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Made in gb
Is 'Eavy Metal Calling?





UK

Didn't see a thread on this, thought there ought to be one if only to encourage people to go and see the movie. It's already out in the UK, I believe it launches in the US tomorrow.

For anyone that knows a fair amount about Queen and Freddie, there's probably nothing revalatory or new in there, but it's worth seeing just on its own merit as a piece of cinema.

Rami Malek as Mercury is just 100% convincing, I can't think of another performance so uncannily true to life. The mannerisms, the vocal patterns, the motions, the energy and intensity and showmanship of the man himself, he nails it every scene. The supporting cast are also strong (especially the chap playing Brian May) but Malek steals the show, if that's not an Oscar-worthy performance I genuinely don't know what is.

The script is likewise excellent. Powerful, moving and with a fair bit of well-placed humour that manages to capture the unique dynamic of the band and the extraordinary nature of Freddie's life. It certainly pulls no punches in the darker areas, but treats it all with an appropriate level of sensitivity.

It's worth seeing in cinemas just for the grand finale, a recreation of the 1985 Live Aid set that is produced so faithfully and shot with so much energy and vitality that seeing it somewhere large and loud is probably as close as you can come to seeing Queen in concert without a time machine. An utterly captivating end to the movie that ranks up there with some of the best scenes in movie history.

So yeah, go see it if you've even a passing interest in Queen. It's definitely the story of Freddie rather than the whole band, but it balances that superbly to produce a film that is genuinely stunning.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2018/11/01 20:36:38


 
   
Made in ca
Junior Officer with Laspistol





London, Ontario

Is there a rating? My kids are 7 and 9, and thanks to their father's excellent taste in music, they're Queen fans. I'd like to take them to see this, if it isn't like, a hard R or NC-17 type deal.

Any word on that? Either way, my wife and I are very excited about seeing it.
   
Made in gb
Is 'Eavy Metal Calling?





UK

It's a 12A, I believe (in the UK at least), for language, drugs and sex references. There's nothing graphic or explicit really, but the film does lean quite heavily into the consequences of Freddie's somewhat destructive lifestyle and things like AIDS are tackled head-on rather than being talked around, so maybe it's not overly suitable for young kids. A lot of it is implied/off screen but it pulls no punches in dealing with the aftermath.

The language is fairly mild, though there is one F-word, and a fair amount of racist terms given the period it's set in and Freddie's ethnicity.

 
   
Made in gb
Longtime Dakkanaut





Oxfordshire

Not being a Queen fan, I was a little hesitant to being dragged along to this. I didn't know the history and honestly wasn't that interested.

It's a film of thirds. The first, the rise of Freddy and Queen, is hit and miss. Fredie's tale is interesting and engaging. But the rise of Queen is almost instantaneous and we're expected to believe that just like that it happened - that disengages us and makes the first act very unbalanced. One minute we're learning the struggles of a bunch of unknowns, the next they're talking about making a second album.

That scene is bloody funny, with a great Wayne's World meta gag that no-body else in the audience I was with got (to be fair the average age of the audience was 55). I was laughing by myself which was a bit awkward.

The second third is the power of the movie. The destruction that Freddie invokes not just upon himself but also on those around him. For the most part it is excellent, only let down by the pantomime villainy.

The final third is the come back and concert. I didn't find this engaging at all, over indulgent and I found myself looking at watch as it progressed. If I want a pop show I'll put on a music channel. It was a decision I had been thinking about from the start of the film - will they play the whole concert or parts of it? They recreate the whole damn thing. It's a bold decision, but not one I appreciated.

The Brian May actor was outstanding, he dominated every scene as though he was the man himself,

As biographical movies go it's not bad and mostly entertaining and thoughtful, but it's not up to the standards of films such as Rush.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2018/11/01 21:20:14


 
   
Made in us
Legendary Master of the Chapter





SoCal

How does it stack up to La Bamba?

