Bohemian Rhapsody Review: 5 Ups & 5 Downs

By Jack Pooley / October 24, 2018

3. It Sanitises Mercury's Sexuality & Death

There was a ton of pre-release controversy about the movie downplaying Mercury's homosexuality and eventual death from AIDS, and while the film certainly doesn't ignore these aspects of Mercury's life, they do feel rather glossed over.

The main problem is that both Mercury's gayness and death are basically whispered in hushed, polite tones, presumably in order to avoid "offending" less-progressive audiences and scaring away their box office bucks.

The movie doesn't re-write Mercury's lifestyle or his death, and there are surely few who wanted the movie to focus heavily on the singer's final days, but even so, it skirts past these pivotal moments a little too eagerly.