borhap was so safe and plain, while rocketman really took chances and was so creative with its storytelling. it would've been wonderful to see freddy's life with the same energy he had
Exactly, I really wish the movie was actually Rated R for BoRhap because Freddie's life is a lot more hard edge and darker than what the movie depicts, I mean this is a guy who died because of AIDS. I'm glad Elton fought with many studios to maintain that R Rating
The remaining members of Queen were VERY involved in Bohemian Rhapsody. Probably too involved, if we’re being honest. I would kill to see the version of the movie Sacha Baron Cohen wanted to make
It’s not just that Elton was involved, it’s that he commits to a warts and all version of his story. His memoir is much the same. (And Taron reads the audiobook)
Couldn't agree more! I also think the fact that BR sanitized Freddie's life really removed a lot of emotional impact. We see Elton do drugs. We see him have sex. We see him at his highest and lowest and see how his sexuality is a source of great conflict but ultimately something he is proud of. With Freddie, his hedonistic lifestyle is barely mentioned, and when it is, it feels false and showy. It never has a realistic impact on him, for better or worse. Plus, he's an lgbt icon! And yet his sexuality and relationship with the man he would call his husband are brushed over and have little impact on the story!
I’d say I that I completely agree, but you watched the video, so you already know that 😅 glad you enjoyed it enough to drop a comment, though! Always nice to see a scouser in the comment section ❤️
Fun fact about the production of Rocketman is that Elton wanted his movie to get made only if its Rated R. Many studios wanted to be PG13 but Elton refused too, it wasn't until Paramount picked it up and agreed to make the movie Rated R. BoRhap while is okay, it could've been better if they just make it Rated R so that they don't sanitizer Freddie's life either
That part of jonh deacon was so fucking true. He was a great bass player, he wrote some awesome songs and he had a great friendship with Freddy mercury He was done so poorly in the movie
i can't help but think Johns decision to be completely private without a single public appearance in 25 years might have also meant wanting limitations on the character. Just think there might be a connection there
Also Bohemian Rhapsody's whole main plot is a complete lie. They never had a fight about Freddie going solo, none of that even happened. If you need to make up major things in order for the movie to even work... you know it's bad. I think Sacha Baron Cohen's vision would have been a more interesting film. But the band members wanted to have a family friendly hit for a large audience. In other words, they cared more about protecting their own image and money than telling a truthful story. Rocketman is actually Elton's own story, he was in control of it and he's much more honest. It's better on many fronts.
@@awllypollyas8292 As far as I understood it (don’t quote me on this though because I’m not an Elton John expert or anything) no plot points were entirely fabricated just for the movie. Of course they didn’t happen in that way, as it isn’t only a movie but also a fantastical musical, but everything did more or less happen in at least some form. It is based on his life. That’s different from Bohemian Rhapsody where they literally pulled a plot point out of thin air.
I haven't seen Rocketman, but it is very easy to believe that it was better then Bohemian Rhapsody. I don't think Rami Malik represented Freddie Mercury very well, but a part of the problem was obviously the script. Everyone that says Rami Malik did well with the role of Freddie Mercury, did not really know much about him. As soon as some people watched interviews from him, or learned a bit more, they would usually say that Freddie was not represented well by Rami Malik. But, the real big problem is that nothing in Bohemian Rhapsody is true. It is more of a character assignation of Freddie Mercury. Ironically, his own personal life story is so much more interesting. He was born on Zanzibar, to a Zoroastrian Persian family, his grandparents came from Iran. He went to a British boarding school in India thousand of miles away from his parents at the age of 7. He had to take boat to India by himself at the age of 7, the trip took a month. He started playing the piano at the age 7, he was the piano player in a school band, not the singer. He really started singing quite late, at around the age 23. He went back to Zanzibar at the age of 16, a revolution broke out on the island, and his family had to fled for their lives, he only arrived in Britain at the age of 17, he went to art school and got a degree in graphics design. That is where he met other musicians. He and Tim Staffell (the guy that quits the band at the start) were good friends they both studied together. Freddie and Roger worked and lived together before Queen. Freddie childhood alone could be an interesting movie, someone born on an island on the coast of Africa that became one of the biggest rockstars. The way the band met was obviously incorrect, there was nothing about their struggles with management in their early years, which did happen. They never sold a van to record an album. They were extreme poor despite the fact that they had top charting hits, in their early years. Their management company were taking all of their money. Freddie wrote two diss songs about their management at the time, the manager actually tried to sue them because Freddie's songs was so inflammatory. They never had any problems with their record label. They had full creative freedom and did whatever they wanted to do through their career. The record label did say Bohemian Rhapsody was not a good choice for a single and they should not release it, but they still ultimately supported the band to release the song. A Night At The Opera (the album where Bohemian Rhapsody is on), was the most expensive album of all time at that point in history, so they had some good support from their record label. Freddie spent the most time in studio out of everyone according to recording engineers and producers, so he certainly wasn't always late. In fact Freddie often altered the others songs when they stepped away from the studio. Yes, Freddie did really like to party, but he was never a drug addict and he never had problems with alcohol. Ironically the one in the band with alcohol problems was John Deacon. Freddie never fired any managers on his own, he never left the band for a solo career, Queen never broke up. Roger and Brian did solo albums before Freddie did one. The band always stayed together. There is the perception that they had not played together for years before Live Aid, that is totally nonsensical and unrealistic. Queen had a massive stadium year long tour, that ended just 5 weeks before Live Aid, they played to crowds of almost 400k people in Rio. They did well at Live Aid, because they were a very well seasoned stadium rock band that was used to playing to these types crowds. Basically every single event in this movie is a lie. No, it really does not matter that a movie follow the real life story exactly. But if you get everything wrong then you are going to tell an unrealistic story of random events. This was like a fictional movie, where Queen's name and music was added to the plot afterwards, in order to generate more sales. I do think Brian May and Roger Taylor was the real problem here. They really whitewashed their own actions and characters. Roger Taylor was a known party animal and cocaine user. He did sit around at home, Brian also went to all of the parties. When it comes to the scenes of them recording the song Bohemian Rhapsody, they make sure to show exactly what Brian and Roger's contributions was to the song. Or they show Brian May creating the song We Will Rock You, Freddie Wrote We Are The Champions at exactly the same time, for exactly the same reasons. They showed the creation of Another One Bites The Dust, likely because they had to show something for poor John Deacon. But at exactly the same time they had their first no. 1 American hit with Crazy Little Thing Called Love that was written Freddie. The story just shows Freddie as a diva, while in reality Brian and Roger were the ones who fought the most. They have said that Freddie was actually quite diplomatic and very often the peacemaker in the group. Basically Freddie's character was manipulated so much that things made very little sense. Truthfully, Queen did not have many problems after they had gotten rid of their first manager Norman Sheffield in 1975. They had big hits from every single album they produced, they are the most consistent top selling artist of all time. They had string of 13 albums that all sold over 2 million copies, and every album had a single that sold around 10 million copies. They were all workaholics and perfectionist when it came to their music, they spent loads of time in the studio and were even co-producers of their own music. Freddie did like to party, but usually always put the music ahead of the partying. They really managed themselves with full creative control, Freddie even generally directed their own music videos. They are one of the few artists that own their own catalog. They really had very few problems compared to most other artist. Their biggest problem involved constant infighting with each other, and the press was extremely adversarial to them. Music changed in the last 70's punk became popular and the press always picked on bands such as Queen. They had somewhat of a fight against the punk rock movement. They had massive infighting because everyone was a songwriter and everyone wanted their own songs on the albums. Their real struggles started when Freddie had Aids, but he was only diagnosed in 1987, so the Bohemian Rhapsody movie never really reaches that point. Basically Roger and Brian still have a chip on their shoulders because Freddie received a big advancement to produce a solo album. He basically only recorded more dance type of songs that he could not release under the Queen name. He worked on his solo project when he was not busy with Queen. He firstly concentrated on Queen material, and he did not even promote this album. Queen fans who knowns the Queen story, really dislikes this movie.
This comment is an essay in itself, so I’m genuinely touched that you took the time to write it below my video! ❤️ and while I don’t always think biopics have to be rigidly tied to facts if it benefits the film, I think a lot of the cut corners in BohRap are to its detriment.