   
Made in gb
Executing Exarch





 BobtheInquisitor wrote:
How does it stack up to La Bamba?


its a step up but its still no Glitter

"AND YET YOU ACT AS IF THERE IS SOME IDEAL ORDER IN THE WORLD, AS IF THERE IS SOME...SOME RIGHTNESS IN THE UNIVERSE BY WHICH IT MAY BE JUDGED." 
   
Made in us
Last Remaining Whole C'Tan






Pleasant Valley, Iowa

Probably going to try to see this in the IMAX, I think.

 lord_blackfang wrote:
Respect to the guy who subscribed just to post a massive ASCII dong in the chat and immediately get banned.

 Flinty wrote:
The benefit of slate is that its.actually a.rock with rock like properties. The downside is that it's a rock
 
   
Made in ca
Stormin' Stompa






Ottawa, ON

 Ouze wrote:
Probably going to try to see this in the IMAX, I think.


Just saw it in IMAX. Nothing visually special, but the audio made the songs really stand out in the theatre.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2018/11/04 17:21:00


Ask yourself: have you rated a gallery image today? 
   
Made in gb
Longtime Dakkanaut






The ruins of the Palace of Thorns

I went too, expecting to find it okay, but I thought it was hugely enjoyable. The actual pace of the film wasnot perfect, as Henry said, with some disjointed sections where everything seemed to jump without any explanation, but Rami Malek absolutely nailed it. I also agree that the Brian May actor had it spot on. I really enjoyed the finale at Live Aid, enough that I cam home and my fiancee put it on YouTube and we re-watched the original!

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2018/11/04 19:31:23


Though guards may sleep and ships may lay at anchor, our foes know full well that big guns never tire.

Posting as Fifty_Painting on Instagram.

My blog - almost 40 pages of Badab War, Eldar, undead and other assorted projects 
   
Made in gb
Lord of the Fleet






London

Queen is my most favourite band of all time, and was pretty stoked when I heard about this. My fiance worked in the post-production of it so occasionally we'd hear snippets of what happens, which just built up my excitement more.

I loved it. I understand it's not 100% historically accurate, and that some bits have been slightly changed/rearranged for the film, but I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it, and it's given me a bit of a boost to get back into learning guitar.
   
Made in ca
Preacher of the Emperor






Saw it on Saturday on imax.

Loved it.

I went in a bit worried. I had heard they moved the AIDS diagnosis around so they could close on Live Aid, and that as a consequence the movie had a 'watch this delicate man get chewed up and spit out by the showbiz machine' kind of feel to it and while that is... kind of true, it's only the most clumsy of a series of little things they do in order to enhance the payoff of the Live Aid concert - which I'm ultimately fine with because it's a great capstone to the movie.

There was some tonal wierdness, especially in the middle act touring sequences, where the movie is largely grounded and often very intimately shot, there are these touring montages where country names fly across the screen with psychedelic neon cutouts of Freddie's profile whooshing across the screen and while it definitely contrasts super hard with those more grounded writing, recording and pondering scenes, it feels cheap to say 'oh it works because it's Queen.'

The soundtrack is a fantastic standout- I'm genuinely shocked the producers didn't didn't sink the movie by insisting the actor actually sing like all the recent Hollywood musicals; no, they actually dubbed in the actual performances by Queen, including material from recording sessions and the like. As a result the movie soundtrack album just so happens to be a really good greatest hits album with a great mix of classics and remastered live performances.

So yeah. Great time!

   
Made in us
5th God of Chaos! (Yea'rly!)




The Great State of Texas

Loved it. Wish they had spent more on the soundtrack though, what was that some house band?



-"Wait a minute.....who is that Frazz is talking to in the gallery? Hmmm something is going on here.....Oh.... it seems there is some dispute over video taping of some sort......Frazz is really upset now..........wait a minute......whats he go there.......is it? Can it be?....Frazz has just unleashed his hidden weiner dog from his mini bag, while quoting shakespeares "Let slip the dogs the war!!" GG
-"Don't mind Frazzled. He's just Dakka's crazy old dude locked in the attic. He's harmless. Mostly."
-TBone the Magnificent 1999-2014, Long Live the King!
 
   
 
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