Sometimes Entertaining, Most Times a Trainwreck

Rating: 1/10 (26 January 2019)

I wanted to love this film. A lot of respectable people love this film, and I don't want to take that away from them. If you're a casual Queen fan, or if you lived through these performances, you'll enjoy reliving it. However, if you know the band's story, this isn't it. I cannot stress enough how fake the plot of this film is. It's almost totally fictional, like the children's book version of real life. Freddie Mercury is basically Nanny McPhee in this movie, waltzing into peoples lives and being perfect and enchanting. The band is always friendly, and they're always right and everyone else is always wrong. There are some cartoony, mustache-twirling villains, who were not like that in real life. So know that this film is INCREDIBLY misleading. Don't take it too seriously as a biography.
On a craft level, there are also issues. The script is predictable, touching on all the greatest hits, but never doing anything really interesting. I hate to say it, but I think Rami Malek has trouble overcoming the wig and teeth. He does't look anything like Freddie Mercury (even with the makeup), and he's not even doing his own singing, so I wish they had just cast someone else. Malek really tries, but it never comes together. He's nothing like Freddie. Lucy Boynton is wonderful as Mary Austen, though. Warm and charming as she needs to be. Most of the actors playing Queen are serviceable too. And there are some fun cameos I won't spoil.
The concert sequences are okay for the most part. I was never bored watching these, but the truth is, you can go on YouTube and get the same experience. Watch the music videos, watch Live Aid. This movie's recreations are watchable, they're just not special. The green screen is kind of obvious, the choreography is awkward, and it doesn't feel very real. The songs do the heavy lifting.
Overall, Freddie Mercury deserves a much better movie. The story here is not true. Worse, it's predictable. Freddie deserves better than inauthentic and boring. But that's what this film is. There are some fun moments and some decent performances. But I can't recommend this one. Some people are going to enjoy it, and I'm glad for them. As wonderful as the songs are, and as much as I love this story, the movie just doesn't do any of it justice. It's a bad film, if I'm being honest. It's bad.