I think the big difference is that the participants in the BoRap movie didn't want to be portrayed in a bad light, which would be why Brian and Roger both seem to mysteriously be perfect angels who never touch a drug at any point and leave parties to go home with their wives... meanwhile Elton said "I didn't live a PG life" and was more than fine with them showing him at his lowest. Hell, I'd be willing to bet he'd of let them push even further if an NC-17 rating wasn't a total kiss of death
I think if Freddie was still alive, Bohemian Rhapsody would be rated R like rocketman. Freddie 100% didn't lead a PG13 lifestyle. He led a Rated R lifestyle. Drugs, Prenter abused him, all of his other boyfriends except Jim also abused him, lots of parties (he was known for visiting gay bars as they were touring) and I just really hope they will re-release Bohemian Rhapsody but in Freddie's later years, called something like 'The Show Must Go On' and featuring Taron as Elton since they were really good friends so it would be good. Maybe even Freddie and Sid Vicious having a fight. He deserves a better movie. I love Bohemian Rhapsody but think it's terrible compared to Rocketman.
I have loved the movie Bohemian Rhapsody since it came out and i watched it over and over again until i watched Rocketman. Rocketman was more emotional than Bohemian Rhapsody. They both have troubles with their fathers but Elton John has problems with his father and his mother. They both had "boyfriends" that used them for money and fame. They are very alike but my favorite would have to be Rocketman.
Brilliant breakdown. I watched Rocketman before BR, and I couldn't stop thinking about how emotionless BR was. Rocketman felt way more satisfying as we get to see Elton's journey. BR is Freddy getting to the top far too quickly, and then not doing a whole much when he's there. The concert scene was nice, if unimportant, and then the movie just ends. Rocketman is beautiful, well-crafted, and honestly underrated for what it is.
As someone who grew up with a mother who either neglected me or were extremely overbearing depending on what mood she was in, the ‘when are you going to hug me?’ scene absolutely destroyed me. The sheer levels of empathy that the film managed to encapsulate for a wide range of people was out of this world. Rocketman was an underrated masterpiece.
Thank you! I'm so mad Rocketman didn't get as much adulation as BR when it was the better movie! Im a bigger fan of Queen/Freddie than Elton (though I love both) but I remember watching BR just made me feel... empty afterwards. It was like watching an SNL re-creation of Queen concert videos with some bits of "acting" thrown in. I really enjoyed Ramis performance but it was still clearly somebody just playing at being Freddie. Great video!
I was a huge Queen fan before watching Bohemian Rhapsody. Rocket Man introduced me to Elton John's music. I ended up liking Rocket Man way more, enough said.
the emotional journey of Rocketman was intense. I cried nearly the whole movie and just felt how badly Elton wanted to be loved. I had some moments in Bohemian Rhapsody where I felt the same for Freddy but I think the story telling with the music was just so spot on in Rocketman that I prefer that movie. But both are great and I really loved both.
I know what you mean, Rocketman really does feel like a proper journey. And BohRap has some of those moments but they’re too few and far between to have that same journey-like feeling. Hope you enjoyed the vid ❤️
I think rocketman was way more realistic to how emotion is experienced. Rocketman was *dark* but it was *real* and thats the kinda story I love. Especially when it’s about a real story.
Rocketman was a bio but also a brilliant musical. I connected to it emotionally right away. Half movie I wanted to hug Elton, the other half I wanted to slap him. The soundtrack album is beautiful.
A major factor too, and there have been bigger writings on this so I'm far from the first to bring this up, is how they portray sexuality in both. It ties into how both films portray characters as a whole. Mercury's hedonism, even if not intentional, can't help but come across as tied to his identity. The most stable and loving relationship we see from him until the very end is with a woman. Mercury's exploring of his sexuality is tied to his outlandish parties, brushing off his band mates, and eventually catching the disease that kills him. The rest of Queen of course are pure and wholesome and are never shown engaging in vice. Only the bi frontman is. Again I don't think this was intentional, there is a moment when Mercury is told he needs to love himself first, but the movie doesn't earn that moment. It's far too sanitized to do so. He wears capes and has bad taste in men and this is somehow almost breaks up Queen cause they're too afraid to properly make anyone in the movie have real flaws instead of being generally dickish. In Rocketman, as shown in the video, Elton's first introduction is introducing his actual drug abuse. The early movie establishes his own personal issues that carry into adulthood. But when he starts embracing his sexuality and flamboyant nature it's not equated to vice. There's moments of joy in it both in personal life and on stage. But it's those long standing personal conflicts within himself that he can't run away from. They turn into _actual_ self-destructive vices. The movie earns it because it established this internal dynamic from the start, and shows the self destruction right there in front of you. It avoids the weird kinda conservative morality framing of his lifestyle. On the contrary it's about coming to terms with himself. That the confused young boy with a piano and the larger-than-life character on stage are the same person and they can coexist. Doing so brings him closure.
Even before Rocketman came out, I always felt like Bohemian Rhapsody was vilainising (if that's even a word) Freddie and he was never around to defend it. The hardships of the movie essentially came down to him being gay, if I make it very black and white. The "dark" (gay) parties he went through and the (gay) people he surrounded himself with who led him down an unhealthy path - and eventually wanting to break up the band. I did not like the sentiment I was getting from that movie. Rocketman is so much more positive. Essentially it's all about acceptance and forgiveness. I'm so happy Elton has had such an influence on the story, otherwise it might have been very different. He was able to tell his own truth, in a creative way and it's enjoyable through and through! Just to add; I'm strictly talking about the movie storylines. I know the reality behind Queen and Freddie Mercury was different than the portrayal.
All of BoRap reads to me as Roger and Brian wanting to “tell Freddie’s story” but simultaneously airing all their grievances, too. Not only did the film hide aspects of Freddie’s life, it was blatantly dishonest at point (mind you, in ways that paint Brian and Roger as the innocents and Freddie as the raging, ego-maniacal jerk). Like the whole drama with Freddie being the one to leave the group. Completely contrived. They all took a mutual break-and Roger had already released solo music for Christ’s sake! I understand that Freddie was a more private person than Elton, and also couldn’t be consulted as to what he wanted included in the film, but the whole thing just felt like it was just dancing around every heavy topic trying to squeeze a real human beings life into a “fall of the hero” archetype. Rocketman was also much more deliberately an alteration of reality (ie time-traveling younger self, randomly bursting into song), so it’s faults are more excusable
I enjoyed both films but the conversation Elton has over the phone with his Mother honestly haunts me. Very few scenes in films have impacted me as much as that one did.
to me the key difference is that rocketman just embodied elton's energy so well - all of the glamour, showmanship, and flamboyance covering a deep-seated sadness and loneliness. bohemian rhapsody didn't feel like it was about freddie mercury because it failed where rocketman succeeded. the few showy moments felt superficial. that being said, the cast (especially rami, his oscar was well deserved) did a splendid job, but it all fell flat against the mediocre script and poor editing.
Sort of mentioned in this video, but I love how Rocketman sticks with that perspective of eltons even though that means skipping song and album origins. After he hits it big we do not need to jump back into the studio for how he made Caribou. Just stick with and watch his natural progression toward rehab. Meanwhile, boh rhap goes >Freddie personal drama >ok how bout we do another ones bites the dust >back to the drama >now stomp stomp clap, WE WILL ROCK YOU >drama Thats a common problem in a lot music bio pics, the focus shifts back and forth between the music and drugs or something. Freddie just wanted to be known for his musical contributions, so it seems disrespectful that the music feels like a tacked on addition.
I just watched Rocketman last night and I still feel entranced by the sheer force and magnitude and volume of this movie. It was superbly edited, masterfully directed, and as a sucker for an Elton John song, I just couldn't sit still during any musical moment. But the highlight of it all for me was Taron Egerton, who somehow managed to capture the essence of a rock star, gay, addict idol that everyone so adores. he was just so captivating in every single scene, and every single scene felt concise and meaningful, even if there wasn't much going on (the 'your song' scene haunts me), immediately polarized by the grandeur of stardom and the lows of addiction. I can't think of a better biopic, and I don't think we'll be getting one soon. As for Bohemian Rhapsody, there were a lot of reasons I didn't want to watch it. I was sure Rami Malek would be wonderful, but even from the trailer I could tell that it was somewhat lacking the substance of Mercury's life, and him being my personal hero and idol, I couldn't watch the film through an objective eye...your comparison reassured me. Great video! Subscribed.
