--- title: "Bohemian Rhapsody: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/bohemian-rhapsody/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/bohemian-rhapsody" critics_score: 53 critics_reviews: 26 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): what the critics said Critics' score 53 from 26 reviews: 9 positive, 6 mixed, 11 negative. ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 23 October 2018. 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 the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/bohemian-rhapsody-review/5133354.article) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 2 November 2018. 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 the review](https://www.vulture.com/2018/11/bohemian-rhapsody-has-committed-no-crime.html) ## Empire — Olly Richards Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 23 October 2018. 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 the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/bohemian-rhapsody-review/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Sheri Linden Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 23 October 2018. 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 the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/bohemian-rhapsody-review-1150772/) ## Total Film Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 26 October 2018. 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 the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/bohemian-rhapsody-review/) ## The Telegraph — Robbie Collin Rating 3/5. 23 October 2018. 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 the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2018/10/23/bohemian-rhapsody-review-big-swaggering-spectacle-far-killer/) ## The Times Rating ★★★. 27 October 2018. 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 the review](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 Rating 3/5. 23 October 2018. 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 the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/bohemian-rhapsody) ## Variety — Owen Gleiberman Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 23 October 2018. 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 the review](https://variety.com/2018/film/reviews/bohemian-rhapsody-review-rami-malek-freddie-mercury-queen-1202989409/) ## Little White Lies — Hannah Strong Rating 2/2/2. 24 October 2018. 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 the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/bohemian-rhapsody) ## Radio Times — Terry Staunton Rating ★★. 24 October 2018. The review highlights inaccuracies and clichés in the script that undermine the story, while praising Rami Malek's superb performance as Mercury. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/bohemian-rhapsody-review-plummets-into-cliche-at-the-drop-of-a-plectrum/) ## Slant Magazine — Richard Scott Larson Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 23 October 2018. 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 the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/bohemian-rhapsody/) ## Evening Standard — Matthew Norman Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 26 October 2018. The critic criticizes the sanitised portrayal of Mercury's life as anodyne and prissy, though the Live Aid finale works well. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/bohemian-rhapsody-review-we-will-rock-you-not-with-this-sanitised-freddie-a3972371.html) ## IndieWire — David Ehrlich Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 23 October 2018. 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 the review](https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/bohemian-rhapsody-review-rami-malek-1202014286/) ## Los Angeles Times — Justin Chang Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 29 October 2018. 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 the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-bohemian-rhapsody-review-20181029-story.html) ## Sight and Sound — Kate Stables Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 26 February 2019. 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 the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/bohemian-rhapsody-review-freddie-mercury-tied-with-bow) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 23 October 2018. 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 the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/oct/23/bohemian-rhapsody-review-freddie-mercury-biopic-bites-the-dust) ## The New Yorker — Richard Brody Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 5 November 2018. 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 the review](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 Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 30 October 2018. 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 the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/30/movies/bohemian-rhapsody-review.html) ## Collider — Perri Nemiroff Rating A. 25 October 2018. 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 the review](https://collider.com/bohemian-rhapsody-review/) ## Deadline — Pete Hammond Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 23 October 2018. 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 the review](https://deadline.com/video/bohemian-rhapsody-review-rami-malek-freddie-mercury-queen-biopic/) ## Eye for Film — Max Crawford Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 23 October 2018. 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 the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/bohemian-rhapsody-2018-film-review-by-stuart-crawford) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 31 October 2018. 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 the review](https://www.thewrap.com/bohemian-rhapsody-film-review-freddie-mercury-queen-rami-malek/) ## Digital Spy — Ian Sandwell Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 2 November 2018. 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 the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a869012/bohemian-rhapsody-review-freddie-mercury-queen/) ## Den of Geek — David Crow Rating 2.5/5. 22 November 2018. 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 the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/bohemian-rhapsody-review-freddie-mercury-queen/) ## The Playlist — Kimber Myers Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 23 October 2018. 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 the review](https://theplaylist.net/bohemian-rhapsody-review-20181023/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/bohemian-rhapsody.md