Director Bryan Singer has chosen to rush through the early days of the introduction of Freddie Mercury to the pub band Smile and their subsequent mega-success as the renamed Queen.
The result is engaging but strangely emotionally uninvolving, an episodic telling of Mercury’s distance from his family, love for Mary Austin (Lucy Boynton) and the clashes with band members, record company and management.
But, by slowly drawing the audience in and as Rami Malek grows into the role of the troubled star, there’s a moving finale of 30 minutes or so. A lonely Mercury finally recognises and accepts just who he is. And then Singer throws in a re-enactment of 10 minutes of one of the greatest live gigs in recorded history – Queen’s Live Aid performance at Wembley Stadium in front of 100,000 people. Breathtaking.
Nominated for 5 Oscars in 2019 – including best film – won 4 for best actor, editing, sound editing & mixing.
Rating: 73%
Director: Bryan Singer (X-Men, The Usual Suspects)
Writer: Anthony McCarten (Darkest Hour, The Theory of Everything)
Main cast: Rami Malek (The Master, TV’s Mr Robot), Lucy Boynton (Sing Street, Rebel in the Rye), Gwilym Lee (The Last Witness, TV’s Midsomer Murders)
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