Film Preview: Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)

Page Revisions:

(May 20, 2018) Original
(July 22, 2018) New Trailer (#2)
(October 28, 2018) New Trailer (#3) / New Posters (#3-#8)

Release Date:

November 2, 2018

Synopsis:

From IMDb: “A chronicle of the years leading up to Queen’s legendary appearance at the Live Aid (1985) concert in 1985.”

Poster Rating: C- / D / C (4) / C- / D+

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Review: (#1) Flooded with color, this poster catches some of the essence of the character, but is just not that exciting. (#2) A terrible tagline, a horrible background color and a tacky close-up make for an ill-designed poster.

(#3-#6) This series of character posters hides the character inside the letters of famous lyrics to Queen songs. It’s a neat concept, but not terribly well executed. (#7) The purpose haze of these designs is simply not as electrifying as the designer likely wishes. (#8) Are the members of Queen famous enough that placing them behind text with their iconic lead singer almost hidden behind them is a good option?

Trailer Rating: B / A- / B

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Review: (#1) Every time I write about this film, I will bring up how much of a disservice it is to Freddie Mercury when it ignores his sexuality and the cause of his death: AIDS. That’s of course not mentioned in the trailer, they just want to entice Queen fans to see the film, but those fans also know the details of Mercury’s life and death and won’t be as enthused by the glossing over of his legacy. The trailer may play a lot of great, familiar songs, but that won’t be enough to make the film a hit.

(#2) A rousing trailer that gives the audience a more enticing view of the motion picture. There’s plenty of potential for drama, but you get a true sense of the scope of the film, plus a promise of great music.

(#3) More Queen music and more glimpses at Freddie Mercury’s personal life, but the entire trailer feels like the first one in that it gives the audience far too little information to know if it’s worth seeing other than for Queen’s music.