Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) reviews

The Fuzzy Mushroom take on Bohemian Rhapsody

By Fuzzy Mushroom · Updated 11 November 2026 · The Pros 57 · The Punters 89 · Spore Score 63 · How we write our takes

Why The Pros and The Punters disagree

Bohemian Rhapsody has one of the biggest splits of any major release on Fuzzy Mushroom. The Punters give it 89. The Pros give it 57. That is a gap of 32 points, and the Spore Score of 63 sits uneasily between them, which is why we call it fuzzy. The split is not really about the same thing. Audiences mostly rated the experience of hearing Queen's songs on a cinema sound system. Critics mostly rated the film as a biopic, and found it timid.

What audiences love

The music is the star. The recreation of the band writing and recording the title track, with Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon arguing over operatic overdubs, is great fun. Rami Malek's performance as Freddie Mercury, all nervous energy behind a stage swagger, won him the Oscar for Best Actor. And the final twenty minutes, a near shot-for-shot restaging of Queen's 1985 Live Aid set at Wembley Stadium, is a genuine crowd-pleaser.

What critics object to

The script follows the most familiar route of the music biopic: humble beginnings, sudden fame, a bad influence, a falling-out, a triumphant comeback. To build to Live Aid, it reshapes real events, including the order in which things happened and when Mercury learnt about and told the band about his illness. Many reviewers felt it skated over his private life and sexuality. The film's production was also troubled, with its credited director, Bryan Singer, replaced before the end of filming.

Who is right?

Both, depending on what you want. If you love Queen and want two hours of their songs with a superb central performance, The Punters' score is about right. If you want a film that tells you something true and surprising about Freddie Mercury, The Pros have a point.

The Fuzzy Mushroom verdict

Good bet, with a Spore Score of 63. A great concert wrapped in a so-so biopic. Turn it up, and read a proper biography afterwards.