From Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge Director Baz Luhrmann, comes this expansive biopic of Elvis Presley, charting the king of rock and rolls rise to stardom and his complicated relationship with manager colonel Tom Parker.
The casting of little known actor Austin Butler caused quite a stir when he was announced as Elvis back in 2019, but Butler is sensational in the role. Following up a short but captivating turn in Quentin Tarantino’s Once upon a time in Hollywood, the young actor throws his body and soul into the performance, completely embodying the King without ever drifting into caricature.
Butler reportedly studied multiple Elvis films and performances during his prep for the role and manages to perfectly recreate Presley’s mannerisms, trademark wiggle, and iconic voice. it’s clear to see why there’s already talk of awards recognition for the performance.
By blending snippets of Elvis’s actual voice with the actors, Luhrmann expertly creates the films musical scenes and the resulting concert performances are electrifying. Elvis’s 1968 comeback special is a glorious high point.
Luhrmann is the ideal filmmaker for this project. His flashy aesthetic fills the film with vibrant colour while his kinetic split screen montages create a rapid pace and strike the perfect tone.
At two and a half hours, the film is on the long side, but never feels like it. The pace gives the audience no time to dwell on the films flaws or get bored.
The cradle to the grave history of a star does lack originality, but it’s the odd casting of Tom Hanks as Elvis’s manager Colonel Tom Parker that is the most perplexing.
Hanks bookends and narrates the film from the Colonels’ point of view, but adopting a strange Dutch accent, his stiff prosthetic laden performance feels as though it’s been lifted from a different film entirely.
Parker’s stranglehold on Elvis’s career and the escalating tensions between the pair are well examined, making it difficult not to sympathise with the singers plight.
Then as things draw to a close, the inevitability of his sad demise looms large, giving the final third a melancholy atmosphere. Elvis’s haunting final performance of unchained melody makes for an utterly heart wrenching climax.
Flashy but flawed, Elvis is as grandiose a musical biopic as you’ll find anywhere.
An enjoyably bold insight into a musical legend with a star making performance from its lead actor.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Paul Steward
@Grittster
27/06/22