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I took my wife to see this last night for our anniversary. We loved it. The actors nailed their roles, especially for Freddie. All four guys were quite different and I think they did a good job showing that contrast. There was no need to go too deep into Freddies fall into the rock in roll lifestyle, I am glad they kept it classy and showed how much he struggled to be himself.
This movie brought a lot of memories flooding back. The 1982 show at Kemper where I saw Queen and Billy Squire from the 6th row. I was 15 and it made a huge impression. It is hard to describe the raw power that band had and the way Freddie absolutely controlled an audience. Brian May is one of the greatest guitarists of all time, Roger and Deacon very underrated as well. Nobody has ever sounded like Queen and never will. I have seen hundreds of bands and that show is still a top 10 for sure.
It was difficult for me to watch the last half of the show. I was a huge fan of Queen and Freddie. I am glad they didn't show him on his deathbed. A close friend went down the same path of cocaine and reckless sex. He died of Aids as well. A scene when Freddie is getting his diagnosis brought that memory back. A fan sings to him on the way out and shows how horrible Aids is. The dynamic with his family is very familiar as well. The scenes with his dad echoed my own life.
The movie does a great job with the Wembley scene showing what a true legend he was. I watched that concert Live on television and Queen stole the show. Mike Myers is awesome in this as well. Some might complain that a few songs were out of the timeline and they took liberty with facts, but the heart and soul of the movie stayed true. We stayed to the end and listened to the songs Freddie recorded before his death. On with the Show- I think was his last.
Freddie was a lonely, complicated, brilliant, funny, extraordinary person and the movie shows all these layers. So I think it did its job.
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