“Bohemian Rhapsody” deserves accolades

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The Golden Globes have come and gone once again, but many are unhappy with this year’s results, particularly with “Bohemian Rhapsody” winning the award for Best Motion Picture-Drama. The Freddie Mercury biopic, starring Rami Malek as the late rock legend, has been controversial since the start, with production troubles, behind-the-scenes drama and divisive critical reception from critics and audiences alike in regards to the the portrayal of real events. Add the fact that the film’s original director Bryan Singer, has been accused of rape and one can begin to understand why the film’s win has left a bad taste in the mouths of the masses.

But I’m not here to pick apart the film or voice my disdain for Singer, but to celebrate Rhapsody’s strengths and talk about a man whose name has been all but forgotten amid all of this. That man is the film’s other director, Dexter Fletcher, the man who finished the movie after Singer’s firing. Fletcher is a talented filmmaker who turned what could have been an utter trainwreck into one of my favorite films of 2018.

Yet nobody knows this because not only was Fletcher royally screwed out of a director’s credit despite his heavy contributions, but he was left out of the film’s award-winning speech altogether. So while the masses may be mad that a movie by an alleged rapist scored a win, I’m pissed at the masses. Not just for blatantly ignoring the man who made that win possible but for failing to understand what made “Bohemian Rhapsody” such a great movie to begin with.

Whenever people ask me why I love “Bohemian Rhapsody,” I always tell them that while it fails as a Freddie Mercury biopic, at the end of the day it is an amazing Queen movie. It was always meant to be a celebration of the band, their music and their journey to stardom. Fletcher understood and succeeded in capturing that early on, giving us electrifying concert recreations and energized portrayals of the band members to show the audience what made Queen such a great group.

The film just really resonated with me once I realized what the point was. It reminded me of the good times I’ve had with Queen through the years, which I’m sure a lot of people can say the same about. For instance, when my best friend and I would jam out to Brian May’s epic “Killer Queen” guitar solo in Hilton Head as we cruised to the beach.

Truly, Fletcher helped capture a rare sense of nostalgia where most biopics fail. He made a movie that went for the good times instead of the bad to remind people that there are many different sides of life. The film succeeded at what it wanted to be, and knowing about all the behind-the-scenes troubles makes Fletcher’s accomplishment all the more impressive in the end.

While another common complaint was how little it shows of Freddie’s nightlife exploits, I for one was not bothered by the lack of late- night shenanigans. Sure, some people wanted sex, drugs and unapologetic mayhem, but I saw “Bohemian Rhapsody” and Freddie’s life as a whole through more of a comic book lens. His life was so rich and vast that there are millions of stories, and films by that logic, that one could tell about him, each with its own style and tone depending on the events.

This is just one of many different ways to look at Mercury, both as an icon and as a man. This is why I believe that “Bohemian Rhapsody” deserved its win. Fletcher, as well as numerous other talented and hardworking people, put their love and passion into the film and it is clear that some took notice.

So instead of harping on Singer and the faults of the film, I think that people should take a page out of their book and celebrate instead. Celebrate the life of Freddie Mercury, the music of Queen and the hard work that people put into bringing that to the big screen. That, in my eyes, is what made “Bohemian Rhapsody” a winner.