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Sunday, 01 January 2006 16:25

With an undeniable penchant for excess and possibly the most flamboyant and extravagant frontman of rock history in Freddie Mercury, you know the members of Queen have enough wild stories to fill a stadium of documentaries—but Under Review isn’t the place to find them. No tales of rock-star ego or any behind-the-scenes tabloid fodder here: This film focuses solely on Queen’s music—specifically, the songs the group recorded between 1973 and 1980. It brings together a panel of British music journalists and Queen experts to dissect some of the band’s more noteworthy songs in an attempt to get at just what made them so successful, what gave them such staying power 30 years later.

Beginning with 1973’s less-than-successful “Keep Yourself Alive” and moving along swiftly through the hits “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “We Will Rock You,” “We Are the Champions,” etc., the film chronicles Queen’s inception and rise to mega-stadium domination. The panelists leave no stone unturned, even analyzing the technical variations from song to song in Brian May’s guitar-amplifier setup. Undoubtedly the film’s highlights are the clips of live performances and rare interviews that punctuate the discussion. Recorded throughout the 1970s, the footage shows the group in concert around the world and catches Freddie Mercury relaxing on a yacht, speaking his mind on such topics as the Sex Pistols and how Queen managed to weather the onslaught of punk rock in 1977.

Ending on 1980’s “Another One Bites the Dust,” Under Review leaves Queen at the height of its popularity, more or less ignoring the band’s soon-to-follow decline. Which was probably a wise choice—this isn’t a film that tracks Queen’s entire career; it’s a film about the songs that established their legacy, and by 1980, that work was done.