Queen's Roger Taylor slams 'sneering critics' of Bohemian Rhapsody movie
He pulls no punches
Last updated 12th Mar 2020
Queen drummer Roger Taylor has hit out at ‘sneering critics’ of Queen’s blockbuster biopic Bohemian Rhapsody.
Released to mixed reviews in October 2018, Bohemian Rhapsody went on to become a massive global smash raking in more than £700million at the global box office against a budget of £39million.
Bohemian Rhapsody also scooped numerous accolades including four Oscars (Rami Malek won Best Actor for his portrayal of Freddie Mercury), two Golden Globe Awards and two BAFTAs.
Pulling absolutely no punches, 70-year-old Roger Taylor blasted the advance media coverage in the UK for the film in an exclusive interview with Issue 17 of Planet Rock Magazine.
“There was kind of a mood of… an expectation of disaster,” Taylor said. “We’re a funny old country, aren’t we? The trouble with us is, we’re too f---ing popular, and a lot of the media just hate that.”
“There were some decent reviews,” he points out, “but there were many that were kinda sneering and superficial. I thought, ‘You just don’t get it, do you? You weren’t moved, and whatever, but f--- you actually. F--- you all the way to the bank, actually.’”
“But bad reviews usually mean that it’s going to be really successful. I think people know a lot more than film critics, and the word of mouth via social media is so much more powerful than review from a guy who probably watches 40 movies a week, and has probably lost the essence of the joy of a movie.”
Featuring new interviews with Brian May, Roger Taylor and Adam Lambert, in addition to a 12-page feature giving the inside story on the making of Queen’s A Night At The Opera (1975) and A Day At The Races (1976) albums, Issue 17 of Planet Rock Magazine is on sale from 25th October.
The new issue boasts two Queen covers and also includes articles on Def Leppard, AC/DC, The Darkness, Motörhead and more.