News - Bohemian Rhapsody

The first proper trailer for Bohemian Rhapsody is out. Susan Omand gets a bit excited...



Bohemian Rhapsody is a foot-stomping celebration of Queen, their music and their extraordinary lead singer Freddie Mercury, who defied stereotypes and shattered convention to become one of the most beloved entertainers on the planet. The film traces the meteoric rise of the band through their iconic songs and revolutionary sound, their near-implosion as Mercury's lifestyle spirals out of control, and their triumphant reunion on the eve of Live Aid, where Mercury, facing a life-threatening illness, leads the band in one of the greatest performances in the history of rock music. In the process, cementing the legacy of a band that were always more like a family, and who continue to inspire outsiders, dreamers and music lovers to this day. 



HOW COOL IS THIS TRAILER?! I have been a fan of Queen since, well, since forever really as the albums were always being played at home, and this trailer tickles all of my happy places. The casting, the music, the atmosphere, the humour... it's all perfect. From what I can see Rami Malek IS the public face of Freddie - every look, every gesture epitomises the arrogance of the man that pissed off Sid Vicious by calling him Simon Ferocious. And that trademark little skip at 22 seconds in in the trailer... YES, brilliant, made my heart skip with excitement. Also the clip where they're recording Bo Rhap and he says "This is where the operatic section comes in," as if it's the most natural thing in the world for a 1970s pop song. Oh and the discussion with the record exec after made me smile so much because I actually remember (yes I am that old) when Radio One refused to play the song because it was too long. And that glimpse of the Live Aid crowd... I remember exactly where I was and exactly who I was with as I watched it live on TV and, for me, Live Aid was pretty much when Freddie Mercury cemented his place as a megastar. He could have commanded an army with the response that crowd gave him, especially to Radio Ga Ga, he owned the stage and he owned the world at that point and Malek absolutely embodies that here.

Notice though, I've said above "the public face of Freddie" - it will be interesting to see how much of Freddie's and the rest of the band's private lives make it to screen in the film as it doesn't get much of a look in so far. But that is for another time - for now, I'm really, really happy with this. And HOW COOL IS THIS TRAILER?!

Starring Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy, Joseph Mazzello, Aiden Gillen, Tom Hollander and Mike Myers, the film is due to hit the big screens on 24th October in the UK and 2nd November in the US.



Image - 20th Century Fox