As a lifelong Beatles fan, I had to watch this film. To be honest, I was already familiar with most of the narrative but could not resist an in depth view of the passion and pain behind the driving force!
And it started well. The relation between Epstein and his 'boys' was well acted and drew me in. This was largely down to an excellent performance from Jacob Fortune-Lloyd. He manages to combine passion, eccentricity and brilliance - particularly in the first half hour.
But for me it then lost its way and became a bit rushed. There isn't really enough space to explore the contradictions that led to Brian's tragic demise. The absence of any Beatles compositions was a huge problem. The memorable intro to Twist and Shout at the Royal Variety Show needs erm Twist and Shout. The same goes for the final scenes with the broadcast of All You Need is Love which did not include the song itself.
It all fell short of its opening promise. I have to mention a special performance from Darci Shaw as Cilla Black. Her touching moment with Brian is the standout moment.
