Elvis

Austin Butler is terrific, I want to say that immediately. But, I was waiting for the movie to start, and in the dizzying display of visual pyrotechnics I forgot this was a Buz Luhrmann movie, so it would probable never start. A long, beautifully made trailer that hints at a revolutionary bio-pic. But that's all it is, a hint. Tom Hanks's Colonel Parker is out of a Charles Dickens novel. Yes Fagan. But I must say Austin Butler kept me there. True that sometimes he doesn't look or feel real but neither did the real Elvis. Butler's physicality is astonishing and that's what I took with me and I thought, I would love to see the movie when it comes out,.

There are certainly times in which Baz Luhrmann's "Elvis" is an engaging and entertaining biopic of rock-and-roll's biggest star. The performance numbers are often incredible and Austin Butler inhabits all aspects/ages of the lead role adeptly. Unfortunately, Luhrmann's let's say "unique" style of filmmaking can't quite get out of its way long enough (especially in the early goings) for this to be a top-notch flick.

For a very basic overview, "Elvis" tells the story of the titular character (played by Butler) from childhood all the way through his Vegas residency at the end of his career. The narrative frame comes from the voice of Colonel Parker (Tom Hanks), Presley's manager and quasi-abuser (largely in the financial department). Elvis's relationship to "black music", teen heartthrob fame, military service, and late-60s comeback are all given time here, including his marriage to Priscilla (Olivia DeJonge).

Perhaps the most notable thing to mention about "Elvis" is that the first 30-45 minutes are kind of a mess. Luhrmann is in peak wackadoodle form (granted, what else could be expected from the director of 1996's "Romeo + Juliet"), what with jarring time-cuts, crazy montages (one that turns the proceedings into a comic book!), and quite a bit of time spent on the bizarre Hanks Parker portrayal. There is also a far-too-on-the-nose scene in which a young Presley supposedly learns his later musical style via an R&B jam session and a revival ministry happening concurrently. I'd blame no one for thinking this was a total mess before the 1 hour mark.

Fortunately, in this case, there is still 2 hours left of "Elvis", and that's when it settles into being a pretty entertaining film. Basically, once all the crazy material is out of the way and audiences can just settle into Butler's portrayal, there is a lot to like. I was really impressed with Butler's ability to portray the young rebellious Elvis, as well as the fat, worn-down-by-life version. The staged musical numbers are every bit as good as those found in recent musical biopics like Rocketman or Bohemian Rhapsody. I'll certainly be revisiting some Presley tunes after seeing this.

Overall, I can't put "Elvis" in my top tier (Walk the Line, Love & Mercy, & Judy) of biopics because its director seems almost physically unable to "tell it straight" when this film and acting performances would have certainly been good enough for that grounded approach. But it was easily good enough to hold my interest and take me on an interesting journey through the iconic musician's entire career.

Tom Hanks portrayal of Colonel was distracting and aggravating

Austin Butler was incredible.

So much about Elvis is glossed over and Baz's direction and edits are distracting to the point you don't feel like you ever get to know Elvis the way you want.

If this had been directed by someone like Michael Mann who's specializes in layered and complex "people" this may have been great. Baz delivered a mediocre movie and distracting visuals.....

My biggest gripe is it feels like Baz seemed to concentrate more on visual editing and made Elvis more of a side note in this film.

Good luck but it's def a cautionary tale of the more famous you are the more alone you'll always be.

Compared to other musical biopics that have hit the screen in recent years (Rocket Man, Bohemian Rhapsody), 'Elvis' is tad underwhelming. It is a solid film but Luhrmann's direction failed to fully draw me in and impress.

There is a lot to like about this film however. Austin Butler gives a truly terrific performance and thoroughly shines in the role. He is so charismatic and really embodies everything that Elvis was. Hanks on the other hand is reduced to a bit of a caricature which really didn't work for me. A shame as I am normally a huge fan of Hanks but felt like this casting was a little off.

Perhaps the biggest draw back for me was the style of film making. The opening 30-40 minutes were very chaotic. The non-linear story telling made the opening act feel unnecessarily messy. Once things were unravelled and we started progressing through Elvis' life chronologically, things somehow felt drawn out yet fleeting at the same time. I think Luhrmann missed the mark on this one a bit.

I also would have liked to have seen more from a musical perspective. At times the film had the wrong focus and I think it failed to capture just how and why Elvis became the icon he was.

Despite this the film does a good job of exploring over 20 years of Elvis' life, which is no mean feat. There are some fantastic sequences and brilliant costume work throughout.

