Aladdin 2019 Review

3.0 Stars

Directly on the heels of the live-action film Dumbo, Disney has released its 12th re-imagination of one of their animated classics.  Aladdin (Mena Massoud) is the story of a street rat kid who steals to survive in Agrabah with his sidekick pet monkey Abu.  The Princess Jasmine (Naomi Scott) had snuck out of the palace and gave two loaves of bread to a couple hungry children.  The merchant wasn't pleased with her, but Aladdin helped her escape.  They started to fall for each other but she could only marry a prince.  All she wanted was to step into her father's role as Sultan (Navid Negahban), but that was also forbidden.  And, she had competition.  The royal vizier, Jafar (Marwan Kenzari) also had his dark evil soul set on becoming the Sultan.  To do so, he'd need the magic of the Genie of the Lamp (Will Smith).  But the lamp was in a cave in the desert where only the "diamond in the rough" could successfully enter.  Aladdin was forced to retrieve the lamp for Jafar, but kept it for himself becoming the Genie's master.  He is granted three wishes and uses his first wish to become Prince so he could woo the Princess.  Trouble ensues as Jasmine and Jafar discover Prince Ali's secret identity.  

The animated film released in 1992 featured the late great Robin Williams as the many voices of the Genie.  Will Smith has taken on the impossible task of filling the pointed Genie shoes.  While Williams had a very distinct voice that was immediately recognizable, he also possessed the genius talent of creating characters in whom you did not see Williams, but the character.  My fears about Smith taking on the role were two-fold: I felt his performance would be constantly compared to Williams (which is inevitable, but not fair to anyone trying to fill the role); and I felt that the Genie would be another comedic Will Smith performance.  I do enjoy most of Smith's movies, but he is one of those actors you could pull up out of most of his movies, drop into another one and it's pretty much the same character.  It felt like watching Hitch, Bad Boys, Fresh Prince, or Men in Black but on the set of Aladdin.  He did a respectable job with some original and funny moments.  But trying to modernize the Genie and adding his own flair sometimes just didn't work at all, like beat-boxing.  

Another concern I had was in Guy Ritchie sitting in the Director's chair.  Aladdin is definitely different from the types of film Ritchie is known to direct.  He's called the shots for Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels; Snatch, RocknRolla, and the Sherlock Holmes films; so it was a little difficult to see how that would translate to the fantastical, live-action animated, family Disney film.  My biggest concern was his lack of experience with CGI and the amount of animation that would be necessary to successfully accomplish bringing Aladdin to life.  Honestly, I felt he did pretty well.  I think John Favreau really set the bar with animal animation in The Jungle Book and everyone has really learned from his accomplishments.  Ritchie's Abu and Raja (the Tiger) were nearly flawless.  The first carpet ride was really a great effort.  The second one got a little sloppy.  Ritchie should have taken a page out of Tim Burton's playbook who really played around the limitations of animation with the scenes where someone was riding Dumbo.  Overall, I thought Ritchie really put out a decent film.

I didn't mind the mild storyline tweaks that has also become a standard characteristic of the live-action versions of their animated classics.  What really did irk me, though, was that Smith's and Massoud's vocal performances as Genie and Aladdin were not on par with the original animated version.  And, while I'm critiquing the cast, the Parrot Iago was a disappointment.  Gilbert Gottfried lent his unique voice to the wise-cracking side-kick to Jafar.  He was a snarky, loud and hilarious character.  This one was barely audible and pretty tame.   And with a not-so-intimidating Jafar as the villian, we could have used a few more laughs.  Jafar was not menacing in the least.  His presence in the film was as lackluster as Snoke from the new Star Wars movies.  

