After a nine-year hiatus from the silver screen, Baz Luhrmann is back with the most Baz Luhrmann film ever – and I mean that with the utmost respect and admiration; a two and a half hour marathon that feels more like a sprint – a supremely energetic piece of filmmaking that doesn’t stop to catch its breath from start to finish. I loved every second of it.
Despite its title, Elvis‘ narrative is guided by manager Colonel Tom Parker, here portrayed by Tom Hanks, who narrates the journey of ‘The King’ from his teenage years in Memphis – the time of his discovery – through to his untimeley death at the age of just 42 back in 1977. We see Parker at the beginning of the movie himself collapsing during his later years, seemingly reminiscing of his and Elvis’ past, Luhrmann’s sweeping camera taking us back to the ’50s and the journey of Elvis from small-town musician to international icon.
Austin Butler is Elvis, a performance so good that you forget you’re watching a performance at certain points and looking at archive material particularly later on in the film. The first hour speeds by at one hundred miles an hour, dashing through key moments in Elvis’ rise to popularlity and his first peak. It is relentless, the camera hardly stopping moving, with fast-paced editing, elegant cinematpgraphy and wonderful production design that’ll make your jaw drop. He fills each scene with passion, gloss and never-ending style, the classic songs of Presley echoing through the auditorium, injected with contemporary style and flair. It’s a joy to witness.
Hanks is fine as Parker, his appearance uncanny and for all of the criticism the actor has received for the accent, I can say that I did not have a problem with it at all. He’s superb in the role, though is obviously overshadowed by the remarkable work of Butler who will be an international star following this, an Oscar nod surely a cert even this early in the calendar year.
A stand-out moment is the ’68 TV comeback special, a segment devoid of the prevous flair, but perfectly set-up, staged and performed. The film is a little downhill from there, but it never becomes dull or boring, Luhrmann refusing for his film to become a paint by numbers affair, instead consistenly offering a magnificently flamoyant look at the extraodinary cultural icon still missed some 45 years after his death.
A genuine crowd-pleaser and the definitive Elvis movie, Baz Luhrmann’s latest is an electrifying juggernaut of a film featuring a star-making turn from Austin Butler who simply IS the king. Breathtaking, powerful and supremely nostalgic, Elvis will have you tapping your toes and swinging your hips in your chair from start to finish. A cinematic joy.
Elvis is released in cinemas on 24th June 2022.
Elvis
Summary
The definitive Elvis movie featuring a star-making performance by Austin Butler. An energetic whilwind of a feature that’ll have you tapping your toes and swinging your hips in your chair from start to finish.
