2 November 2018
- **Genres:** Music, Drama
- **Also in:** [Best Picture winners](https://film.one/collections/oscar-best-picture.md) (Nominee, 2018); [Golden Globe Best Drama winners](https://film.one/collections/golden-globe-drama.md) (Winner, 2018)
- **Budget:** $52 million
- **Box office:** $911 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27zlBpzdOZg

## Where to watch in the US

- Amazon Prime Video: rent $2.99, uhd
- Apple TV: rent $2.99, hd
- Amazon Prime Video: buy $4.99, uhd
- Apple TV: buy $4.99, hd

*Checked 2026-09-20.*

Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HR, HU, IE, IL, IS, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SI, TR, UA, US, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- Academy Awards 2019: Best Picture (nominated); Best Actor (won); Best Film Editing (won); Best Sound (won); Best Sound Editing (won)
- BAFTA Film Awards 2019: Best Actor in a Leading Role (won); Best Sound (won)
- Golden Globes 2019: Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama (won); Best Motion Picture – Drama (won)
- Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture 2019: Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture (won)

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---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/bohemian-rhapsody