Present in Bohemian Rhapsody are all your well-worn band tropes — constant bickering and drama-filled fights between the lead and the rest of the band; parents disappointed in their sons’ careers; montages of drug-filled parties, groupies and world-wide tours.

But there is also genuine warmth in the film. Rami Malek opens up Freddie Mercury to a level of vulnerability behind the singer’s flamboyant facade. Mercury’s insecurities are laid out from the very beginning, from his attempts to erase his refugee identity and become a British rockstar to his fight against racism and persecution, to his desperate struggle to come to terms with a deadly HIV/AIDS diagnosis.

Bohemian Rhapsody is not the same as any other band movie, precisely because there is no other band quite like Queen.

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The film moves at a lightning pace, but pulls the audience back into the surreal life of the band — the millions who loved them, calling and clapping back in perfect unison. Full of visual wit and beauty, Bohemian Rhapsody shows the world as vibrantly as Queen saw it.

Most of the supporting performances are nowhere near as standout as Malek’s, but are generally satisfactory. Paul Prenter (Allen Leech) truly embodies the villainy he represents as Freddie’s assistant and lover. Queen’s guitarist, Brian May (Gwilym Lee), and manager, Jim “Miami” Beach (Tom Hollander), are genuinely likable and spirited. But for the all-consuming importance of Freddie’s lifelong friend, girlfriend and fiancée Mary Austin (Lucy Boynton), there is a disappointing lack of development.

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The film is a throwback to the buck teeth, mustache and cats that Freddie is known for, but for all the nostalgia it’s also an epic film about rock legends. In classic band movie style, it’s about the family, not just the lead singer. Mercury’s ability to perform was unparalleled, but maybe — just maybe — Rami Malek was able to capture it on screen. Malek brings to life more than the rockstar persona also portraying Freddie’s ultimate path to self-love and redemption before his untimely death.

The movie freezes Freddie in his final performance, as he wanted the world to see him. We see the audience from the eyes of the band. And we see what the performance silently meant to them — an open declaration made in the face of death. It’s what will keep him alive. This is what movies are made for.

3/4 Shells.