The saving grace of Aladdin was the performance of Naomi Scott as Princess Jasmine.  She was a strong female lead, beautiful, elegant, funny, smart and sang her heart out with a pitch perfect delivery that was mesmerizing.  It is because I am such a huge fan of Disney and because of Scott's performance that I am not knocking my rating down further from my original prediction of 3.5 Stars.  I'm going to give Aladdin 3.0 Stars.  It was worth seeing in the theatres, but I also could have waited for it to come out on DVD.  I might watch it again when it does become available, but it probably won't find a home in my personal collection on the shelf next to the 1992 animated version.  So, what movie will be on my mind next?  We shall see.

Aladdin 2019 Preview

Directly on the heels of the live-action film Dumbo, Disney has released its 12th re-imagination of one of their animated classics.   Aladdin is the story of a street rat kid in Agrabah who steals to survive with his pet monkey Abu.  He meets the Princess Jasmine who snuck out from the palace.  Aladdin releases a magical genie who grants him three wishes.  Aladdin's first wish is to become a prince so he can impress Jasmine.

The animated film released in 1992 featured Robin Williams as the many voices of the Genie.  Williams tragically passed in 2014 and Will Smith has taken on the impossible task of filling the curly pointed shoes.  While Robin Williams had a very distinct voice that is immediately recognizable, he also possessed the genius talent of creating characters in whom you did not see Robin Williams.  Unfortunately, from the brief glimpses we get of Will Smith's Genie, it's clearly Will Smith.  Yes, I know it's live-action, so you're supposed to recognize him.  What I mean is that even the performance just seems filled with typical Will Smith-isms.  It feels like not only will the audience be comparing his performance to Williams' Genie, but will also be watching another Will Smith comedic performance that could have been pulled from Fresh Prince of Bel Air; Bad Boys; Men In Black; or Wild, Wild West. I almost wanted the iconic role to go to someone unknown, rather than someone who is known for a pretty specific comedic acting style.

Aladdin is directed by Guy Ritchie, and this is a bit of a new arena for the director with quite the resume.  Ritchie is known more for his gritty, raw, uncomfortably funny and dry films like Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels; Snatch; RocknRolla; and the Sherlock Holmes movies.  Not only are those films not logically translatable to directing a movie like Aladdin, but they are not known for their integrated use of CGI.  Disney's live-action remakes have been getting more and more flawless with their CGI needs to make their cartoons come to live.  Jon Favreau was absolutely genius in his direction of Jungle Book.  Bill Condon put forth a wonderful remake of Beauty and the Beast.  And Tim Burton dazzled and amazed us with Dumbo.  We'll see how Ritchie is able to keep up with the animated demands Aladdin requires to make realistic.

Disney has also taken calculated risks in each of their live-action remakes by changing up some of the original stories we grew up with and quote word-for-word.  So far, the changes have been appropriate and successful.  With so much that could potentially be wrong in Aladdin (Smith's performance, Ritchie's ability to direct a film like Aladdin and the use of CGI), the storyline tweaks might be just what the film needs to set it apart from the 1992 original.  We'll see how realistic Abu the monkey and Iago the parrot and Raja the tiger are created and how magically believable the iconic carpet ride will be.  

I've been excited about each one of the remakes and I absolutely cannot wait for The Lion King to come out in July with Jon Favreau calling the shots once again.  Aladdin, I have some concerns, so I'm going to give it a cautious but optimistic 3.5 Star Prediction.  I'm hoping I'll enjoy paying to watch it in the theatres and will want to watch it again.  I'm hoping to be delightfully surprised and raise my rating which would mean it reached the status of finding a home in my personal collection.  Am I right?  We shall see.

Dumbo Review

4.5 Stars

Disney continues its recent movie trend of live-action remakes of their animated classics with 2019's Dumbo.  This is Disney's 11th live-action remake following hits like Beauty and the Beast, Alice in Wonderland, Jungle Book, and Christopher Robin, though Christopher Robin was actually a live-action continuance rather than a remake.  And they won't be slowing down any time soon with previews already out for Aladdin, The Lion King and Little Mermaid.  And each one of these live-action movies gets more and more realistic and close to a perfectly imperceptible blend of CGI and actual actors and animals.

