‘QUEEN’ GETS THE ROYAL TREATMENT IN NEW MOVIE

“Bohemian Rhapsody” is a biopic about the life and times of the world famous band, Queen, including their formation and convention-shattering lead singer, Freddie Mercury, and his untimely death.

It proves to be as interesting as the famous singer it’s based on, and does a surprisingly good job at covering Freddie’s story from start to finish without losing sight of the rest of the members of the band.

Once in the hands of “Borat” star Sacha Baron Cohen, the role of the spectacular Mercury now falls to Rami Malek’s much more striking jawline. Bryan Singer of X-Men fame directs the film, written by Anthony McCarten.

While the movie centers around Mercury, all the band members get their say and feel just fleshed out enough to bring the actors’ performances to another level.

The dialogue is snappy and embodies the spirit of Freddie’s outrageous personality, giving scenes a fun energy along with just enough information to keep the plot moving.

Malek’s performance proves to be a stunning transformation from his previous roles. It must be said, the man does a fantastic job of playing Queen’s lead singer. In fact, he does so well you can almost forget about his massive eyes. This is not to say his features detract from his performance, as he pulls off the look surprisingly well.

Still, Sacha Baron Cohen would’ve definitely made a more convincing facsimile.

The remaining cast turns in wonderful performances. Aidan Gillen of “Game of Thrones” fame even has a bit part in this movie. But, above all, Singer manages to capture the power of Queen’s music and Mercury’s incredible life throughout this film, and really leaves the audience with a fantastic sense of inspiration.

Bohemian Rhapsody gives everyone something to love.

As Malek declares in the movie, Queen is about representing the people at the back of the room who don’t feel like they belong. The group is about letting yourself be outrageous and defying the norm. And this movie certainly does a good job of leaving you with that feeling after the credits role.

The only relevant criticism I have is with the last 20 minutes of the film – the fact that it’s basically just one long, glorified music video. It’s done well, but I feel as if it could’ve lasted for half as long and nothing would’ve been lost.

While the prevailing tale of Mercury may be one of sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll, Singer manages to dance around the details of his wild lifestyle with tact, giving it just enough lip service to recognize the realities of his life, but not lingering on it unnecessarily, giving this movie a shockingly family friendly PG-13 rating.

(In fact, Cohen’s departure reportedly centered on his preference to highlight, and not downplay, those rough edges.)

If you’re in the mood for a dramatic, feel-good, period piece, then I’d say seeing this movie is a must, even if Queen isn’t a band you’re necessarily interested in. Everyone has heard their music, whether they know it or not, and the story of Mercury is fascinating enough to keep you entertained.

Bohemian Rhapsody gets a 4/5.