Killer Queen

Author(s): AJ Bell
Location: N/A

"Killer Queen"

Directed By Danny Boyle
Written By Dick Clement

Main Cast

Casey Affleck as Freddie Mercury
Macualay Culkin as Roger Taylor
Jay Baruchel as Brian May
Jake Epstein as John Deacon
and
Neil Patrick Harris as Harold Stark

Tagline: "In the World of Rock Music, One Man was a Visionary beyond all Others. He was Freddie Mercury"

Synopsis: A biopic about Queen's lead singer, Freddie Mercury, who was one of the first Hollywood icons to fall to the AIDS epidemic. The plot goes along in the form of a musical, set to the songs of Queen. The film begins with Freddie as the lead singer of the Wreckers, but he soon leaves this going-nowhere band to join Roger Taylor and Brian May in the soon to be legendary, Queen. Within a few months, John Deacon joins the band. They have a hard time staring off, only getting a few small gigs, and when they release their first album, Queen, it is thrown off as just another heavey metal band. But once the release Queen II, they celebrate by singing The Seven Seas of Ryhe, about Freddie's imaginary world called Ryhe. During this sequence, Freddie enters a trance-like state where in his mind he visits the imaginary world. Its colorful, inventive, and a reminder of what genuis Mercury had. Soon the band hits it off, playing gigs around Europe and America.

Its then that Freddie discovers his homosexuality. When he finds that he cant tell anybody, he sings the ballad, "Somebody to Love". The band keeps producing albums, such as the classic rock opera, A Night at the Opera. On the road however, Freddie meets a young groupie by the name of Harold Stark. Its then that Harold brings a new joy into Freddie's life. Heroine. When Harold introduces it, he sings the classic Queen song, Killer Queen, which is about drugs. Freddie falls in love with Harold, and Harold with Freddie. But soon Harold leaves Freddie, which leaves him heartbroken. Not long after that, Freddie begins not feeling well. He sees a doctor, and it turns out he has acquired the AIDS viruses. Freddie was still creating the best music of his career. But America was not responding as well as they used to. This started arguments in the band. They performing as well as they used to. Audiences and critics were criticizing Freddie's health. It was on the date of November 23rd, 1991, that Freddie announced to the world that he had AIDS. That night, he went out into the poverty filled New York streets. He sang the operatic Bohemian Rhapsody. traveling into his world of Ryhe one last time, as he witnesses it falling apart. At the end of the song, Freddie crawls into his bed, never to return from his sleep.

What the Press would say:

The whimsicality of the musical biopic, Killer Queen, is the perfect thing to define the style of Freddie Mercury. His vocals and visionary are what kept his music alive. And that was the truth behind this wonderful film by Danny Boyle, is that when the life of his music was gone, so was the life of Freddie Mercury. Although screenwriter Dick Clement added some fiction to a whole lot of fact (especially the part of Harold Stark, who is a completely fictional), it still holds strong as a powerfully moving film.

Peter Travers - Four Stars! Brings to life a man who was so full of life himself!
Roger Ebert - Two Thumbs Up! One of the Best Films of the Year!
Owen Gleiberman - Visual masterpiece. a feist for the eyes! A-

Possible Nominations

Best Picture
Best Director - Danny Boyle
Best Original Screenplay
Best Lead Actor - Casey Affleck
Best Supporting Actor - Neil Patrick Harris
Best Supporting Actor - Macaulay Culkin
Best Cinematography
Best Editting
Best Art Direction
Best Makeup
Best Costume Design