After a long string of weird, wonderful, fantastic and bizarrely beautifully haunting movies, Director Tim Burton has been somewhat quiet in the last several years.  He directed Big Eyes in 2014 and Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children in 2016 and produced Alice Through the Looking Glass in 2016, but this is the one Burton fans and Disney fans alike have been anticipating for years now since it was first announced he would be taking on the project.  

To add to the cornucopia of delicious movie ingredients, Burton has reunited with stars Michael Keaton and Danny DeVito for the first time since he directed them both in Batman Returns in 1992.  

In the live-action Dumbo, Timothy Q. Mouse has a couple of quick cameos, but is not the encouraging, mentoring friend and manager as was his role in the original cartoon. Instead, it is a pair of children who discover Dumbo's talent and hone his skills.  

In this version, Holt Farrier (Colin Farrell) was a big circus star until he went off to fight in the war.  He did not return the same man: his wife had passed, he lost his arm, and he was left to raise his two children with the help of his circus family.  Circus owner Max Medici (Danny DeVito) purchased an Asian elephant, Mrs. Jumbo, who was due any day with a baby that would bring a new spark to the dying, struggling circus.  When her baby is born, Medici is shocked and embarrassed by the enormous size of the baby's ears.  Since Holt can no longer perform horseback, the act that made him a circus star, he was charged with caring for the elephants.  Medici charges Holt with fixing the baby's giant ears while he gets to work demanding a refund for the faulty elephant.  Mrs. Jumbo is hauled away, but when Holt's children discover that Dumbo can fly, the are convinced that his aerial feats will draw enough crowds and make the circus enough money that they could buy Mrs. Jumbo back and reunite them.  When word of the flying elephant get out, entrepreneur V. A. Vandevere (Michael Keaton) and circus aerial acrobat Colette Marchant (Eva Green) show up to make the big-eared wonder a super star and give a permanent home to the flailing traveling circus.

The animation, as it appeared from the preview, was nearly flawless.  Burton and Elfman are nearly flawless, especially when they work together.  And having Keaton and DeVito back together was just perfectly fantastic.  There were many throwbacks to the original cartoon, but Burton definitely made this live action film his own.  As I mentioned, we got to see Timothy Q. Mouse a couple times.  I liked the choice in his use of the storks when it was time for the miracle of birth.  It was great to hear Elfman's original yet distinctly recognizable music.  Hearing his take on the classics like Casey Junior and Baby Mine (get your Kleenex ready) and Elephants on Parade.  In the cartoon, Dumbo accidentally drank some of the clown's booze and blew elephant bubbles from his trunk during that song.  The way Burton worked that into this movie was clever.  And, I won't give it away, though I missed the crows singing When I Seen an Elephant Fly, the way he payed homage to that one was as perfect as could be done without actually having the crows back in the movie singing it.

One of the biggest challenges animators still have with CGI is when actual actors interact intimately with their CGI counterpart: walking down stairs, dancing, flying, especially when Dumbo has such an awkward flapping style of flying.  The way Burton accommodated his animators by his choice of shots was genius and made for flying scenes that did not take you away from the movie at all.

I have been excited to see this movie for a long time now and I gave an enthusiastic 4.5 Star Prediction to Dumbo.  I am sticking with my 4.5 Star Rating and the only reason really that it wasn't a perfect 5 stars was because of Holt's daughter who played such a major role in the film but lacked any kind of emotional range throughout 95% of the movie.  I don't know if it was her acting choices or a director's guidance, but she had the same lack of emotion when Holt came home without an arm, when her dad was dismissive of her desires to leave the circus, when Dumbo began to fly, when Dumbo was separated from his mom, when their small circus was bought by V. A. Vandevere.  No facial expressions, no emotion in her voice or eyes.  It was just flat.  But, other than that, I thought it was well worth the money in the theatre, one I'll want to see again and again and will definitely add to my collection as soon as I can.  So, what movie will be on my mind next?  We shall see.