I really enjoyed rocketman a lot more then BR, it pisses me off that it didn’t got the recognition that deserves and it’s bulshit that Taron Egerton didn’t even got nominated for an Oscar
100% agree with everything said in this video. Bohemian rhapsody was good, with an amazing lead performance but it lacked the emotion in a sense and it lacked truth and honesty. Whereas Rocketman did not shy away from eltons life of decadents and debauchery. They showed him experimenting with his sexuality and his internal struggles and they werent afraid to show the downs of Elton John's touching story. And needless to say, Taron Egerton did an amazing job in his performance as Elton John and really put a lot of research and emotion into his role. Absolutely fantistic! Just my opinion! Keep up the good work!
Not only do I agree with every word you said, but the way you used clips and quotes from the film to answer your questions and respond to your statements was hilarious and kept me engaged throughout the video😁
Personally, my biggest problem with BoRhap is that some of the stuff they made up just seemed like the worst things to make up. Like, having Live Aid after Freddie got diagnosed with AIDS does make sense from a storytelling perspective despite it not actually being what happened, but the stuff about the band having a fight that made Freddie go solo just seems odd, and them saying that they haven't played together in years since he left just seems like a very odd change, especially since the real events were pretty recent by biopic standards.
When I first came across the video-essay format at uni, I was told to create a dialogue with the material and let it speak for itself; show don’t tell, etc. Also, who would want to listen to me just witter on for 15 minutes straight? 😂
I think definitely the main difference between the 2 (other than Freddie not being alive while Elton is)…is that people working on Rocketman (including/especially Elton) wanted to be honest with it and weren’t afraid to show the lowest of lows in his life. Also considering one of Freddie’s only requests before he died was to not make him/his music boring…yeah Bohemian Rhapsody could’ve been done a lot better.
Bohemian Rhapsody is my favourite film ever but the only thing I would say makes me like rocketman a lot is the fact that It was Taron Egerton singing all of the songs where Rami Malek wasn’t. Rami is my favourite actor ever and I really want to be an actor like him when I’m older he’s inspired me so much. But Taron Egerton has also inspired me too. There both legends. And the films are awesome.
you know, I watched both films, Bohemian Rhapsody much earlier on this year, and Rocketman just the other day, and I feel the same way. love Freddie, love Queen... love Elton, but I'm one that gets heavily moved by emotion, and Bohemian Rhapsody seriously was lacking in that department, good film, but if I never watched it again, I'd be o.k., I wouldn't miss it. Rocketman... total EPIC adventure from beginning to end! I was honestly enthralled, all throughout, couldn't break away until it was over, and even then I was like WOW, WHAT A MOVIE!! the whole, entire movie was oozing immense passion that I could actually feel the emotions being played out, especially by (Elton) Taron Egerton. he played the role of Elton John so well, you'd swear you'd think it was Elton himself. especially, with the singing! this film, I'm sure I'll watch time and again, I really love it, and place it with the likes of Sweet Dreams, Walk the Line, The Doors, and Immortal Beloved, as these are my absolute, most watched, favorite biopics of all-time!! Rocketman, now makes it in, as part of my Top 5 biopics ever made, of all-time. beautifully done!
I like both movies, but the reason we feel more connected with Elton John in rocketman is because Elton is the the only person to focus on other than side characters. In bohemian rhapsody Freddie is in a band so we are going to get scenes with the band I understand more Freddie would have been better but that’s how a band works. Your going to see all of them
I liked bohemian rhapsody, but I feel like that was mainly because of how much I love Queen. I thought it was weird that it was meant to be a film about Queen, but there was definitely a disconnect between Freddie and the rest of the band. If it had just been about Freddie it would have been so much better because there just isn't enough time in a film to focus on four separate people and their stories and struggles. I also thought it was really strange how they invented the whole Freddie betraying the band plot. It doesn't make sense for so many different reasons (solo stuff didn't make the band break up, Roger and Brian did solo stuff before Freddie, they released the works in 1984, toured afterwards and then liveaid was in 1985, so there isn't time for them to have a dramatic break-up and then not have played together for ages etc). My favourite parts were actually the parts with the whole band because they were fun, and the more emotional scenes didn't have as much impact as they could have so the rest of the film fell a bit flat.
Rocket man explored why the main character loses themself in the dangers of the world. Bohemian Rhapsody needed to go deeper. Overcoming pain and obstacles is what story telling is all about
I finally saw Bohemian Rhapsody. My biggest problem was that I didn't feel the portrayal of Freddie showed his sense of humour hardly at all. The joy wasn't there.
Personally, I feel like they glorified him at every opportunity they got, and when he was supposed to be unlikeable, they glossed over it fairly quickly and with little more than a slap on the wrists. That’s just the way I saw it though.
EXCELLENT VIDEO! The less you knew about Queen, the better BR was. They messed with the timeline and other issues too much, and as everyone is saying, it was horribly sanitized. Rocketman, while sold as a musical fantasy and not a straight bio (pun intended), was at least more emotionally legit. Musically both were great musically, but I'll take Rocketman over BR any day.
I think much of it was the marketing. Advertising Rocketman as a Musical and showing that baseball scene like a thing straight out of Glee in every trailer put me off of watching it for a long time. I never would’ve suspected this emotional masterpiece behind that. Also, valid criticisms aside, Bohemian Rhapsody isn’t a Freddie Mercury biopic or did I get that wrong? I thought it was supposed to be about the whole band.
I know i am 3 years after this video was published. But you are right, you are so right. I always preferred Rocketman over Bohemian Rhapsody (ofcourse not the song, because song Bohemian Rhapsody is better than Rocketman and i think that nobody will argue, but the movie) The movie Rocketman is honest and Elton John wasnt afraid of loosing his fans for drug and alcohol use, because he made the best bio movie. But Queen (I mean Brian May and Roger Taylor) did make a laurel for Freddie but only a laurel. Ofc Freddies performance on stage is better, but the movie itself is not. Not only because of what you said, but also that is not really truth. The very important events that are in the movie are faked or changed. But Elton John made a biography that is honest and focused on him and him only.
I've seen both rocket man and Freddie Mercury,but to me rocket Man is the better story , because it puts you through the whole story and sounds realistic without even trying and it's more realistic even though it's a little bit darker.
This dude needs more subs and I think it’s because of the way he captures the two movies perfectly and really makes you start to realize how Beautiful these two movies are.they are not just storytelling two people who are know who there music.There are the perfect depiction of there lives and who they are as people
I hope no one is attacking the actor who played Freddie he didn't write it and he did what he could with what he had, I honestly think Rami malek had an unfair shake because Freddie isn't here and Elton John is, but Rocketman was better I feel bad for Rami though because they didn't deserve him and he doesn't deserve all the flack for something he had no control over
As a massive fan of Queen I didn't liked BH to the point that I stopped watching it in the first 20 minutes. I can imagine what Sacha wanted Freddie's biopic to be and it would be so much better if they let him handle the movie instead of May's direction. Rocketman on the other hand, have scenes that I literally cried while watching it. Every scene is necessary and never had a dull moment.
the fact that this video was well written, well edited, fantastically delivered and still wasnt a hit gives me serious anxiety about the future TH-cam landscape
2018 - Bohemian Rhapsody ( Queen ) 91.08 cr 2019 - Roclet Man ( Elton John ) 19.53 cr 2022 - Elvis ( Elvis Presley ) 28.87 cr 2024 or 25 - Michael ( Michael Jackson )
I do wonder what Borap would've been like if Dexter Fletcher just directed the whole thing like with Rocketman, instead of just taking over after Brian Singer got fired. Cuz irregardless of plot points, Rocketman was just so much more clever. Borap was more of a cleanup job for Fletcher.
I totally agree! Bohemian is so dull, boring, stale & hard to get through. Them standing & singing a song is so true. Rocketman literally puts you in it with the rehab & the musical. Like an elton concert, entertaining, awesome & he always dressed up. Imagine if they made queen songs into a musical? So much potential.
One thing about all this is the fact that Rocketman (an amazing achievement in film) is telling the story of a SOLO artist, whereas Bohemian Rhapsody is a story about the BAND as much as Freddie. Could the film have had much better editing? Of course! But! It was trying to tell the story of Queen as well as Freddie, I feel like it did a good job in that regard. Rocketman does a good job telling about Elton as a Solo artist, idk, just my take.
