Elvis Presley is one of those musicians that everyone knows, and on some level adores. One of the all-time greats, Elvis went on to define the Rock & Roll genre, paving the way for other iconic artists like The Beatles. Elvis was an artist I remember hearing a lot as a child as my father is a big Elvis fan, and whilst I can’t say I’ve ever done a deep dive into his extensive catalogue of work or ever looked into his personal life, I would consider myself an Elvis fan too.
I have a rocky relationship with director Baz Luhrmann though, and after watching the trailer to Elvis in the months leading up to release, I was cautiously optimistic about how it looked. However, due to the long runtime and awkward showtimes at my local cinemas I ultimately missed the theatrical run. But I picked up the Blu-Ray on a Black Friday discount and got to witness the film everyone had been raving about since June.
Growing up in the poor black neighbourhoods of Mississippi, a young Elvis Presley (Chaydon Jay) discovers a love for the local rhythm and blues music, as well as gospel choir. After having started a band with some friends, a teenaged Elvis (Austin Butler) delivers a thunderous performance unlike anything the white community has ever seen at a Louisiana Hayride show. Witnessed by swindler and carnie Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks), Parker approaches Elvis and offers to be his manager, promising him fame and fortune for a fifty percent cut of anything he makes.
From here the film tracks Elvis as he rises to prominence and causes civil unrest amongst the conservative Christian southern states, sees the young star drafted off to war, his return in multiple Hollywood films and marriage to Priscilla (Olivia DeJonge), and eventually his late career stagnation at the hands of Parker before his untimely death in 1977 at the age of forty-two.
I have a rocky relationship with director Baz Luhrmann though, and after watching the trailer to Elvis in the months leading up to release, I was cautiously optimistic about how it looked. However, due to the long runtime and awkward showtimes at my local cinemas I ultimately missed the theatrical run. But I picked up the Blu-Ray on a Black Friday discount and got to witness the film everyone had been raving about since June.
Growing up in the poor black neighbourhoods of Mississippi, a young Elvis Presley (Chaydon Jay) discovers a love for the local rhythm and blues music, as well as gospel choir. After having started a band with some friends, a teenaged Elvis (Austin Butler) delivers a thunderous performance unlike anything the white community has ever seen at a Louisiana Hayride show. Witnessed by swindler and carnie Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks), Parker approaches Elvis and offers to be his manager, promising him fame and fortune for a fifty percent cut of anything he makes.
From here the film tracks Elvis as he rises to prominence and causes civil unrest amongst the conservative Christian southern states, sees the young star drafted off to war, his return in multiple Hollywood films and marriage to Priscilla (Olivia DeJonge), and eventually his late career stagnation at the hands of Parker before his untimely death in 1977 at the age of forty-two.
I don’t know an awful lot about Elvis’ personal life to be able to pass my own judgements on how accurate the film is to what really happened. But judging by the comments made by Elvis’ wife Priscilla and others close to the star, Luhrmann’s film and Butler’s portrayal of Elvis are among the most honest and accurate ever depicted. The whole story is told from the perspective of the Colonel, and that lends a really unique perspective into the situation because the Colonel himself is untrustworthy and generally unlikable, yet at the same time you do gravitate towards him because of his undeniable charisma. The abuse Elvis suffered at the hands of the Colonel has been well documented over the years, with his unethical practices coming into light in the years following Elvis’ death, and the film does focus quite heavily on this manipulation of Elvis by the Colonel to drive its narrative forwards.
I understand why it’s a long film, because there’s a lot to cover, but by the time the credits were rolling I wished it had been longer so that it could have spent more time on some other aspects of Elvis’ life. His Hollywood career lasted mere minutes on screen and considering that was what the majority of his late career consisted of prior to his extended Vegas residency I would have expected more focus on it. But I suppose that’s good praise to give a film that’s two hours and forty minutes, I wish it could have been longer.
Butler really steals the show as the eponymous King of Rock and Roll though. I mean this performance is really on another level. He embodies the man so accurately that at times it’s honestly difficult to distinguish him from the real thing. When the film closes out it shows archival footage of the real Elvis, and looking at him and Butler side by side, it’s uncanny. Butler has perfected Elvis’ swagger, the way he holds himself, the way his eyes stare into your very soul, the iconic gyrating, and of course the way Elvis talked. Similar to how Rami Malek embodied Freddie Mercury for Bohemian Rhapsody, I very much expect Butler to be nominated for countless awards for his portrayal of Elvis because it’s just so uncanny.