Dumbo 2019 Preview

Disney is continuing its recent movie trend of live-action remakes of their animated classics with 2019's Dumbo.  This will be Disney's 11th live-action remake following hits like Beauty and the Beast, Alice in Wonderland, Jungle Book, and Christopher Robin, though Christopher Robin was actually a live-action continuance rather than a remake.  And they won't be slowing down any time soon with previews already leaked out for Aladdin, The Lion King and Little Mermaid.  And each one of these live-action movies gets more and more realistic and close to a perfectly imperceptible blend of CGI and actual actors and animals.

After a long string of weird, wonderful, fantastic and bizarrely beautifully haunting movies, Director Tim Burton has been somewhat quiet in the last several years.  He directed Big Eyes in 2014 and Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children in 2016 and produced Alice Through the Looking Glass in 2016, but this is the one Burton fans and Disney fans alike have been anticipating for years now since it was first announced he would be taking on the project.  

To add to the cornucopia of delicious movie making ingredients, Burton has reunited with stars Michael Keaton and Danny DeVito for the first time since he directed them both in Batman Returns in 1992.  

Dumbo is the story of an baby elephant born into the circus with comically large ears.  He is unwelcome by the other elephants.  During a parade in town, a group of boys tease Dumbo incessantly to the point that his mother must defend him.  For her protective instincts, she is locked away as a dangerous elephant.  Dumbo is alone save for his only friend Timothy Q. Mouse who is determined to look after the pachyderm.   Timothy is able to convince the circus ringmaster to let Dumbo be the top of the elephant pyramid, but he trips over his own ears causing harm to the other elephants.  

The next morning, Timothy and Dumbo wake up in a tree.  A group of crows convinces them that Dumbo flew up there.  Back at the circus, Dumbo's newest trick is to jump from a burning building to be caught by clown firemen as he plummets into a tub of water.  With the aide of a black crow feather and the encouraging words of Timothy, Dumbo flies through the circus instead of plunging into the water.  Dumbo becomes an overnight sensation and the star of the show.  He and his mother are reunited and given a private luxury car on the circus train with Timothy as his manager.

In the live-action preview, we get a peek at a character who looks to be Timothy Q. Mouse, but it's pretty clear from the peek that he will not be performing the same role he did in the original cartoon.  Instead, it is a pair of children who discover Dumbo in a pile of hay.  While there are allusions to similarities to the original film, it is also clear that this will be a very different version of Dumbo.  One thing is for sure, though: the scene that made everyone cry in the cartoon will be there in the live action as Dumbo and his mother share a tender moment outside of her prison cell.  The famous song from the cartoon is Baby Mine.  The preview has a hauntingly beautiful version playing as only Burton's best music buddy Danny Elfman could compose.  

In this version, Holt Farrier (Colin Farrell) was a big circus star until he went off to fight in the war.  He did not return the same man.  Circus owner Max Medici (Danny DeVito) enlists Holt's assistance in watching after Dumbo, the newborn elephant with giant ears who is the laughing stock of the struggling circus.  When Holt's children discover that Dumbo can fly, entrepreneur V. A. Vandevere (Michael Keaton) and circus aerial acrobat Colette Marchant (Eva Green) show up to make the big-eared wonder a super star.

The animation looks nearly flawless.  Burton and Elfman are nearly flawless, especially when they work together.  And having Keaton and DeVito back together is just perfectly fantastic waiting to happen.  I've been excited to see this movie for a long time now and I'm giving an enthusiastic 4.5 Star Prediction to Dumbo.  I think it will be well worth the money in the theatre, one I'll want to see again and again and will definitely add to my collection as soon as I can.  So, am I right?  We shall see.  

Green Book Review

3.0 Stars

Green Book, winner of Best Picture at the 2019 Oscars, is the story of an unlikely pair on tour in the deep South of the United States in 1962.  Tony "Tony Lip" Vallelonga (Viggo Mortensen) was a nightclub bouncer from the Bronx.  Dr. Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali) was an African-American classical pianist originally from Pensacola, Florida.  

