I see a lot of chatter across social media in regards to the usage of Queen’s hit song, “Bohemian Rhapsody“, in the new Suicide Squad trailer that Warner Bros. released last night. Half my feed is hoisting it up as a wonderful fit for the visuals on display in the preview. The other half is complaining about how they are tired of hearing the song. Both views are completely valid, although I would argue that both “We Are The Champions” and “We Will Rock You” are far more played out Queen tunes than “Rhapsody”.
Whether you think the song is overplayed or not, it was actually a thematically appropriate choice for the film. In addition to being an incredibly popular song, which is generally helpful when crafting promos, it fits the plot like a glove. As you may or may not know, the song is about someone who has been locked up for murder. In exchange for his freedom, he sells his soul to the devil, which is EXACTLY what each of the members of Task Force X (aka the Suicide Squad) have done to secure their own freedom.
Our “heroes” here are a bunch of murderers, thieves, and/or domestic terrorists. They’re outright villains; the worst of the worst. So why are they our heroes? Because they have been handed a deal by ARGUS head honcho Amanda Waller: “Join this government shadow-ops team and do some good for humanity. If you survive your time on the squad, you will be pardoned.”
I’m paraphrasing, of course, although I wouldn’t be too surprised if we get a similar line of dialogue ithin the finished film itself. It is very much a deal with the devil, because even if they do survive the missions they are sent on, Waller and ARGUS have no intention of letting them walk away free. That’s just how Waller operates. It’s lifelong servitude or death that awaits these men and women, whether they know that initially or not.
So yeah, “Bohemian Rhapsody” is overplayed on radio stations on a daily basis. They certainly could have chosen a less played out tune. That said, overused or not, they certainly chose wisely.
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Adam Ragg