(CNN) Rami Malek leaves it all on the stage in "Bohemian Rhapsody," a generally conventional biopic devoted to Freddie Mercury and Queen that captures the electricity of their music, without lending much new to the "A Star is Born"-esque elements of the drama. That aforementioned fictional film somewhat magnifies this fact-based one's limitations, but Malek's magnetic performance and the songs make for a worthwhile Queen tribute, if not a killer.

Introduced handling baggage at the airport, Freddie (his adopted name as the son of Indian immigrants) yearns for a life of stardom, and quickly offers his services to a local band playing college gigs. His pronounced teeth, he explains, give him extraordinary range, although simply as a practical matter, they take a little getting used to in terms of Malek modeling them.

Freddie also rapidly enters into a romance with Mary Austin (Lucy Boynton), with whom he's extraordinarily happy, at least at first. But the band's rapid ascent brings with it considerable temptation, and the dawning realization that he's gay -- something Mary knew, at least as depicted here, even before he did.

Made with the cooperation of Mercury's former bandmates Brian May and Roger Taylor (who produced the music), "Bohemian Rhapsody" opens with the traditional 20th Century Fox fanfare being played on an electric guitar, which is a way-cool idea. Alas, director Bryan Singer has trouble bringing much innovation to the proceedings thereafter, somewhat episodically moving from one creative breakthrough to the next.

That produces some amusing moments, such as the negative reaction that the group receives when they seek to expand the rock palette with "Bohemian Rhapsody," prompting pushback from EMI Records chief Ray Foster (an unrecognizable Mike Myers), who insists that no radio station would play a six-minute single filled with nonsense words and meaningless phrases.

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