Queen: Days of Our Lives

A very good documentary of Freddy Mercury and Queen.

Queen were the world's biggest rock band for several years; but they were arguably almost a novelty act, their desire for innovation and the combination of traditional rock with more operatic elements creating a distinctive (but not entirely serious) catalogue of songs. In some ways, its remarkable that they managed to hold their fans' attention for so long. But of course, they had, in Freddie Mercury, a lead singer of amazing charisma and vocal power (he also wrote arguably their most interesting material, although all band members contributed creatively). Mercury, born in Zanzibar and a transparently gay man in an otherwise straight band, died young of A.I.D.S., and is in someways considered a symbol of rock-and-roll excess. The nice thing about this documentary is that it provides a view not only of his showman side, but also of the surprisingly quiet, even shy individual, when off the stage. Mostly this is a very straightforward documentary, offering an "official view" of Queen's history told mainly by surviving members Taylor and May - John Deacon, the bassist, does not participate, although generally the tone is mutually friendly. But it genuinely seems that mostly, the foursome's friendship held up until the end, in spite of some inevitable down-times. I enjoyed the film, mostly as a reminder of how unique, and talented, Mercury was - even if you don't actually like Queen's music, you still have to gasp as the band's audacity.

Queen: Days of Our Lives (2011)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Very good documentary looking at the rise of the band Queen who packed sold-out stadiums before eventually losing their lead singing to the AIDS virus. As someone only familiar with the groups hits, I found the documentary to be very good in explaining every step of the band's rise to the top, their somewhat fall in the U.S. and their eventual rise with the help of Live Aid. The documentary was shown in two parts with the first covering the 70s and then the second half takes us from the 80s to today. Roger Taylor, Brian May, John Deacon and the band's manager are all on hand to give their memories on the events and it's clear that they all realize that they were a part of something special. The most touching moments happen towards the end once everyone learned that Freddie Mercury was dying and hearing the way he took it was quite inspirational. The documentary mixes the interview footage with archival material including Mercury interviews, concert footage, news clips and various other bits of footage. I'm sure die-hard Queen fans are probably going to already know most of this stuff but I'm sure they'll still get a kick out of the film simply because of how well-made it is. It's clear that everyone involved wanted this to be a very good example of Queen's work and I think the documentary does just that and it's bound to gain the band even more fans.

Excellent documentary on the superb and influential rock group Queen. Combines standard live footage and current interviews with rare archival live footage and interviews. Very well researched.

Quite emotional too, towards the end.

Queen still is a huge band, and with the recent movie Bohemian Rhapsody their popularity is once again sky high.

This documentary is a great starting point for fans who only have heard the music but were too late to the party to see Freddie Mercury live (as most of us nowadays are). As a fan of queen from the tender age of 10 (29 now) I'm delighted to say that the insight they've given in this documentary is great.

The pacing is perfect, the editing really well done. Interviews with multiple people are blended into one big coherent story without ever resorting to cheap tricks. Archive footage combined with the interview with John Deacon and Roger Taylor gives you a sense at how big Queen was.

Of course they skip certain parts or go through some years too quickly, but with a running time of two hours you can't expect them to cover everything. As I starting musician myself I would've loved to hear more about how they started. Within minutes they're touring Europe and the USA. But that's a personal preference only, and it doesn't hurt the documentary in any way.

So all in all, this is one of the best documentaries I've seen in a while. The focus of the makers was clear from the get go (following Queen from start to end, focusing on the band as a whole) and they never strayed from their subject one bit.

A very very good documentary.