Queen Rock Montreal appears in an aspect ratio of both 1.33:1 and of 1.85:1 on these 4K UHD Discs. Originally shot 1.33:1, the 1.85:1 crops the source.
Shot for home video release, 1.33:1 more accurately represents the intended ratio. Still, the 1.85:1 largely works fine.
While it does make the frame tighter, it doesn’t create any notable problems. I prefer the 1.33:1 but both seem satisfying.
In terms of picture quality, I also liked the 1.33:1 more than the 1.85:1. Going in, I assumed both would look identical, but that proved incorrect.
To be clear, the pair largely offered similar visuals, but the 1.33:1 consistently delivered superior sharpness. Both clearly went through some noise reduction, as they lacked much grain.
However, perhaps because it ran theatrically on IMAX screens, the 1.85:1 version appeared to undergo more aggressive “smoothing”. This left delineation generally good but with some less than tight shots at time and a less natural feel overall.
Even with the grain management, the 1.33:1 image felt like a more accurate representation of the source. It lacked the mushy qualities that sometimes come with the loss of grain.
On the other hand, the 1.85:1 could seem less defined and simply… odd on occasion. Again, much of the 1.85:1 offered appealing visuals, but it became erratic when compared to the consistently solid 1.33:1.
Both versions lacked jagged edges or moiré effects, and no edge haloes manifested. Print flaws also failed to occur.
Unsurprisingly, most of the colors we saw came from stage lighting. These exhibited a broad range of hues that looked great on the 1.33;1 version, as they exhibited nice punch, with a subtle but solid boost from HDR.
On the other hand, the 1.85:1 version favored yellow too heavily and that created an odd, unnatural appearance. The members of Queen looked jaundiced, and HDR made this impression worse.
Blacks felt deep and dense, while low-light shots showed nice clarity. HDR added punch to whites and contrast. Ultimately, I thought the 1.33:1 version deserved a “B+” for visuals that narrowly missed an “A-“ while the sharpness and color issues with the 1.85:1 knocked it down to a “C+”.
Which perplexes the heck out of me. I really figured both versions would look identical outside of cropping, so I don’t know what went wrong with the 1.85:1 edition.
Whatever the case, the 1.33:1 offered a substantially superior image. I wouldn’t call the 1.85:1 unwatchable, but its odd anomalies made it much last satisfying.
At least both versions boasted identical audio options. Downconverted to Dolby TrueHD 7.1, the film’s Dolby Atmos mix offered an active affair.
Probably a little too active, to be honest, as the Atmos track tended to spread material around the room in a fairly aggressive way. Sometimes this worked well – like the whacked-out vibe of “Guitar Solo” – but when drums popped up in the rear during songs, it just felt unnatural.
That said, the soundfield didn’t go crazy, and it usually concentrated on the front as one would expect. Instruments usually showed good localization and placement, and vocals remained front and center. Although I would’ve preferred a bit stronger focus on the forward channels, the soundscape still seemed appealing.
Audio quality worked well, with vocals that appeared natural and concise. Instruments displayed good clarity and bite.
Highs seemed tight, and lows felt warm. Even if I preferred a less active soundscape, this still became a compelling mix.
Alongside both aspect ratio versions of the film, we get an audio commentary from Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor. Of course, Freddie Mercury died decades ago, and final surviving member John Deacon long ago decided to stay out of the public eye.
May and Taylor chat together for this running, screen-specific discussion. They talk about the concert shoot as well as aspects of the band’s performance and the various songs.
Occasionally Taylor and May offer some decent insights, especially when they touch on tensions between Queen and the film production. However, a lot of the track drags.
This makes the commentary less engaging and informative than one would hope. While it improves in the movie’s second half, it nonetheless remains a disappointing commentary.
On Disc One, we get Queen’s full Live Aid performance. This runs 24 minutes, 46 seconds and provides the six tracks the band played in their legendary set as well as a Freddie Mercury/Brian May run-through of “Is This the World We Created?” from later in the concert.
When I wrote up the 2004 Live Aid DVD package - which included Queen’s complete set – I felt that “in front of the adoring Wembley crowd, they could take control, which they do. In a frustrating move, they cut short the classic ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ right before it gets to the best part, but the rest of their act soars.”
This remains true nearly 20 years later, and it actually becomes interesting to compare Queen at Live Aid versus Queen in Montreal nearly four years earlier. Good as he was in 1981, he seems even stronger at Live Aid.
Perhaps Freddie simply knew he could exert maximum energy 100 percent of the time across a 21-minute show and went for it at Live Aid. Perhaps the knowledge hundreds of millions would watch energized him.
Perhaps the sight of 72,000 in Wembley 1985 instead of roughly 17,000 in Montreal sparked more enthusiasm. Perhaps Mercury simply improved as a performer over that span.
Whatever the case, the Queen of Live Aid definitely delivers a more active and engaging performance than they did in Montreal 1981. Again, don’t take that as a criticism of the earlier show, but Live Aid really does deliver a higher-flying Queen.
As for picture and sound, both seem about as good as one could hope. Unsurprisingly, audio fares better, as the Atmos mix makes fairly solid use of the channels and provides clear music.
Circa 1985 video will never shine, but the concert gets a surprisingly solid presentation in that domain. Of course, much of it looks mushy and runny, but that’s inevitable. This nonetheless probably offers the best-looking Live Aid we’ve seen.
Disc Two adds a Live Aid rehearsals segment. This goes for 11 minutes, one second.
We see snippets of the band as they run through “Hammer to Fall”, “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Radio Ga Ga”. We also get a band interview that discusses the then-upcoming Live Aid event.
While it would be nice to see a longer rehearsal section, I still like this component. We get a decent look at the band’s warm-up, and it’s also fun to hear them reflect on Live Aid before it happened.
We also get a booklet that comes with concert photos and credits. It doesn’t add much to the package.
Expect a pretty enjoyable concert from Queen at their peak via Rock Montreal. A show that emphasizes the band’s harder edge, the performance satisfies. The 4K UHD comes with good visuals in its 1.33:1 incarnation but its 1.85:1 version looks odd.
Both deliver strong audio, and we find some worthwhile bonus materials. This turns into a quality reproduction of a tight concert.
Footnote: when the 4K got released in May 2024, plenty of viewers encountered playback difficulties. That included me, as even when I tried two separate copies on two different players, the concert would freeze up at times.
Mercury corrected the problem so hopefully all copies out there at retailers right now offer the fixed versions. If not, you should be able to contact Mercury and get replacement discs.
