Queen and Freddie Mercury Literally Make Everything Better

By Dustin Rowles | Lists | January 20, 2016 |

By Dustin Rowles | Lists | January 20, 2016 |

The new Suicide Squad trailer debuted this week, and it was great, or at least I think it was great. The truth is, it’s impossible to judge any trailer that uses a Queen song, because it’s impossible not to get swept up in Freddie Mercury’s voice. I mean, if the entire two-hour Suicide Squad movie had a Queen soundtrack playing over it, it would break The Force Awakens box-office records.

Alas, that’s not likely going to be the case. So while Queen can certainly help get us stoked for Suicide Squad, once the movie hits theaters, it’s going to have to do all the hard work on its own.

Again, however, it’s a nice reminder that no matter how great or how terrible a movie is, Freddie Mercury and Queen make everything better, if only for the amount of time their song is playing.

Don’t believe me? Here’s some fine examples that prove that using a Queen song could almost be considered cheating.

World’s Greatest Dad (“Under Pressure” from David Bowie and Freddie Mercury)

A good low-key movie and arguably the best of of Robin Williams late-career performances, “Under Pressure” provided an incredible climactic moment that was so good, you should probably not watch the clip if you haven’t already seen the movie yet, because you should definitely see the movie. It may be my favorite Robin Williams’ scene ever, and at least 50 percent of that can be attributed to the song choice.

Wayne’s World (“Bohemian Rhapsody”)

Was Wayne’s World a good movie? Unquestionably. But it wouldn’t have been nearly as good if the studio had won in its argument with Mike Myers to use “Sweet Child O’ Mine” instead of “Bohemian Rhapsody” in the movie’s most iconic scene.

Shaun of the Dead (“Don’t Stop Me Now”)

Would a scene in which our heroes beat up on a zombie with pool cues work without the Queen song? Maybe. But the Queen song made it at least 70 percent better.

Ella Enchanted (“Somebody to Love”)

The 2004 Anne Hathaway joint was not a good movie. The “Somebody to Love” scene, however, was terrific. That’s the power of Queen: They even make it possible to love Anne Hathaway.

Knight’s Tale (“We Will Rock You”)

Why in God’s name were there contemporary songs in a movie set during medieval times? That will never wor … what’s that? “We Will Rock You” during the film’s opening joust scene? SOLD.

Moulin Rouge (“The Show Must Go On”)

Not my favorite scene from Moulin Rouge but it was exactly what was called for in the moment.

High Fidelity (“We Are the Champions”)

Is finding out that your ex-girlfriend hasn’t yet slept with her new boyfriend worthy of Queen’s “We are the Champions”? Maybe not, but also maybe?

Mighty Ducks 2 (“We Are the Champions”)

A campfire scene featuring bad kid actors in a shitty sequel no one wanted? STILL WORKS.