I would be inclined to agree with you, and I’d probably cup the film a bit more slack if I thought they were trying to tell Queen’s story as opposed to just Freddie’s. But because we don’t see what happens to the rest of the band after they break up, and they only resurface when they reform ahead of Live Aid, I’d say the film isn’t really telling their story at all. But in the end, if you like both films, power to you, man. Hope you enjoyed the video too ❤️
Upon more thought I actually think the film itself is more about just being more "emotional" than really about a story (which you point to in the video). The film itself was probably tackling too much for what it was trying to do as, for BoRhap, it would be very hard to do what it was trying to do perfectly. For what the movie is, I think it's good (but not necessarily well-made) but overall both stories are heavily fictionalized anyway, so it'd be difficult to get either right on all fronts. Rocketman just did it better as it wasn't trying to be too bogged down in 'realism' but more of a "movie" rather than just another biopic in the pile.
I agree with you on that point. I think where BoRhap falls down emotionally is that a lot of the reaction it wants from the audience is “oh yeah, I remember that song!” rather than engendering a connection with the character. Kinda like when films substitute jokes for pop culture references; they might get a chuckle, but that feeling doesn’t last much longer. Whereas Rocketman’s emotional hit, at least for me, comes from experiencing that weird, wild emotional rollercoaster that we go on with Elton.
They didn't do a good job because that whole story about them fighting about Freddie going solo (the plotline that the whole ending relies on) was completely fabricated. So it wasn't even the story of the real Queen, but of some fictional version of it.
I watched Rocketman last night and my friend asked me if it was better than Bohemian Rhapsody. I said yes but I honestly don't remember much of Bohemian Rhapsody. I remember it was a good, but it just didn't make much of an impression on me.
Rocketman's the winner for me. The acting in Bohemian was incredible, but the story was far from true, pacing was horrible and it seemed like a movie made a checklist of songs to include and show instead of showing the story behind organically.
On john decaons absence in the movie, it is more understandable when you consider that john deacon has removed himself entirely from the public eye. He has been completely private since around 1997. Which is also partly why he has not played with surviving members of queen, even skipping their hall of fame induction.Any photos of video of him since the 90s have been taken against his will. I recall coming across one cell phone video of people getting him to sign stuff and him looking incredibly distressed. It would not surprise me if he, or people representing his own film rights and likeness where against and heavily restrictive with his character doing anything in the move
Freddie didn't just show up in front of Brian and Roger for audition, the lead singer of Smile (first name before Queen) Tim already knew Freddie, cuz they study both Arts and Architecture at the same school. And John didn't join the band after Freddie joined, he was added a year later, 1971
Your putting down Rami Malik's fantastic portrayal plus the band and his friends are important to his story and I think should have had more input they were and are amazing individuals
i respect your opinions but: i just wish bohemian rhapsody was R-rated it really pulled it back on its potential to be able to compete with rocketman and they are not the same kind of movie to begin with bohemian rhapsody is a normal story but rocketman is a musical
It’s more authentic to make a film of a living figure who can add his input and perspective to the making of it than of someone who passed away 30 years ago..Rocketman is my fav.
I get that bohemian rhapsody is mainly focused on Freddie but the reason that queen is in it as much as it is. Is because it’s about queen not Freddie, Freddie is a massive part of it but it is still queen. Especially towards the end when John says “whatever happens it’s not by Freddie, or Brian, or Roger or me. It’s by queen” Meanwhile Rocketman is about Elton only. Hence why we see more of him than we do Freddie in bohemian rhapsody.
@@jacobmadrigal8195 For years he was working on a version that was only about Freddie, covering his raise and ending with his death. But the Queen band was against it as it featured them less, was much darker. They wanted the film to be more family targeted and without their support, they can't he couldn't legally make his version.
@@filmreviewer117 that version sounds great it would have been truly about Freddie’s rise to stradom and then ending with his death would’ve been powerful as we see his life from beginning to end I wish this version was the one we got
I do enjoy Bohemian Rhapsody, but I agree with you. Rocketman is a better film. I also love it because of the fact that Taron is actually singing the songs, they're not dubbed over.
To be fair to bohemian rhapsody, I like that it shows more about queen. I feel this is because Freddie wasn’t there to watch over how the movie was made, however the Brian may, and Rodger Taylor were there to watch how it was made. This could be a reason why there was more attention on the band, instead of Freddie. If Freddie was there, I feel it would’ve been a better film. Another point to look at is queen is a band, Elton John is a one man act. That’s another reason why rocketman was seen as a better film, because one man is easier to research than a whole band.
But what you’re saying you have to have drama and hard things along the way of having a successful band but just because they didn’t portray that for queen in the Bohemian Rhapsody movie you can’t throw shade at them for having a smooth life and, sure they didn’t have too many problems but they made good fucking music
I can’t watch Rami Malek’s depiction without having the strong impression that he is not singing. I don’t think he is a singer and his lip synch skills are non-existent. His neck, face and lips are not moving the way someone does when singing. It takes me out completely. That he won an Oscar was just wrong.
borhap was so safe and plain, while rocketman really took chances and was so creative with its storytelling. it would've been wonderful to see freddy's life with the same energy he had
I completely agree, a bland, cookie-cutter biopic doesn’t do Freddy’s whirlwind life any justice . Hope you enjoyed the video ❤️
Exactly, I really wish the movie was actually Rated R for BoRhap because Freddie's life is a lot more hard edge and darker than what the movie depicts, I mean this is a guy who died because of AIDS. I'm glad Elton fought with many studios to maintain that R Rating
It does help that Elton John was actually able to be involved in the production.
I mean tbf freddie is dead XD
@@RoPiDe Yeah but not Freddie Mercury himself, unfortunately.
The remaining members of Queen were VERY involved in Bohemian Rhapsody. Probably too involved, if we’re being honest. I would kill to see the version of the movie Sacha Baron Cohen wanted to make
It’s not just that Elton was involved, it’s that he commits to a warts and all version of his story. His memoir is much the same. (And Taron reads the audiobook)
But Freddie still has his band alive
Couldn't agree more! I also think the fact that BR sanitized Freddie's life really removed a lot of emotional impact. We see Elton do drugs. We see him have sex. We see him at his highest and lowest and see how his sexuality is a source of great conflict but ultimately something he is proud of. With Freddie, his hedonistic lifestyle is barely mentioned, and when it is, it feels false and showy. It never has a realistic impact on him, for better or worse. Plus, he's an lgbt icon! And yet his sexuality and relationship with the man he would call his husband are brushed over and have little impact on the story!
Also hearing a fellow scouser making video essays!? Amazing.
I’d say I that I completely agree, but you watched the video, so you already know that 😅 glad you enjoyed it enough to drop a comment, though! Always nice to see a scouser in the comment section ❤️
Fun fact about the production of Rocketman is that Elton wanted his movie to get made only if its Rated R. Many studios wanted to be PG13 but Elton refused too, it wasn't until Paramount picked it up and agreed to make the movie Rated R. BoRhap while is okay, it could've been better if they just make it Rated R so that they don't sanitizer Freddie's life either
That part of jonh deacon was so fucking true.
He was a great bass player, he wrote some awesome songs and he had a great friendship with Freddy mercury
He was done so poorly in the movie
And if anyone knows what’s true, it’s a Truth Teller! Glad you enjoyed the video ❤️
Truth Teller I dunno if it was poorly. It did show how he came up with the riff of Another One Bites The Dust
*freddie*
i can't help but think Johns decision to be completely private without a single public appearance in 25 years might have also meant wanting limitations on the character. Just think there might be a connection there
Also Bohemian Rhapsody's whole main plot is a complete lie. They never had a fight about Freddie going solo, none of that even happened. If you need to make up major things in order for the movie to even work... you know it's bad. I think Sacha Baron Cohen's vision would have been a more interesting film. But the band members wanted to have a family friendly hit for a large audience. In other words, they cared more about protecting their own image and money than telling a truthful story. Rocketman is actually Elton's own story, he was in control of it and he's much more honest. It's better on many fronts.
rocket man does the same, though. Although, it has an excuse, since the story is in the perspective of a rehabbed elton, so
I’m glad I didn’t have to say it
@@awllypollyas8292 As far as I understood it (don’t quote me on this though because I’m not an Elton John expert or anything) no plot points were entirely fabricated just for the movie. Of course they didn’t happen in that way, as it isn’t only a movie but also a fantastical musical, but everything did more or less happen in at least some form. It is based on his life. That’s different from Bohemian Rhapsody where they literally pulled a plot point out of thin air.
