THOSE WERE THE DAYS OF OUR LIVES

Rating: 10/10 (10 December 2018)

As far as I'm concerned, this is not a biopic or a documentary. This is a CELEBRATION of Queen and Freddie Mercury, arguably the best rock band and singer of all time. This movie was made with the blessings of Brian May and Roger Taylor. Enough said.
To some of you film school students and graduates, you're missing the point. And don't assume I don't know anything about the industry. Of course liberties had to be taken to reduce this story to 2+ hours. Of course it's not word-for-word perfect. WHO CARES?? This was a movie made for the fans! Were things skimmed over? YES. Was the "dirt" buried? YES. I don't believe we needed to go down the rabbit hole in order to understand what this film is about.
I grew up with Queen. I was fascinated by all of the members of the band. I was mesmerized by Freddie. Queen's "Live Aid" performance left me breathless and emotional. I wept when Freddie passed.
Soooooo, let's fast-forward, shall we? When I originally heard a film was being made, I thought, "No way. It can't be done ." Then all the hoopla about who's to portray Freddie, etc. Then the decision to cast Rami Malek. " REALLY?? ", I thought. Boy, was I WRONG. About EVERYTHING.
Off I go to the theatre with my son and his lady (they're not kids) on November 2nd. Then the film started...... And I went back in time....
I got my own personal peek at the highlights that molded this great band. I saw Rami Malek channel Freddie Mercury. Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy and Joseph Mazzello become Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon. Lucy Boynton's touching portrayal of Mary Austin. And I felt as if I were THERE, if only for a moment. Liberties be damned!!
By the time the "Live Aid" sequence was shown, I was SOBBING. No, not shedding a tear or two, but outright MOURNING. In the original "Live Aid" performance, there's a brief moment where Freddie walks to the side of the stage for something, and one of the camera crew caught the true essence of Freddie. The REAL Freddie, showing the most authentic smile and utter happiness on his face. I remembered this as the movie ended, with "Don't Stop Me Now" as the outro. My son and his lady left as the credits were rolling, and I stayed. I needed to pull myself together. I'm glad I stayed. Suggestion: Don't leave before the credits are over!!
I believe Oscar nods should go to:
Best Score;
Best Costumes (some of which are authentic); and
Best Actor (Rami Malek)
This movie made me eat my words and warmed my heart. Thank you, Mr. May and Mr. Taylor, for sticking to your guns and making a beautiful film. I came home from the movie and immediately ordered the soundtrack (wonderful!), AND the BluRay. Who cares if there's no release date yet?
I am forever grateful to Queen. This is their legacy, and a beautiful one at that.