Superficial but affecting.

Critically, I’m not sure where to start. I could bemoan the fact that the survivors of Queen have clearly had their hands in writing this version of history. I could point out the inherent dangers in crafting a biopic of someone who to modern eyes seems like – looks like – a queer icon, but who really wasn’t at the time. Who didn’t want to be, at the time. Who surely faced homophobia in both the industry and the rock audience that is completely ignored by the film. I especially could roll my eyes over this movie’s Sad Freddie, who never seems to actually enjoy the fame and the drugs and the fucking.

Those criticisms, and many others, are valid.

But here’s the thing. I liked Bohemian Rhapsody. Sort of a lot. I liked the whole cast. Rami Malek, certainly, but Ben Hardy (who I’ve liked since Eastenders) does an awful lot with what he’s given. I even, to a degree, enjoyed the superficiality, the gloss, which was certainly no worse than that of A Star is Born. I liked that it ended on a high note, even if it had to cut the story quite short to do so.

After so many years of awful queer films, I still haven’t gotten used to this recent explosion of queer films of quality. We’ll have to wait and see where Bohemian Rhapsody ends up on that list, but I have a feeling it will be higher than the skeptics today think.