Movie Review: Elvis

 

Michael’s Movie Grade: A-

This is honestly one of my favorite music Bio-pics to come out in quite a while. 

Let me get this out of the way, I am a huge Elvis fan. With that said I have to say this movie did a wonderful job of reminding me just why I love Elvis so much. Much of this is due to Austin Butler’s incredible performance. While no one can quite capture the magic of Elvis, Austin Butler comes as close as anyone else can. He oozes pure charisma every second he is on screen and watching the scenes where he is performing on stage it is easy to understand why the audiences are going so wild. Yet he never feels like he is doing an Elvis impersonation because he feels so natural. This true not only of his scenes on stage but also in the scenes showing Elvis as a person. He even seems perfectly at home singing some of the king’s songs. Some of the songs use Elvis’ actual voice and some use Austin’s voice. While if you are Elvis fan you can easily tell which is which, there is no doubt that Austin’s versions still sound quite good. 

A problem with many biopics is they simply try to cover too much and lose focus. While certain scenes can feel rushed, the movie remains focus quite well despite covering such a long time period. That is because the film focuses on Elvis and Colonel Tom Parker's relationship first and foremost. This works great because it keeps the film from trying to do too much and that there is a lot of great drama in the relationship between these two men. The Colonel is played by Tom Hanks in a very different role for him. As much as he is known for playing incredibly likable characters, here he plays "the villain of this here story." While his accent takes a while to get used to, once you get used to it, he does a great job. The character himself maybe a little over the top, but so was the real Colonel Parker and he never becomes an outright caricature. This relationship also gives the movie some of its best and most heartbreaking moments. While the movie can be over the top the heartbreak in the last act of this film is very effective. 

Those familiar with director Baz Luhrmann, know that nearly all his films are filled with visual extravagance and this movie is no exception. Here it works very well, because Elvis himself was no stranger to visual extravagance. More than that though this film is simply a joy to look at. It looks and feels larger than life and if you don't see it in theaters than you are missing out. Yet all of this still feels in service of the story and never distracts from but only heightens the emotions. 

Of course, the music is also very important to an Elvis film and it is excellent here. Many of the songs that Elvis recorded are loved for a reason and they are showcased incredibly here. There are a few remixes featuring modern artists, which I admit are a bit distracting considering the time period the movie takes place in but they still sound great. I would definitely say that if I wasn't already a fan of Elvis' music beforehand, I would have left the theater as one, and I hope that this movie has that effect on many people. 

I will admit that there are some scenes that feel too over the top, considering this movie was based on real events but they never take away from how great the rest of this movie is. 

If you are an Elvis fan or even if you aren't, you should definitely see this movie. 

P.S. As a country music fan I can tell you the depiction of Hank Snow was kinda disappointing for me.