A movie that had potential but looks and feels like a boring TV biopic

Rating: 5/10 (29 January 2019)

Amid the controversy regarding Bryan Singer and the scandals he's involved, I will try to stay away from the accusations to give my most neutral review on Bohemian Rhapsody.
I have never been a huge fan of Singer's work - his best work was definitely "The Usual Suspects" with its non-linear narrative, but after that he's basically specialized himself in directing superhero and action movies, that basically rely on boring and linear narratives, so I think he's lost the ability to shoot an interesting movie again. I honestly don't understand the hype of Bohemian Rhapsody, and I really think people are mistaking their love for Queen with the love for this movie.
Bohemian Rhapsody unfortunately commits this sin - its linear, predictable narrative makes the movie boring, looking almost like a TV biopic. Freddie Mercury's story is summarized in a very reckless way - parts that could have been shown (such as the years when Freddie lived in Munich, Germany and worked a lot with David Bowie) or more properly developed (the creation of Bohemian Rhapsody, Freddie's relationship with Paul and Mary, Freddie's bohemian parties and lush lifestyle, etc) were basically ignored or portrayed in a very flat, emotionless way. Not even the part where Freddie finds out he's got AIDS was touching - it look amateurish, bland, just like something from a cheap TV biopic.
Those who haven't read or known more about Freddie Mercury will never feel, by solely watching this movie, what a larger-than-life figure Freddie was. He had a very strong, flamboyant personality, with a lifestyle that matched his epic attitude - and the movie fails to show that. Here, Freddie is just a lead singer - a very talented one, by the way - and nothing else. A talented singer with no soul - that's what the movie shows, and that's nothing close to what the real Freddie Mercury was. I also question the need to reenact the Live Aid concert - we can watch the original performance on YouTube at any time, why the need to make actors reenact it? Those were several minutes wasted in the movie, minutes that could have been used developing better other parts and elements of Freddie's life and personality. I honestly think the movie would have ended in a better and more interesting way with the following final scene - Freddie steps on the stage at the Live Aid concert and sees the enormous audience praising him, sits by the piano and starts playing Bohemian Rhapsody. At the first notes, screen goes black and the credits begin with the song in the background.
Casting wise, I wish a stronger-looking actor was cast to play Freddie - though Rami Malek did a great job in a disappointing movie, physically speaking he doesn't send off the strength and physical charisma that Freddie had. I have to praise Rami for being the only interesting element that made me keep watching this movie - though I still think he wasn't the best choice for the part and his teeth were absurdly exaggerated (which kind of annoyed me) - I have to acknowledge that he did his best with a poorly written character in a poorly written plot - he studied very well Freddie's gestures and could imitate them perfectly, his acting was decent and his presence is undeniable.
Unfortunately, this is a movie that had a lot of potential, but that fell flat into a boring narrative, weak plot and a very summarized biopic of Freddie Mercury. It's a pity that Bryan Singer didn't use the flamboyant personality of Freddie Mercury as an inspiration to shoot a more poetic, artistic movie with more daring shots and visual elements that unfortunately were absent in this work.