Director: Matt O’Casey
Starring: Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor, John Deacon
MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Eagle Rock Entertainment
Run Time: 221 minutes
Film: 5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 5 out of 5 stars
“Days Of Our Lives” is a two hours documentary on the legacy of the band Queen. It is split over two episodes, part 1 covers 1970-80 and part 2 covers 1980–present. This is one of the most in-depth portrayals of the band that I have ever seen. It goes into great details on how the band released 26 albums, sold over 300 million records worldwide and how they have stayed relevant of the last 40 years. There are new great interviews from surviving band members Brian May and Roger Taylor. John Deacon is alive but has no connection to the band anymore. There is also really great footage of Freddie Mercury behind the scenes and performing. This is a must for Queen fans and music fans overall.
What makes this different than any other band retrospectives is that it is really told through the perspective of the band through interviews and live performances all over the world. The release also includes rare video of the bands first ever TV performance. Throughout telling the bands story, it is not only very informative but also touching and very funny. It really keeps your interest from the moment it begins. The Blu-ray presentation is also 5/5 stars. The video is fantastic and even with the archive footage. The music in the film sounds great, especially playing over the surround sound.
If the film isn’t enough, the special features are jam packed full. There are over 90 minutes of additional videos and footage. There are new unseen promos, performances, and outtakes from the following tracks: “Seven Seas of Rhye”, “Killer Queen”, “Somebody to Love”, “We Are The Champions”, “Crazy Little Thing Called Love”, “Under Pressure”, “Radio Ga Ga”. Additional footage from the film includes rare interviews and archival footage about the following topics “Queen: The Beginning”, “Queen On Tour: 1974-75”, making of “Bohemian Rhapsody”, “Flash Gordon” soundtrack and much more. Lastly there are a ton of bonus interviews with Brian May, Roger Taylor, and Jim Beach.
Some of footage includes talks about Brian’s Health Scare in 1974, Freddie’s Outfits, Song Writing Balance Changes during the 80’s and much more. All-in-all superb extras for a another superb release from Eagle Rock Entertainment.