By George Haerle

For Grays Harbor News Group

Whenever watching a biopic of any sort, you should keep in mind that the filmmakers are going to take creative license with the story of any historical figure worth telling. It’s just the way of the film business, done for a multitude of reasons, from rewrites to condensing the story to pure entertainment value.

“Bohemian Rhapsody” has altered the facts and dramatized events here and there. But the general legend of Queen and its larger-than-life lead singer, Freddie Mercury, is told with as much grandiose theatricality as the band itself, making for a very entertaining time at the movies.

Chronicling their journey from Freddie joining the band (first known as Smile) in 1970 to their performance at Live Aid in 1985, the movie straddles a line between being a story about the group as a whole and a biography of Mercury himself, with it leaning toward the latter.

Brian May (Gwilym Lee), Roger Taylor (Ben Hardy) and John Deacon (Joe Mazzello) all get enough screen time and development for their respective actors to flesh them out as likable characters. But it would be foolish to deny that the most significant focus of any Queen biopic is going to be on Mercury.

Rami Malek’s portrayal of Mercury can’t be described as anything other than fantastic. He’s a surefire nominee and possibly winner for the Best Actor Oscar this year. Malek (”Mr. Robot”) absolutely steals the movie in a performance as flamboyant, fierce and fearless as the man he portrays. Mercury is depicted as a confident and theatrical force to be reckoned with when performing and creating music, but also haunted by insecurities about his sexual identity and personal life.

The cinematography and production value are top-notch and fitting for such a wildly unique rock band, and the direction is excellent, though it’s up in the air whose movie this is. Bryan Singer (“The Usual Suspects,” three “X-Men” movies) is credited as the sole director, most likely due to contractual or legal reasons. However, he was fired in the middle of the production due to reportedly erratic and ridiculous behavior as well as clashing with Malek. He was replaced by Dexter Fletcher, who deserves mention here as well, as half of the movie could very well be his to claim.

And then there’s the music. The soundtrack is pretty much Queen’s greatest hits, lip-synced to perfection by the cast, who do a heck of a job replicating Queen’s incredible stage presence and showmanship. If the soundtrack doesn’t hit the best-seller charts, it’ll be a surprise.

There are some negative reviews out there, but don’t let them dissuade you from seeing it if you are even slightly interested. Only the most pretentious of critics will find significant issues with this solid movie, and the performances are so top-notch that any historical and factual inaccuracies can be put aside for the sake of the entertainment value.

Biopics have always been a medium of creating legends as grandly as possible for the audience — not a history lesson. So isn’t this sort of criticism a bit similar to complaining about why you flunked your book report after basing it off an adapted movie instead of actually reading the original book? If you want nothing but the truth, do research and evaluation for yourself or watch an approved biographical documentary. Just saying.

This film is worth the price of admission, and at the very least a rental. Any Queen fan should get enjoyment out of it, and even those less than familiar with the legend and the music just might become fans themselves, as “Bohemian Rhapsody” will most certainly rock you.

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“Bohemian Rhapsody” is currently playing at the Riverside Cinemas, 1017 S. Boone St. in Aberdeen.

George Haerle holds a bachelor’s degree in creative writing for media and lives in Cosmopolis.