Shirley, leaving the comfort of his deluxe suite above Carnegie Hall in Manhattan, was to embark on a tour with his Trio in the deep South.  The nightclub where Vallelonga worked as a bouncer was closing for renovations.  Vallelonga is tough, simple, loving, and street-smart though not book-smart, and he is extremely good at what he does.  Shirley is gentle, refined, educated, and acutely aware of the dangers his chosen tour path presents to he and his band members.  He is also exceptional at what he does.  After reluctance and negotiations, Vallelonga agrees to drive and look after Shirley on his tour of the South.

Before I go too much further into this review of Green Book, I feel compelled to remind you of my rating scale and what the stars mean.  I rate the movies I watch on three factors: the accuracy of the preview that lead you to watch the movie, the movie in and of itself, and (most importantly) the likelihood that I will watch the movie again and own the movie in my personal collection.  With that in mind, please continue reading my review.

The phrase Green Book refers to The Negro Motorist Green Book, a guide used by African Americans for safe travels through the deep south in the 1960s.  It had a list of roads, hotels and restaurants that were friendly and safe for African Americans in an otherwise hostile and unwelcoming part of the country.  Though Green Book is based on a true story, it felt very much like a John Hughes movie from the 80s, namely Planes, Trains and Automobiles.  While Shirley and Vallelonga fought against each other along the way, and endured violence and racist hatred, there were plenty of endearing and humorous moments as well.

Early in the film, Vallelonga stops at a Kentucky Fried Chicken in Kentucky.  In the car, he offers Shirley a piece of the fried chicken, which he disgustingly refuses.  Confused, Vallelonga comments that "you people love fried chicken".  Unmoved, Shirley responds, "You have a very narrow view of who I am."  Vallelonga takes is as a compliment to his sharp observational skills.  Moments later, Shirley has acquiesced and consumes the greasy delicious chicken. 

The acting performances by Ali and Mortensen were definitely Oscar-worthy.  They were honest and believable.  We got to see how both of their particular views matured and evolved by the others' influence throughout the course of the tour.   Shirley never gives up on refining and educating Vallelonga, while Tony continues to chip away at the overly prim and proper shield put up by Dr. Shirley.  At one point on the road, Vallelonga is penning a note to his wife.  Shirley reads the first line and puts it down critiquing it as pathetic.  He then takes on the role of Cyrano de Bergerac, giving him the eloquent poetic words that bring his wife to tears.  

Mortensen was nominated for his leading role as "Tony Lip".  Ali won his second Oscar for his role as Dr. Shirley, his first win was in 2017 for his performance in Moonlight.  Green Book also won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.  I commented in my preview that while the movie looked touching, gut-wrenching and smartly humorous, it wasn't a preview that I saw and immediately though of as an Oscar-contender.  Based on it's Oscar wins and recommendations from family and peers, I raised my expectations and gave Green Book an anticipatory 4 Star Prediction.  For me, I enjoyed it, though I thought it was slow at times.  I thought what Dr. Shirley endured was sad and embarrassing.  I thought it was humorous, almost too humorous at times that overshadowed just how serious the topic of racial prejudice was trying to be covered.  Again, it felt like if John Hughes made a movie today: it knocks you down with a healthy dose of reality, but picks you right back up with humor.  It draws you in with believable and well-acted characters who develop through the movie and have great relationships, and then ties it up with a pretty bow with a heart-warming feel-good ending.  

While it was a good story, based on real events, and Mortensen and Ali gave fantastic performances well worthy of their nomination and win, I don't quite agree with Green Book winning Best Picture of the Year.  For me, seeing it was enjoyable, but once was enough.  I probably wouldn't stop on it flipping through the channels, I wouldn't rent it, and I won't be owning it.  With that in mind, I'm lowing my rating to 3.0 Stars.  I wasn't exactly disappointed, just felt it didn't live up to the hype.  So, what movie will be on my mind next?  We shall see.

