Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)

Director: Bryan Singer
Stars: Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee
Runtime: 134 minutes

Synopsis: A close look at Freddie Mercury's personal life and relationship with other fellow Queen members.

• Performances: 9/10

Why? It's one of those performances that will be remembered for a very, very long time. Rami Malek's take on the extravagant Freddie Mercury was career-defining. The actor known for playing Elliot in "Mr. Robot" has a very easily recognizable face that I feared would've been distracted. But Malek disappeared into his role from the very first second until the very last. His performance alone is worth the price of admission, and I really hope that the backlash the movie's getting (it's currently sitting at 58% on the Tomatometer, a score I don't understand at all) won't affect his chances at the Oscars. The rest of the cast was good as well, but the spotlight belonged to one man and one man only.

• Screenplay: 7/10

Why? I really liked the way the story was told and built but felt that it suffered from weak dialogue and underdeveloped supporting characters. It also does have its fair share of cheese, and some elements in it weren't written in the most authentic way. Fortunately, I can't really say that these problems affected my experience a whole lot.

• Costumes/Makeup: 9/10

Why? Sure, Rami Malek's performance was the main reason why I forgot that I was merely watching an actor portray Queen's legendary lead singer, but the makeup and costumes also played a big part in transforming him into Mercury. The teeth were spot on and the clothes unbelievably accurate. Even the rest of the cast's design screamed the 1980s. This department is the reason why the movie looks like it was shot during what many consider to be the golden decade of music.

• Editing: 7/10

Why? While it has some pretty cool moments where it blends scenes together, I did feel that the movie had some pacing issues that were mostly caused by its sometimes messy editing. It's probably more of a nitpick than it is a problem and will likely be overlooked by most moviegoers.

• Cinematography: 8/10

Why? Cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel ("Drive", "The Usual Suspects") once again proved why he's one of the best in the business. I loved how the movie looked like it came out straight from the era in which the events are taking place. I loved the use of reflections. I loved the color palette used. I just loved how the entire movie looks.

• Score/Soundtrack: 10/10

Why? Do I really need to justify myself?

FINAL GRADE: 8/10