Elvis is a solid film and there is a lot to enjoy, but I was expecting more and feel like with such an interesting story to tell this film could have and should have been better.

My Review Baz Lurhmann's - Elvis

My Rating 7.5 /10

10/10 for Austin Butler's portrayal as Elvis

Elvis has the Baz Lurhmann brand all over it as it's bound to seeing Baz wrote the story as well as Directed and Produced the movie . Whether that's a good thing or not I'm not so sure but top marks for his choice of Austin Butler to play the title role of Elvis Presley.

Austin Butler had big shoes to fill and Elvis fans won't be disappointed as he portrays the iconic singer over more than 20 years of his life covering the 50s, 60s, and 70s, eras from his childhood and meteoric rise to stardom to his long, slow decline.

This biographical movie unlike the 2019 movie Judy I'm pleased to say covers the good years as well as the sad years when Elvis left us tragically aged only 42 under identical circumstances to Judy Garland who was 47.

Both stars burnt out prematurely both were exploited but their fame and legacy of music and film footage will live on for centuries as they are both true historical cultural icons.

Austin Butler really does hold the entire movie together for me he gives much more than an Elvis impersonation which so many performers have done before.

At times and at certain camera angles Austin Butler looks uncannily identical to Elvis Presley and he sings the early Elvis songbook in his own voice to perfection. Austin's voice is only blended with Elvis's own voice in the later Las Vegas years .

Many other actors in addition to Austin Butler auditioned for the role including Ansel Elgort, Miles Teller, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Harry Styles but the right choice to play Elvis certainly was Austin Butler in my opinion.

Unlike Rami Malik who played Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody and had the Freddie Mercury teeth he wore cast in gold , Austin Butler's transformation really just relies on eye make up ,hairstyle and the tight pants and flamboyant shirts and capes that Elvis wore during his performances.

I'm certain Austin Butler's performance is what prompted the Elvis movie to receive a 12 minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival last month. Rami Malik received an Oscar and lip synched the songs so Austin Butler who sings in his own voice should at least get a Best Actor Oscar nomination in 2023.

There were positives I liked in Baz Luhrmann's Elvis and negatives as much as I admire Tom Hanks as an Actor the role of Colonel Tom Parker who is the storyteller through whose eyes we see the rise and fall of The King of Rock is a despicable and ugly character . While of course he is a central character in the Elvis Presley story I felt telling the story through such an unsympathetic character was unnecessary and I found Tom Hanks Dutch accent and his prosthetic nose a little irritating at times.

The Cinematography by Mandy Walker is stunning as are the costumes by Baz Luhrmann's 4 time Academy Award winning wife Catherine Martin .

All biography movies stretch or modify the facts to a certain extent to add more dramatic content and while this story is reasonably accurate Baz has used some poetic licence in some scenes . The emotional meeting of Elvis and the Producer Steve Binder of his 1968 Christmas comeback show at the iconic rusting L. A. Hollywood sign never happened but it's effective.

The opening introduction scene of Colonel Tom Parker discovering Elvis at the Carnival which I'm sure was inspired by Guillermo del Toro's recent movie Nightmare Alley also never occurred. World events of that time are used as a timeline like the assassination of Bobby Kennedy during taping of an Elvis television show also are fiction but it does add drama to the script.

There's also a silly hysterical scene where an entire Christmas snow set is built to convince The Colonel that Elvis was going to sing Here Comes Santa Claus in his 1968 comeback show this also apparently was a complete fiction as was the fact that Elvis was persuaded by Parker to enlist in the army rather than being arrested for his suggestive stage gyrations. Elvis did not enlist he was drafted and surrounded by the media when he entered the Army in March 1958.

Those who love Showman Baz Luhrmann's flamboyant highly individual directing style I'm sure will love Elvis I enjoyed it but didn't love it.

The supporting cast that includes Olivia De Jonge as Pricilla Richard Roxburgh as Vernon Presley Helen Thomson as Gladys and Kodi Smit-McPhee as Jimmie Rodgers Snow are all good but in my view could have been featured more .

I personally think he lacks subtlety and while putting on a great show his script in this case focuses to much on the character of Colonel Tom Parker and as I recently referred to heroes as main characters in stories Colonel Tom Parker was no hero. Colonel Tom reminds me more of Rumpelstiltskin in more ways than one Elvis turned the straw that Colonel Tom Parker gave him into gold and like the Princess in the Grimm's Fairy Tale sadly Elvis paid a very high price.