Hanks also delivers a typically fantastic performance as the Colonel, commendable given how many prosthetics he is put under to get the look. I was curious about his accent for quite some time, feeling as though it sounded a little German, a little English, and a fair bit of Southern twang. But considering the Colonel’s heritage (or what little is actually known about him) can be traced back to Belgium, I think that might be a fair approximation of what he sounded like. But you definitely got this vibe of a travelling circus salesman, everything to him is a money-making opportunity and the way Hanks approaches this fast talking, frantic, yet extremely overweight and out of shape swindler was the perfect complimentary performance to Butler’s Elvis.
I understand why it’s a long film, because there’s a lot to cover, but by the time the credits were rolling I wished it had been longer so that it could have spent more time on some other aspects of Elvis’ life. His Hollywood career lasted mere minutes on screen and considering that was what the majority of his late career consisted of prior to his extended Vegas residency I would have expected more focus on it. But I suppose that’s good praise to give a film that’s two hours and forty minutes, I wish it could have been longer.
Butler really steals the show as the eponymous King of Rock and Roll though. I mean this performance is really on another level. He embodies the man so accurately that at times it’s honestly difficult to distinguish him from the real thing. When the film closes out it shows archival footage of the real Elvis, and looking at him and Butler side by side, it’s uncanny. Butler has perfected Elvis’ swagger, the way he holds himself, the way his eyes stare into your very soul, the iconic gyrating, and of course the way Elvis talked. Similar to how Rami Malek embodied Freddie Mercury for Bohemian Rhapsody, I very much expect Butler to be nominated for countless awards for his portrayal of Elvis because it’s just so uncanny.
Hanks also delivers a typically fantastic performance as the Colonel, commendable given how many prosthetics he is put under to get the look. I was curious about his accent for quite some time, feeling as though it sounded a little German, a little English, and a fair bit of Southern twang. But considering the Colonel’s heritage (or what little is actually known about him) can be traced back to Belgium, I think that might be a fair approximation of what he sounded like. But you definitely got this vibe of a travelling circus salesman, everything to him is a money-making opportunity and the way Hanks approaches this fast talking, frantic, yet extremely overweight and out of shape swindler was the perfect complimentary performance to Butler’s Elvis.
The only thing I wasn’t too keen on with Elvis was just how Baz Luhrmann it is. He’s an acquired taste and there are times where I think his eccentricity pays off such as Moulin Rouge, but here in Elvis there were a few moments that reminded me that I was watching a Luhrmann film and it was like having an ice bucket poured over me, dragging me out of the film and back into reality in the most jarring way possible. Each time it was with gaudy sweeping CGI environments where the camera darts around like it’s attached to a drone. They all look awful, but thankfully those were really the only times where I found myself at odds with the way the film was made, and in the grand scheme of things I’m prepared to overlook those moments because what works is really bloody good.
The stage performances are something to behold, the way they’re shot and edited together from Louisiana Hayride through to Vegas, each one feels epic, they feel special. This combined with the stellar soundtrack that remixes Elvis’ classic songs with modern music, as well as the occasional original song from the likes of Doja Cat and Eminem, Elvis has an undeniable pulse, a bounce almost, to the entire thing. It’s something I wouldn’t have expected to work, but it really did.
Elvis may have just become my favourite biopic alongside The Social Network, and it brings me so much joy to say that. I went in with tempered expectations despite the hype, but I’ve come out singing virtually nothing but praise. Every element of Elvis’ production is done to the highest quality, and with an incredible amount of passion and love behind it. Whilst there are small issues I take with Luhrmann’s personal style; these are insignificant when taken in context of the whole picture. If you have not seen Elvis then I highly recommend that you do, regardless of whether you’re an Elvis fan or not. It’s a rocking good time, and you know what, I might just go watch it again after finishing this review.
The stage performances are something to behold, the way they’re shot and edited together from Louisiana Hayride through to Vegas, each one feels epic, they feel special. This combined with the stellar soundtrack that remixes Elvis’ classic songs with modern music, as well as the occasional original song from the likes of Doja Cat and Eminem, Elvis has an undeniable pulse, a bounce almost, to the entire thing. It’s something I wouldn’t have expected to work, but it really did.
Elvis may have just become my favourite biopic alongside The Social Network, and it brings me so much joy to say that. I went in with tempered expectations despite the hype, but I’ve come out singing virtually nothing but praise. Every element of Elvis’ production is done to the highest quality, and with an incredible amount of passion and love behind it. Whilst there are small issues I take with Luhrmann’s personal style; these are insignificant when taken in context of the whole picture. If you have not seen Elvis then I highly recommend that you do, regardless of whether you’re an Elvis fan or not. It’s a rocking good time, and you know what, I might just go watch it again after finishing this review.