Green Book Preview

Green Book, winner of Best Picture at the 2019 Oscars, is the story of an unlikely pair on tour in the deep South of the United States in 1962.  They say it's always darkest before the dawn and the 1960s were some of the darkest in the country's history for racial discrimination.  

While the nightclub where he works as a bouncer was closed for renovations, Tony "Tony Lip" Vallelonga (Viggo Mortensen) reluctantly accepts a job offer to provide security for an African-American classical pianist Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali) on his tour through the South.  Vallelonga is tough, ignorant and simple, but he's good at what he does.  Shirley is classy, sophisticated and intelligent, and he's exceptional at what he does.  It is clear from the beginning that these two men have nothing in common.  In the preview, Vallelonga offers Shirley a piece of fried chicken which he disgustingly declines.  Confused, Vallelonga comments that "you people love fried chicken."  Unmoved, Shirley responds, "You have a very narrow view of who I am."  Vallelonga takes it as a complement to his sharp observational skills.  

The phrase Green Book refers to The Negro Motorist Green Book, a sort of guide for safe travels for African Americans through the deep South.  Even with the guide, they both know they are in for trouble on their tour, but the full extent of how ugly people with hatred in their soul can be soon became a brutal reality.  In one scene in the preview, the two are pulled over by the police.  Vallelonga, trying to protect his client the way he knows to do, decks one of the officers and they end up in jail.  Shirley is heard giving sage advice: "You never win with violence.  You only win when you maintain your dignity."

It is a difficult topic, an embarrassing time in our history, and Green Book is based on a true story.  As uncomfortable as it is, the unique and beautiful characters in the story make it a fascinating, touching, warm, entertaining and heart-warming film.  At one point on the road, Vallelonga is penning a note to his wife.  Shirley reads the first line and puts it down critiquing it as pathetic.  He then takes on the role of Cyrano de Bergerac, giving him the eloquent poetic words that bring his wife to tears.  And through their journey, they are able to help each other to understand, to grow and to become more well-rounded people.

Mortensen was nominated for his role as Leading Actor.  Ali won his second Oscar, his first was in 2017 for his performance in Moonlight.  Green Book also won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.  While the movie looks touching, gut-wrenching and smartly humorous, it wasn't a preview I saw and immediately thought of as an Oscar-contender.  I thought it would be one I'd enjoy, but not necessarily rave about.  The recent wins at the Academy Awards and recommendations from my family and peers have made my expectations rise about this movie.  With that, I'm giving an anticipatory 4 Star Prediction.  I'm hoping it lives up to and exceeds the hype and turns out to be a movie I'd watch again and possible own in my collection.  Am I right?  Are the critics and peers right?  We shall see.

Bohemian Rhapsody Review

4.5 Stars

Bohemian Rhapsody is the movie based on the songs and story of the British rock band Queen that was formed in 1970.  Members Brian May and Roger Taylor were both members of a group known as Smile, of which Freddie Mercury was a fan.  Mercury encouraged the group to experiment with more elaborate stage and recording techniques and eventually joined the group as their lead singer.  Mercury was also responsible for renaming the group Queen.

As their popularity grew, they gained the interest of a record label.  They were asked what makes Queen different than any other group.  Their response was that they are a group of misfits playing to the misfits who don't feel like they belong.  They released their first album in 1973 with songs like Keep Yourself Alive, Great King Rat and Doing All Right.  It was in 1975 for their album A Night at the Opera where arguably their most famous song was unleashed on the world.  In spite of their early success and critical acclaim, they wanted to branch out, experiment, give the world something they've never seen or heard before.  But the band struggled to convince Ray Foster (Mike Myers), an EMI record executive, that their new music would sell.   While Freddie Mercury (Rami Malek) explained Bohemian Rhapsody, Foster commented about the song "going on forever. Six bloody minutes."  Mercury quips back, "I pity your wife if you think six minutes is forever."  As the song is conceptualized, recorded and played in the film, a barrage of critiques fly across the screen.  The fans, however, embraced it and Rhapsody spent nine weeks at the top of the UK Charts.