I haven't seen Rocketman, but it is very easy to believe that it was better then Bohemian Rhapsody. I don't think Rami Malik represented Freddie Mercury very well, but a part of the problem was obviously the script. Everyone that says Rami Malik did well with the role of Freddie Mercury, did not really know much about him. As soon as some people watched interviews from him, or learned a bit more, they would usually say that Freddie was not represented well by Rami Malik.
But, the real big problem is that nothing in Bohemian Rhapsody is true. It is more of a character assignation of Freddie Mercury. Ironically, his own personal life story is so much more interesting. He was born on Zanzibar, to a Zoroastrian Persian family, his grandparents came from Iran. He went to a British boarding school in India thousand of miles away from his parents at the age of 7. He had to take boat to India by himself at the age of 7, the trip took a month. He started playing the piano at the age 7, he was the piano player in a school band, not the singer. He really started singing quite late, at around the age 23. He went back to Zanzibar at the age of 16, a revolution broke out on the island, and his family had to fled for their lives, he only arrived in Britain at the age of 17, he went to art school and got a degree in graphics design. That is where he met other musicians. He and Tim Staffell (the guy that quits the band at the start) were good friends they both studied together. Freddie and Roger worked and lived together before Queen. Freddie childhood alone could be an interesting movie, someone born on an island on the coast of Africa that became one of the biggest rockstars.
The way the band met was obviously incorrect, there was nothing about their struggles with management in their early years, which did happen. They never sold a van to record an album. They were extreme poor despite the fact that they had top charting hits, in their early years. Their management company were taking all of their money. Freddie wrote two diss songs about their management at the time, the manager actually tried to sue them because Freddie's songs was so inflammatory. They never had any problems with their record label. They had full creative freedom and did whatever they wanted to do through their career. The record label did say Bohemian Rhapsody was not a good choice for a single and they should not release it, but they still ultimately supported the band to release the song. A Night At The Opera (the album where Bohemian Rhapsody is on), was the most expensive album of all time at that point in history, so they had some good support from their record label.
Freddie spent the most time in studio out of everyone according to recording engineers and producers, so he certainly wasn't always late. In fact Freddie often altered the others songs when they stepped away from the studio.
Yes, Freddie did really like to party, but he was never a drug addict and he never had problems with alcohol. Ironically the one in the band with alcohol problems was John Deacon. Freddie never fired any managers on his own, he never left the band for a solo career, Queen never broke up. Roger and Brian did solo albums before Freddie did one. The band always stayed together. There is the perception that they had not played together for years before Live Aid, that is totally nonsensical and unrealistic.
Queen had a massive stadium year long tour, that ended just 5 weeks before Live Aid, they played to crowds of almost 400k people in Rio. They did well at Live Aid, because they were a very well seasoned stadium rock band that was used to playing to these types crowds. Basically every single event in this movie is a lie.
No, it really does not matter that a movie follow the real life story exactly.
But if you get everything wrong then you are going to tell an unrealistic story of random events. This was like a fictional movie, where Queen's name and music was added to the plot afterwards, in order to generate more sales.
I do think Brian May and Roger Taylor was the real problem here. They really whitewashed their own actions and characters. Roger Taylor was a known party animal and cocaine user. He did sit around at home, Brian also went to all of the parties.
When it comes to the scenes of them recording the song Bohemian Rhapsody, they make sure to show exactly what Brian and Roger's contributions was to the song. Or they show Brian May creating the song We Will Rock You, Freddie Wrote We Are The Champions at exactly the same time, for exactly the same reasons. They showed the creation of Another One Bites The Dust, likely because they had to show something for poor John Deacon. But at exactly the same time they had their first no. 1 American hit with Crazy Little Thing Called Love that was written Freddie.
The story just shows Freddie as a diva, while in reality Brian and Roger were the ones who fought the most. They have said that Freddie was actually quite diplomatic and very often the peacemaker in the group.
Basically Freddie's character was manipulated so much that things made very little sense.
Truthfully, Queen did not have many problems after they had gotten rid of their first manager Norman Sheffield in 1975. They had big hits from every single album they produced, they are the most consistent top selling artist of all time. They had string of 13 albums that all sold over 2 million copies, and every album had a single that sold around 10 million copies. They were all workaholics and perfectionist when it came to their music, they spent loads of time in the studio and were even co-producers of their own music. Freddie did like to party, but usually always put the music ahead of the partying. They really managed themselves with full creative control, Freddie even generally directed their own music videos. They are one of the few artists that own their own catalog. They really had very few problems compared to most other artist.
Their biggest problem involved constant infighting with each other, and the press was extremely adversarial to them. Music changed in the last 70's punk became popular and the press always picked on bands such as Queen. They had somewhat of a fight against the punk rock movement. They had massive infighting because everyone was a songwriter and everyone wanted their own songs on the albums.
Their real struggles started when Freddie had Aids, but he was only diagnosed in 1987, so the Bohemian Rhapsody movie never really reaches that point. Basically Roger and Brian still have a chip on their shoulders because Freddie received a big advancement to produce a solo album. He basically only recorded more dance type of songs that he could not release under the Queen name. He worked on his solo project when he was not busy with Queen. He firstly concentrated on Queen material, and he did not even promote this album.
Queen fans who knowns the Queen story, really dislikes this movie.
This comment is an essay in itself, so I’m genuinely touched that you took the time to write it below my video! ❤️ and while I don’t always think biopics have to be rigidly tied to facts if it benefits the film, I think a lot of the cut corners in BohRap are to its detriment.
Thx for the essay.
Get a life. Jesus
@@awesam1167 so rude for no reason, their comment was really well written and ig u read it all cause you felt the need to comment lmfaoo
@@awesam1167 That was so rude of you to say. This comment was really helpful
I think the big difference is that the participants in the BoRap movie didn't want to be portrayed in a bad light, which would be why Brian and Roger both seem to mysteriously be perfect angels who never touch a drug at any point and leave parties to go home with their wives... meanwhile Elton said "I didn't live a PG life" and was more than fine with them showing him at his lowest. Hell, I'd be willing to bet he'd of let them push even further if an NC-17 rating wasn't a total kiss of death
me: mentions John Reid
Queen fans: :) :| :\
Elton John fans: :( >:(
Game of Thrones fans: 🤔
I'm a Queen and Elton John fan. I hate Reid with a passion.
Everyone hates reid
@@ms.antithesis lmao I forgot I posted this and my second names Reid do I just got a notification saying "everyone hates reid"
@@obliquesauce6741 lmfao
I think if Freddie was still alive, Bohemian Rhapsody would be rated R like rocketman. Freddie 100% didn't lead a PG13 lifestyle. He led a Rated R lifestyle. Drugs, Prenter abused him, all of his other boyfriends except Jim also abused him, lots of parties (he was known for visiting gay bars as they were touring) and I just really hope they will re-release Bohemian Rhapsody but in Freddie's later years, called something like 'The Show Must Go On' and featuring Taron as Elton since they were really good friends so it would be good. Maybe even Freddie and Sid Vicious having a fight. He deserves a better movie. I love Bohemian Rhapsody but think it's terrible compared to Rocketman.
"its just too fOcKiNg eAzY" is probably the best line in this video.
😂😂😂😂😂true I’m too young to watch rocket man and I like BH but it’s obvious Rocketman was better
I have loved the movie Bohemian Rhapsody since it came out and i watched it over and over again until i watched Rocketman. Rocketman was more emotional than Bohemian Rhapsody. They both have troubles with their fathers but Elton John has problems with his father and his mother. They both had "boyfriends" that used them for money and fame. They are very alike but my favorite would have to be Rocketman.
That’s a really interesting take! Do you think that you enjoy Bohemian Rhapsody less now that you’ve seen Rocketman?
I enjoy watching both but kind of yes.
