'Bohemian Rhapsody' (12A)

***/**** (3.5 stars)

DVD release/Available to stream

Disclaimer: The version I saw had been edited for content on an Emirates flight.

Queen's appearance at Live Aid is considered one of the most iconic musical performances of the 20th Century. And yet, it almost didn't happen. Charting their formation, meteoric rise and subsequent heartbreak, Bohemian Rhapsody tells the story of one of the world's most loved rock bands.

Queen's songs are the very definition of 'timeless'. I remember listening to We Are The Champions on cassette tape (yes, I am that old!) in my Dad's car as a child, and stomping my feet along to We Will Rock You. Once I attended a concert at the Emirates Stadium and, before the band came on, they played Bohemian Rhapsody on the loud speaker - every one of the thousands of people in the ground sang along at full volume (including the high notes of 'Galileo'!) and there may even have been some air guitar here and there. And the music is undoubtedly the central success of the film Bohemian Rhapsody. With each familiar chord, lyric and foot stamp (the moment where We Will Rock You is introduced instantly brought a smile to my face), you're reminded again and again why Queen remains one of the best-loved bands of all time.

It's a shame, then, that the rest of the film can't live up to the timelessly enjoyable nature of the band's musical achievements. Jumping from scene to scene without any indication of time or place, the film hangs together as a set of distantly-related set pieces. We barely spend any time with the band in the early stages of their formation, and John Deacon (played by Joseph Mazzello) simply turns up in one scene without any introduction or explanation. Before we know it, Queen are already internationally recognised and touring the planet. It's a waste, as the majority of the characters aside from Freddie Mercury (Oscar winner Rami Malek, who we'll get onto soon) remain wholly underdeveloped and unexplored. Characters come and go and the years pass without a great deal of clarity of contingency, which left me confused as to where we were in the timeline of the band. There are times too when Bohemian Rhapsody becomes nothing short of a melodrama, with an emotional moment of realisation later in the film literally being played out in the pouring rain. The pathetic fallacy is strong with this one...

Let's talk about the performances - most importantly, Rami Malek's award-winning turn as the enigmatic Freddie Mercury. Bedecked with prosthetics and donning numerous wigs throughout the film, Malek certainly looks a lot like Mercury himself, although I would argue that Gwilyn Lee resembles Brian May in a manner that's almost uncanny. Strutting and sauntering his way through the scenes, Malek's performance emphasises the fragility of the man who seemed so indestructible on stage being, at times, wide-eyed, gullible and difficult all in a matter of seconds. He certainly gives the performance his all, but Mercury remains abstract and unknown. It's just another frustration in a long list when it comes to Bohemian Rhapsody.

Hardly the masterpiece that the legacy of Queen's glory days deserved, Bohemian Rhapsody tries to conceal its lack of conviction behind a series of glitzy set pieces and bright light live performances, but it doesn't quite succeed. With a thin plot and even thinner characters to play with, it turns to the music that Queen created to save it - and it almost works. Whether you heard them on a cassette as a kid or only sing along to Don't Stop Me Now at the end of a club night, their songs will stir the hearts of even those disillusioned with the film. And that final Live Aid set piece? Well, even on the tiny aeroplane screen, it's nothing short of iconic.