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.