@@BornRedFilms ik this question wasn’t directed at me, but definitely
Its the same Scotsman!!!! John Reid!!!!! Look him uP! He conned them both
Brilliant breakdown. I watched Rocketman before BR, and I couldn't stop thinking about how emotionless BR was. Rocketman felt way more satisfying as we get to see Elton's journey. BR is Freddy getting to the top far too quickly, and then not doing a whole much when he's there. The concert scene was nice, if unimportant, and then the movie just ends. Rocketman is beautiful, well-crafted, and honestly underrated for what it is.
Thanks, really glad you enjoyed the video ❤️
Correct.
As someone who grew up with a mother who either neglected me or were extremely overbearing depending on what mood she was in, the ‘when are you going to hug me?’ scene absolutely destroyed me. The sheer levels of empathy that the film managed to encapsulate for a wide range of people was out of this world. Rocketman was an underrated masterpiece.
I couldn’t agree more…I just saw “One Love” the Bob Marley movie and all I could think was “Rocketman” was so much better
Thank you! I'm so mad Rocketman didn't get as much adulation as BR when it was the better movie!
Im a bigger fan of Queen/Freddie than Elton (though I love both) but I remember watching BR just made me feel... empty afterwards. It was like watching an SNL re-creation of Queen concert videos with some bits of "acting" thrown in. I really enjoyed Ramis performance but it was still clearly somebody just playing at being Freddie.
Great video!
I was a huge Queen fan before watching Bohemian Rhapsody. Rocket Man introduced me to Elton John's music. I ended up liking Rocket Man way more, enough said.
the emotional journey of Rocketman was intense. I cried nearly the whole movie and just felt how badly Elton wanted to be loved. I had some moments in Bohemian Rhapsody where I felt the same for Freddy but I think the story telling with the music was just so spot on in Rocketman that I prefer that movie. But both are great and I really loved both.
I know what you mean, Rocketman really does feel like a proper journey. And BohRap has some of those moments but they’re too few and far between to have that same journey-like feeling. Hope you enjoyed the vid ❤️
bruh the "unedited" scene for bohemian rhapsody. I CANT BREATH
Yeah the editing in BohRap took my breath away too 👀
I think rocketman was way more realistic to how emotion is experienced. Rocketman was *dark* but it was *real* and thats the kinda story I love. Especially when it’s about a real story.
Rocketman was a bio but also a brilliant musical. I connected to it emotionally right away. Half movie I wanted to hug Elton, the other half I wanted to slap him. The soundtrack album is beautiful.
A major factor too, and there have been bigger writings on this so I'm far from the first to bring this up, is how they portray sexuality in both. It ties into how both films portray characters as a whole.
Mercury's hedonism, even if not intentional, can't help but come across as tied to his identity. The most stable and loving relationship we see from him until the very end is with a woman. Mercury's exploring of his sexuality is tied to his outlandish parties, brushing off his band mates, and eventually catching the disease that kills him. The rest of Queen of course are pure and wholesome and are never shown engaging in vice. Only the bi frontman is. Again I don't think this was intentional, there is a moment when Mercury is told he needs to love himself first, but the movie doesn't earn that moment. It's far too sanitized to do so. He wears capes and has bad taste in men and this is somehow almost breaks up Queen cause they're too afraid to properly make anyone in the movie have real flaws instead of being generally dickish.
In Rocketman, as shown in the video, Elton's first introduction is introducing his actual drug abuse. The early movie establishes his own personal issues that carry into adulthood. But when he starts embracing his sexuality and flamboyant nature it's not equated to vice. There's moments of joy in it both in personal life and on stage. But it's those long standing personal conflicts within himself that he can't run away from. They turn into _actual_ self-destructive vices. The movie earns it because it established this internal dynamic from the start, and shows the self destruction right there in front of you. It avoids the weird kinda conservative morality framing of his lifestyle. On the contrary it's about coming to terms with himself. That the confused young boy with a piano and the larger-than-life character on stage are the same person and they can coexist. Doing so brings him closure.
Even before Rocketman came out, I always felt like Bohemian Rhapsody was vilainising (if that's even a word) Freddie and he was never around to defend it. The hardships of the movie essentially came down to him being gay, if I make it very black and white. The "dark" (gay) parties he went through and the (gay) people he surrounded himself with who led him down an unhealthy path - and eventually wanting to break up the band. I did not like the sentiment I was getting from that movie.
Rocketman is so much more positive. Essentially it's all about acceptance and forgiveness. I'm so happy Elton has had such an influence on the story, otherwise it might have been very different. He was able to tell his own truth, in a creative way and it's enjoyable through and through!
Just to add; I'm strictly talking about the movie storylines. I know the reality behind Queen and Freddie Mercury was different than the portrayal.
All of BoRap reads to me as Roger and Brian wanting to “tell Freddie’s story” but simultaneously airing all their grievances, too. Not only did the film hide aspects of Freddie’s life, it was blatantly dishonest at point (mind you, in ways that paint Brian and Roger as the innocents and Freddie as the raging, ego-maniacal jerk). Like the whole drama with Freddie being the one to leave the group. Completely contrived. They all took a mutual break-and Roger had already released solo music for Christ’s sake! I understand that Freddie was a more private person than Elton, and also couldn’t be consulted as to what he wanted included in the film, but the whole thing just felt like it was just dancing around every heavy topic trying to squeeze a real human beings life into a “fall of the hero” archetype. Rocketman was also much more deliberately an alteration of reality (ie time-traveling younger self, randomly bursting into song), so it’s faults are more excusable
I enjoyed both films but the conversation Elton has over the phone with his Mother honestly haunts me. Very few scenes in films have impacted me as much as that one did.
to me the key difference is that rocketman just embodied elton's energy so well - all of the glamour, showmanship, and flamboyance covering a deep-seated sadness and loneliness. bohemian rhapsody didn't feel like it was about freddie mercury because it failed where rocketman succeeded. the few showy moments felt superficial. that being said, the cast (especially rami, his oscar was well deserved) did a splendid job, but it all fell flat against the mediocre script and poor editing.
also i'm still pissed that they made mary austin more important than the actual members of queen.
Sort of mentioned in this video, but I love how Rocketman sticks with that perspective of eltons even though that means skipping song and album origins. After he hits it big we do not need to jump back into the studio for how he made Caribou. Just stick with and watch his natural progression toward rehab.
Meanwhile, boh rhap goes
>Freddie personal drama
>ok how bout we do another ones bites the dust
>back to the drama
>now stomp stomp clap, WE WILL ROCK YOU
>drama
Thats a common problem in a lot music bio pics, the focus shifts back and forth between the music and drugs or something.
Freddie just wanted to be known for his musical contributions, so it seems disrespectful that the music feels like a tacked on addition.
I liked them both but Rocketman was much more emotionally satisfying. We exprienced Elton's life through his eyes and I loved it.
I just watched Rocketman last night and I still feel entranced by the sheer force and magnitude and volume of this movie. It was superbly edited, masterfully directed, and as a sucker for an Elton John song, I just couldn't sit still during any musical moment. But the highlight of it all for me was Taron Egerton, who somehow managed to capture the essence of a rock star, gay, addict idol that everyone so adores. he was just so captivating in every single scene, and every single scene felt concise and meaningful, even if there wasn't much going on (the 'your song' scene haunts me), immediately polarized by the grandeur of stardom and the lows of addiction. I can't think of a better biopic, and I don't think we'll be getting one soon. As for Bohemian Rhapsody, there were a lot of reasons I didn't want to watch it. I was sure Rami Malek would be wonderful, but even from the trailer I could tell that it was somewhat lacking the substance of Mercury's life, and him being my personal hero and idol, I couldn't watch the film through an objective eye...your comparison reassured me. Great video! Subscribed.
I really enjoyed rocketman a lot more then BR, it pisses me off that it didn’t got the recognition that deserves and it’s bulshit that Taron Egerton didn’t even got nominated for an Oscar
100% agree with everything said in this video. Bohemian rhapsody was good, with an amazing lead performance but it lacked the emotion in a sense and it lacked truth and honesty. Whereas Rocketman did not shy away from eltons life of decadents and debauchery. They showed him experimenting with his sexuality and his internal struggles and they werent afraid to show the downs of Elton John's touching story. And needless to say, Taron Egerton did an amazing job in his performance as Elton John and really put a lot of research and emotion into his role. Absolutely fantistic! Just my opinion! Keep up the good work!
