This is a fantastic biopic

Rating: 8/10 (7 December 2018)

I had low expectations of this movie. What could it possibly have to say that was new about Queen? Purists have criticised how it's not perfectly historically correct. But I found it very entertaining, and crisply directed, written and edited and with impeccable costume and set design.
The songs are beautifully slotted in to the story, either in the studio, being composed at home, or in live performance.
The writers follow the band from when they were formed in 1970 till 1985 when they performed at Live Aid. They somehow effectively choose what to leave in and what to leave out in Queen's sprawling history. The story flows well, although that means not always slavishly following what happened in real life. So what? It's not a documentary.
And what about the casting? Whoever was in charge of that should get a medal. The actors playing band members Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon are so eerily similar in looks, voices and demeanour that you'd swear it actually was them.
But the actors do actually act their roles and don't rely on their looks to carry the film.
As lead singer Freddie Mercury, Rami Malek isn't an exact likeness. But Mercury was such an unusual person that that would be a hard ask. Instead, Malek does an excellent job in portraying Mercury's quiet determination to get into the band Queen, and to get his musical ideas taken up, no matter how weird they may seem at first, such as Bohemian Rhapsody.
I love the scene where he boldly approaches May and Taylor about becoming lead singer. Even though Mercury is quite shy and modest, he rustles up enough courage to sing to them. And he gets up on stage, can't use the microphone properly, but belts out the songs beautifully.
And the band are such an affectionate, respectful and tight unit that they generally support one another, although there are tiffs, such as over Another One Bites the Dust because some members don't like disco.
I love the scene where their new manager, John Reid, asks what makes Queen so special over other bands, and they point out that they're a group of misfits, whose audience are also outsiders. It's later pointed out that Freddie was an Indian Zoroastrian baggage handler from Zanzibar, Brian was an astrophysics student, Roger was a dental student and John Deacon was an electrical engineer. All geeks who were willing to try different styles of music, and who somehow stuck together for more than 20 years.
If there's a villain, it's Mercury's personal assistant, Paul, who (according to the band's version, that's taken up in the movie) kept Freddie in a partying lifestyle away from his friends and family, and who ultimately 'outs' Mercury as promiscuous and gay to the media. The latter did actually happen, albeit in newspaper interviews, not TV, and Malek probably doesn't portray quite enough how distressing this must have been for Mercury. Instead, Malek just watches, in total shock.
The Live Aid performance is spectacularly good. The directors try and convey how immersively fantastic it must have been to be in that incredible crowd, singing along to all the lyrics, and clapping and doing the movies to songs like Radio Ga Ga and We Will Rock You.
The movie is quite prudish with no drugs and no sex scenes - it just shows Freddie kissing a man, and going to gay discos, and wearing leather.
Malek doesn't have a lot of chemistry with Lucy Boynton, who plays Mercury's fiancee, Mary Austin. Austin doesn't get much character development, apart from that she works at Biba dress shop and her father is deaf. But I think it was well potrayed how Mercury gradually becomes aware of his attraction to men, tries to ignore and suppress it, then gradually walks towards it. I love the scene where Mercury tracks down a gay acquaintance, Jim Hutton, who years ago had made an impression on Mercury, but knew Mercury wasn't ready for a gay relationship.
Overall, this is a very good movie.