Malek got his start in film with the role of Pharaoh in the Night at the Museum Trilogy.  He is most currently known for his role in the USA TV series Mr. Robot.  After just seeing the film, I don't know that there is another possibility of someone playing the iconic role of Freddy Mercury.  

Bohemian Rhapsody covered their early days of Mercury going out to dive bars regularly to watch his favorite band Smile perform to Mercury's fortuitous timing in joining the band to their unique, cutting-edge, never heard before style of songs like We Will Rock You and Bohemian Rhapsody to the press's fascination with Mercury's personal relationship preferences off stage.  The film kept a good balance of tracking the band's progression and Mercury's personal life and how the two affected each other, both in positive and in negative ways.

If you've read any of my previous entries when dealing with a movie that is "based" on something historical, while not claiming to be an accurate documentary, I choose not to do any research ahead of time because I don't want to sit in the theatre and nit-pick every artistic choice the filmmakers made to produce the movie.  Instead, I just want to take it for what it is: entertainment based on fact.  And I find Queen to be one of the most entertaining musical groups in history.  One of my all-time favorite songs is Somebody to Love.  To my delight, the film opens with my favorite song.  

Like any fan of Queen, either of their entire story and repertoire or of just their few more well-known hits, I was excited to see Bohemian Rhapsody and just prayed they would do it justice.  But, as the preview promises, they far exceeded doing it justice and incredibly captured what no other band in history could even come close to duplicating.  I'm gave Bohemian Rhapsody a 4.5 Star Prediction and I'm going to stick with a 4.5 Star Rating.  It was entertaining, emotional, exciting, tragic and beautiful, just like their music.  Malek was genius in his portrayal of Mercury in a way that few are able to achieve.  Immediately, only a handful of actors come to mind who accomplished the feat: Tom Hanks' role of Walt Disney in Saving Mr. Banks and Daniel Day Lewis who brought President Abraham Lincoln to life in Lincoln.  These few talented actors were able to so convincingly embody their character that I did not see the actor on the screen, just the person they were playing.  

I only had a couple minor critiques of the film.  While Mercury is the most famous of the group, the film does a great job at showing how he alone is not Queen and he did not succeed on his own, nor could the band survive without him.  I would like to have seen a little more of the personal lives of bass player John "Deaky" Deacon (Joseph Mazzello), drummer Roger Taylor (Ben Hardy) and lead guitarist Brian May (Gwilym Lee).  I didn't care for the quotes of criticisms of Bohemian Rhapsody flying around the screen while the song was being performed.  I felt they could have addressed that in a better way.  And there was a musical number that had some weird 70's cheesy graphics that momentarily took me out of the film.

Other than that, Bohemian Rhapsody was absolutely brilliant and director Bryan Singer hit another masterpiece out of the park.  Most of the shots were so well done it was impossible to tell what was new footage to replicate the historical events, what was created by CGI and what was used from the archives and cleaned up to use in this film.  I got goose bumps about half a dozen times and welled up a few.  While Singer did a great job of moving the story along and not having any lagging moments, there were a few scenes I felt they could have spent some more time exploring when it came to the other members of the band, the creation of songs, the American tour.  It was hard to believe the movie was 2 hours and 14 minutes long as I could have easily sat through another 45 minutes and been completely entertained and more than satisfied.  In retrospect, Singer did a wonderful job cramming as much as he did in that time frame without making it feel too crammed.  

At the end of the movie, we see the actual band perform as the credits begin to scroll and it really takes you a minute to realize, this is the real band and not the actors we just saw for the last two plus hours.  The casting, the performances, the mannerisms, the locations, the props, everything was so completely on point, do not be surprised if Bohemian Rhapsody gets more than just a few nominations in a couple months when the Oscars are announced.  This is one I'll probably see again in the theatres and will certainly own in my personal collection.  So, what movie will be on my mind next?  We shall see.