I’m glad you enjoyed the video, and thanks for leaving a comment, it genuinely means a lot ❤️
Superb editing great use of the clips!!!! :)
Thank you, man! I’m glad you enjoyed the video ❤️ should have another up before the end of the month if you stick around!
This was a fantastic video, would love for you to make more!
Not only do I agree with every word you said, but the way you used clips and quotes from the film to answer your questions and respond to your statements was hilarious and kept me engaged throughout the video😁
Personally, my biggest problem with BoRhap is that some of the stuff they made up just seemed like the worst things to make up. Like, having Live Aid after Freddie got diagnosed with AIDS does make sense from a storytelling perspective despite it not actually being what happened, but the stuff about the band having a fight that made Freddie go solo just seems odd, and them saying that they haven't played together in years since he left just seems like a very odd change, especially since the real events were pretty recent by biopic standards.
i love the way you intertweave the quotes into your analysis
When I first came across the video-essay format at uni, I was told to create a dialogue with the material and let it speak for itself; show don’t tell, etc. Also, who would want to listen to me just witter on for 15 minutes straight? 😂
the only bad thing about this video was that it ended :-/
Well there’s always more content on the channel and more coming in the future 👀
Rocketman is personally my favourite. I love them both but I’ve watched rocketman too many times it’s just like amazing
I love both these movies, the performances in Bohemian Rhapsody were the best thing about it, Rocketman should have won more awards
I think definitely the main difference between the 2 (other than Freddie not being alive while Elton is)…is that people working on Rocketman (including/especially Elton) wanted to be honest with it and weren’t afraid to show the lowest of lows in his life. Also considering one of Freddie’s only requests before he died was to not make him/his music boring…yeah Bohemian Rhapsody could’ve been done a lot better.
To clarify rocketman is also a dukebox musical. It's just one that utalises its music in the style of a traditional musical.
Bohemian Rhapsody is my favourite film ever but the only thing I would say makes me like rocketman a lot is the fact that It was Taron Egerton singing all of the songs where Rami Malek wasn’t. Rami is my favourite actor ever and I really want to be an actor like him when I’m older he’s inspired me so much. But Taron Egerton has also inspired me too. There both legends. And the films are awesome.
you know, I watched both films, Bohemian Rhapsody much earlier on this year, and Rocketman just the other day, and I feel the same way. love Freddie, love Queen... love Elton, but I'm one that gets heavily moved by emotion, and Bohemian Rhapsody seriously was lacking in that department, good film, but if I never watched it again, I'd be o.k., I wouldn't miss it. Rocketman... total EPIC adventure from beginning to end! I was honestly enthralled, all throughout, couldn't break away until it was over, and even then I was like WOW, WHAT A MOVIE!! the whole, entire movie was oozing immense passion that I could actually feel the emotions being played out, especially by (Elton) Taron Egerton. he played the role of Elton John so well, you'd swear you'd think it was Elton himself. especially, with the singing! this film, I'm sure I'll watch time and again, I really love it, and place it with the likes of Sweet Dreams, Walk the Line, The Doors, and Immortal Beloved, as these are my absolute, most watched, favorite biopics of all-time!! Rocketman, now makes it in, as part of my Top 5 biopics ever made, of all-time. beautifully done!
I like both movies, but the reason we feel more connected with Elton John in rocketman is because Elton is the the only person to focus on other than side characters. In bohemian rhapsody Freddie is in a band so we are going to get scenes with the band I understand more Freddie would have been better but that’s how a band works. Your going to see all of them
I liked bohemian rhapsody, but I feel like that was mainly because of how much I love Queen. I thought it was weird that it was meant to be a film about Queen, but there was definitely a disconnect between Freddie and the rest of the band. If it had just been about Freddie it would have been so much better because there just isn't enough time in a film to focus on four separate people and their stories and struggles. I also thought it was really strange how they invented the whole Freddie betraying the band plot. It doesn't make sense for so many different reasons (solo stuff didn't make the band break up, Roger and Brian did solo stuff before Freddie, they released the works in 1984, toured afterwards and then liveaid was in 1985, so there isn't time for them to have a dramatic break-up and then not have played together for ages etc). My favourite parts were actually the parts with the whole band because they were fun, and the more emotional scenes didn't have as much impact as they could have so the rest of the film fell a bit flat.
Rocket man explored why the main character loses themself in the dangers of the world. Bohemian Rhapsody needed to go deeper. Overcoming pain and obstacles is what story telling is all about
I finally saw Bohemian Rhapsody. My biggest problem was that I didn't feel the portrayal of Freddie showed his sense of humour hardly at all. The joy wasn't there.
In bohemian rhapsody they made Freddie the enemy.
Personally, I feel like they glorified him at every opportunity they got, and when he was supposed to be unlikeable, they glossed over it fairly quickly and with little more than a slap on the wrists. That’s just the way I saw it though.
@@BornRedFilms but Freddie was never unlikeable in real life and it feels like they were shitting on him for no reason
@@nordaj_ you know him personally?
to sum it up after being alive for 17 years only one movie, tv-show, video game or stage musical has brought me to tears and that was rocketman
EXCELLENT VIDEO! The less you knew about Queen, the better BR was. They messed with the timeline and other issues too much, and as everyone is saying, it was horribly sanitized. Rocketman, while sold as a musical fantasy and not a straight bio (pun intended), was at least more emotionally legit. Musically both were great musically, but I'll take Rocketman over BR any day.
I think much of it was the marketing. Advertising Rocketman as a Musical and showing that baseball scene like a thing straight out of Glee in every trailer put me off of watching it for a long time. I never would’ve suspected this emotional masterpiece behind that. Also, valid criticisms aside, Bohemian Rhapsody isn’t a Freddie Mercury biopic or did I get that wrong? I thought it was supposed to be about the whole band.
BoRhap tried to be both a Freddie biopic and a Queen biopic, but fell flat on both ends.
6:01 my god this scene changed the trajectory of my existence, i used to rewatch like every week, what a masterpiece
rocket man is my comfort movie, i watch it at least once a week.
For a fantasy movie, Rocketman felt more real.
I know i am 3 years after this video was published. But you are right, you are so right. I always preferred Rocketman over Bohemian Rhapsody (ofcourse not the song, because song Bohemian Rhapsody is better than Rocketman and i think that nobody will argue, but the movie) The movie Rocketman is honest and Elton John wasnt afraid of loosing his fans for drug and alcohol use, because he made the best bio movie. But Queen (I mean Brian May and Roger Taylor) did make a laurel for Freddie but only a laurel. Ofc Freddies performance on stage is better, but the movie itself is not. Not only because of what you said, but also that is not really truth. The very important events that are in the movie are faked or changed. But Elton John made a biography that is honest and focused on him and him only.
LOVED this, you summed it all up perfectly and I completely agree, BR played it way too safe, didn't take risks, Rocketman went all in
Absolutely love the humor of this video, keep it up!
I've seen both rocket man and Freddie Mercury,but to me rocket Man is the better story , because it puts you through the whole story and sounds realistic without even trying and it's more realistic even though it's a little bit darker.
I enjoyed both of these films equally
This dude needs more subs and I think it’s because of the way he captures the two movies perfectly and really makes you start to realize how Beautiful these two movies are.they are not just storytelling two people who are know who there music.There are the perfect depiction of there lives and who they are as people
I loved bohemian rhapsody more,but a lot of it was not true. But i still enjoyed it more. I guess it's because i love queen music.
I hope no one is attacking the actor who played Freddie he didn't write it and he did what he could with what he had, I honestly think Rami malek had an unfair shake because Freddie isn't here and Elton John is, but Rocketman was better I feel bad for Rami though because they didn't deserve him and he doesn't deserve all the flack for something he had no control over
Great video!
Having watched so many of your videos, this means so much! ❤️😁
As a massive fan of Queen I didn't liked BH to the point that I stopped watching it in the first 20 minutes. I can imagine what Sacha wanted Freddie's biopic to be and it would be so much better if they let him handle the movie instead of May's direction. Rocketman on the other hand, have scenes that I literally cried while watching it. Every scene is necessary and never had a dull moment.
the fact that this video was well written, well edited, fantastically delivered and still wasnt a hit gives me serious anxiety about the future TH-cam landscape
2018 - Bohemian Rhapsody ( Queen ) 91.08 cr
2019 - Roclet Man ( Elton John ) 19.53 cr
2022 - Elvis ( Elvis Presley ) 28.87 cr
2024 or 25 - Michael ( Michael Jackson )
I do wonder what Borap would've been like if Dexter Fletcher just directed the whole thing like with Rocketman, instead of just taking over after Brian Singer got fired. Cuz irregardless of plot points, Rocketman was just so much more clever. Borap was more of a cleanup job for Fletcher.
