Better than the average rock biopic

Rating: 8/10 (9 November 2018)

After reading critics reviews, I went into this movie not expecting much.
As was the case with the band and its music, the movie is something the critics will mostly hate and the public will mostly love.
The movie has its faults. And Malek is too small and not good looking enough to play Mercury. At times he looks ridiculous in his prosthetic teeth, as if he's struggling to just to keep them from springing out of his mouth.
But the movie is entertaining and moving. The actors are very good in their roles, especially Malek in a compelling and tragic performance. And Gwilym Lee to my eyes is almost an identical twin to Brian May and his guitar performance is convincing.
But, as one critic put it, the final 15 minutes of the film is alone worth the price of admission. The bulk of Queen's Live-Aid performance is re-created here in astonishing, electrifying detail. Malek channels Mercury's charisma, stage presence, and ability to completely connect with the crowd. It's a spellbinding and emotional experience to be totally immersed in this concert in a way that has you feeling as if your standing right on the stage.
There are a few places where this movie could have been better, but those are all a distant memory when this jaw-dropping concert spectacle begins. Surely there are a few Oscar categories where these glorious minutes deserve recognition. If not, maybe, just maybe, they need to create a new category.