TV movie

Rating: 5/10 (11 December 2018)

As a fan of both Rami Malek (from Mr. Robot) and Freddie Mercury, I'd been looking forward to this movie for months. Sadly, I was disappointed. Rami puts in a decent performance, but fails to capture Freddie's sharp tongue - as seen his Freddie's interviews.
There really isn't much substance to the movie - it feels like a TV movie. It shows little of Freddie's life before Queen, beside 5 minutes of his work as a baggage hander at Heathrow Airport, and his traditional homelife. I was hoping to see something of his childhood in Zanzibar and schooling in post-Empire India.
Instead, the movie begins with Freddie replacing Smile's lead singer, persuading them to cut an album and change their name to Queen, and then they're a success! Then the bulk of the movie is a slow montage of Queen's hit songs and world tours, against the underwhelming back story of Freddie's marriage (of convenience) failing.
The movie fails to detail the licentious German gay scene that Freddie embraced with abandon during his solo career. The movie culminates with Queen's reunion and Live Aid performance, framed as the highlight of their career.
And there the story ends - omitting Freddie's final years, as he showed great courage in continuing to produce great songs while his illness ravaged him - in the full glare of the worldwide media. Freddie just put on a little make-up and a smile and soldiered on, until the end. The movie should have ended at Freddie's deathbed. Surrounded by his family and friends, and hundreds of fans holding vigil outside the hospital.
This movie is worth watching if you're a Rami or a Freddie fan, but I'd recommend watching the documentary 'Freddie, the Great Pretender' if you want to watch a very moving depiction of Freddie Mercury.