Young British immigrant Farrokh Bulsara (Rami Malek) follows a small pub band with an almost religious fanaticism; he wants to be a part of what they have.
So when the lead singer of the band quits after a gig one night, Farrokh (who starts going by the name Freddie, much to the chagrin of his parents, who believe he is turning his back on his heritage) simply tells the band he is their new singer.
And so, together with Brian May (Gwilym Lee) and Roger Taylor (Ben Hardy) - and additional band member John Deacon (Joseph Mazzello) - Freddie begins his singing 'career', changing his name legally to Freddie Mercury.
Signed by EMI after an all-night recording session, the band - now known as Queen - are off on a whirlwind tour of the United States, and of course, the rest is history.
The realism of this film is absolutely incredible. In particular, the prosthetic work done on lead actor Malek to transform him into quite a reasonable likeness of the late, great Freddie Mercury is astounding.
The screenplay by Anthony McCarten is well-written, with wonderfully-drawn characters. Of course, with a film such as this based on real events - and most of which from not that long ago in history - the filmmakers have many of the real people still at their disposal.
In fact, the real-life Brian May and Roger Taylor even served as executive music producers on the film.
Speaking of music, the music in the film is - as you would expect - one of the highlights of the film itself. Consisting entirely of some of Queen's biggest hits - there is almost no score to speak of - it will have you tapping your toes and singing along at every turn (provided you know the songs, that is).
However, the music isn't the only wonderful thing about this film. I believe that the production design (by Aaron Haye) and costume design (by Julian Day) are equally as well-executed. Taking the audience back to the 1970s, and doing it with complete authenticity, both of these elements work their magic beautifully. In fact, these are both so realistic, it feels as though one is watching a documentary.
Another area where this film truly shines is in the cinematography. Cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel has done an amazing job, with some wonderfully unique camera angles, and clever use of both light and darkness to convey the necessary mood throughout.
But without a doubt, the absolute best part of this film is the performance of Rami Malek. His transformation into Freddie Mercury is absolutely flawless. He has it all down: the walk, the voice, the gestures, the whole shebang. Don't just take my word for it; he won the Academy Award for Best Actor at the 2018 Oscars, and was well-deserving of this honour in my opinion.
Director Bryan Singer has made a fantastic film here, full of nostalgia but also full of surprises. There is plenty here to enjoy for fans of Queen and pre-fans of Queen alike. This is definitely a film I will be watching again, and I suggest you do the same.
8 out of 10.
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