I totally agree! Bohemian is so dull, boring, stale & hard to get through. Them standing & singing a song is so true.
Rocketman literally puts you in it with the rehab & the musical. Like an elton concert, entertaining, awesome & he always dressed up.
Imagine if they made queen songs into a musical? So much potential.
One thing about all this is the fact that Rocketman (an amazing achievement in film) is telling the story of a SOLO artist, whereas Bohemian Rhapsody is a story about the BAND as much as Freddie. Could the film have had much better editing? Of course! But! It was trying to tell the story of Queen as well as Freddie, I feel like it did a good job in that regard. Rocketman does a good job telling about Elton as a Solo artist, idk, just my take.
I would be inclined to agree with you, and I’d probably cup the film a bit more slack if I thought they were trying to tell Queen’s story as opposed to just Freddie’s. But because we don’t see what happens to the rest of the band after they break up, and they only resurface when they reform ahead of Live Aid, I’d say the film isn’t really telling their story at all. But in the end, if you like both films, power to you, man. Hope you enjoyed the video too ❤️
Loved the video!
Upon more thought I actually think the film itself is more about just being more "emotional" than really about a story (which you point to in the video). The film itself was probably tackling too much for what it was trying to do as, for BoRhap, it would be very hard to do what it was trying to do perfectly. For what the movie is, I think it's good (but not necessarily well-made) but overall both stories are heavily fictionalized anyway, so it'd be difficult to get either right on all fronts. Rocketman just did it better as it wasn't trying to be too bogged down in 'realism' but more of a "movie" rather than just another biopic in the pile.
I agree with you on that point. I think where BoRhap falls down emotionally is that a lot of the reaction it wants from the audience is “oh yeah, I remember that song!” rather than engendering a connection with the character. Kinda like when films substitute jokes for pop culture references; they might get a chuckle, but that feeling doesn’t last much longer. Whereas Rocketman’s emotional hit, at least for me, comes from experiencing that weird, wild emotional rollercoaster that we go on with Elton.
They didn't do a good job because that whole story about them fighting about Freddie going solo (the plotline that the whole ending relies on) was completely fabricated. So it wasn't even the story of the real Queen, but of some fictional version of it.
Mate I did not expect to look at the sub count and see 600 something. It’s missing 3 zeros at least. You need to keep on posting.
Well if I ever get those extra zeroes, you can say you were here when I had less than 1K 😅
@@BornRedFilms this aged amazingly
I watched Rocketman last night and my friend asked me if it was better than Bohemian Rhapsody. I said yes but I honestly don't remember much of Bohemian Rhapsody. I remember it was a good, but it just didn't make much of an impression on me.
This channel needs more attention, because this is the best video essay I've ever seen about these movies. Shame on you, Algorithm!
aaaaand im back... without trying to help
Rocketman's the winner for me. The acting in Bohemian was incredible, but the story was far from true, pacing was horrible and it seemed like a movie made a checklist of songs to include and show instead of showing the story behind organically.
I’ve seen both, I love Elton and Queen. Rocketman is the better movie and it isn’t even remotely close. So I completely agree with you.
On john decaons absence in the movie, it is more understandable when you consider that john deacon has removed himself entirely from the public eye. He has been completely private since around 1997. Which is also partly why he has not played with surviving members of queen, even skipping their hall of fame induction.Any photos of video of him since the 90s have been taken against his will. I recall coming across one cell phone video of people getting him to sign stuff and him looking incredibly distressed.
It would not surprise me if he, or people representing his own film rights and likeness where against and heavily restrictive with his character doing anything in the move
Freddie didn't just show up in front of Brian and Roger for audition, the lead singer of Smile (first name before Queen) Tim already knew Freddie, cuz they study both Arts and Architecture at the same school. And John didn't join the band after Freddie joined, he was added a year later, 1971
Loved this take!! Keep them coming!
al reid 1K subs by 2021? 🧐
It felt like Bohemian Rhapsody was a sugar code story of Freddie Mercury
There needs to be a movie with Michael Jackson next
Yes
@Henry Waiz 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😥😥🥵😶😐
Your putting down Rami Malik's fantastic portrayal plus the band and his friends are important to his story and I think should have had more input they were and are amazing individuals
i respect your opinions but:
i just wish bohemian rhapsody was R-rated it really pulled it back on its potential to be able to compete with rocketman
and they are not the same kind of movie to begin with bohemian rhapsody is a normal story but rocketman is a musical
The Queen film wanted to appeal to a family audience but in order to make an accurate, in-depth, relatable biopic for QUEEN it has to be rated R.
It’s more authentic to make a film of a living figure who can add his input and perspective to the making of it than of someone who passed away 30 years ago..Rocketman is my fav.
I get that bohemian rhapsody is mainly focused on Freddie but the reason that queen is in it as much as it is. Is because it’s about queen not Freddie, Freddie is a massive part of it but it is still queen. Especially towards the end when John says “whatever happens it’s not by Freddie, or Brian, or Roger or me. It’s by queen”
Meanwhile Rocketman is about Elton only. Hence why we see more of him than we do Freddie in bohemian rhapsody.
Bohemian rhapsody is a tribute film for Freddy mercury and the band queen and roketman is just Elton John
You know, I DID actually notice how little screen time or lines John Deacon got in Bohemian Rhapsody. But I never thought about why until this video!
I loved this video and 100% agree with the analysis. Thank you.
i cry everytime watching Rocketman, i'm very dissapointed that it didn't win an oscar, Taaron did absolutely amazing job!!!
Love both movies but for me Rocketman was better even though I like Queen music more.
It's why I've always been disappointed Sacha never got to tell the personal story he wanted to explore.
Which was his version? I’m still a little confused on that one
@@jacobmadrigal8195 For years he was working on a version that was only about Freddie, covering his raise and ending with his death. But the Queen band was against it as it featured them less, was much darker. They wanted the film to be more family targeted and without their support, they can't he couldn't legally make his version.
@@filmreviewer117 that version sounds great it would have been truly about Freddie’s rise to stradom and then ending with his death would’ve been powerful as we see his life from beginning to end I wish this version was the one we got
@@jacobmadrigal8195 I know, it's forever the version I actually wished they did as Sacha would have done so well with the role.
@@filmreviewer117 wait was Sacha originally gonna play Freddie or was he like making the movie
You are so... right!!! The way you delivered it made me understand and smile at the same time.
They need a elvis presely bio movie
I do enjoy Bohemian Rhapsody, but I agree with you. Rocketman is a better film. I also love it because of the fact that Taron is actually singing the songs, they're not dubbed over.
absolutely great video!
To be fair to bohemian rhapsody, I like that it shows more about queen. I feel this is because Freddie wasn’t there to watch over how the movie was made, however the Brian may, and Rodger Taylor were there to watch how it was made. This could be a reason why there was more attention on the band, instead of Freddie. If Freddie was there, I feel it would’ve been a better film.
Another point to look at is queen is a band, Elton John is a one man act. That’s another reason why rocketman was seen as a better film, because one man is easier to research than a whole band.
But what you’re saying you have to have drama and hard things along the way of having a successful band but just because they didn’t portray that for queen in the Bohemian Rhapsody movie you can’t throw shade at them for having a smooth life and, sure they didn’t have too many problems but they made good fucking music
Wish we could’ve seen the Sacha baron Cohen one see what he would’ve done
I can’t watch Rami Malek’s depiction without having the strong impression that he is not singing. I don’t think he is a singer and his lip synch skills are non-existent. His neck, face and lips are not moving the way someone does when singing. It takes me out completely. That he won an Oscar was just wrong.
And now there is the absolutely amazing Elvis movie as well.
However, my favorite remains Rocketman!
same issue with Straight Outta Compton, at least that movie was enjoyable and had good emotional moments
i absolutely love Rocketman😍
I think both movies are amazing i dont Get the competition