Following the anniversary of the death of Queen’s leading man Freddie Mercury (24/11/91), there is no escaping the reviews of the recently-released biopic Bohemian Rhapsody. Critics have been largely hostile to the film, while the fans are far more enthusiastic. This mixed response echoes the reception for Queen around the time when the song ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ was first released as a single in 1975.
Nathan Jolly of News.com described the biographical film as “largely fictional, with cheesy Spinal Tap moments,” and “a timeline that is more warped than a vinyl record sitting in the sun”. Jasper Rees of The Spectator declared that although “the songs are still up to snuff….the homage is more famine than feast”.
Such sniffy comments are reminiscent of what was originally said about ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ (the song, not the film). In November 1975 TIME magazine concluded that “Queen’s lyrics are not the stuff of sonnets”. Since then, the magazine has been on a downward spiral while the track rose to become one of the best-selling singles of all….time.
In 1978 The New York Times still wasn’t a fan, stating that Queen’s “songs still sound mostly pretty empty, all flash and calculation”. Sound familiar?
On the other hand, both the single and the recently released movie have received high praise from the public. ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ sold over 1 million copies on initial release. First time around it was the Christmas No 1, topping the UK charts for nine weeks in 1975-6. When it was re-released in 1991 after Freddie Mercury’s death, it again became the Christmas No 1 – the only track ever to have achieved this double feat.
Similarly, ‘citizen’ contributors to the review site Rotten Tomatoes have put the film Bohemian Rhapsody at the top of their heart-charts, with enthusiastic comments such as “Amazing movie. Great fun. Everybody I went with loved it,” and “Was totally thrilled with the music, the acting, and the storyline”.
Whatever the format, Bohemian Rhapsody has the power to divide the critics from the public. Are we the people missing something? Or is it that the critics are overlooking the magic of Queen?
As the years go on, perhaps the biopic will come to be recognised by the critics, just as they eventually came to approve of the song. Not that it matters much, as long as we continue to have the fantasy that is Freddie Mercury and Queen.
