Rating: 8.7
A review from Indiewire that I found absolutely hilarious wrote “If only this 159-minute eyesore — a sadistically monotonous super-montage in which a weird Flemish guy manipulates some naïve young greaser over and over and over again until they both get sad and die — were gracious enough to be as short in any other respect.” Now I don’t necessarily agree with this statement… I just think it’s quite an aggressive way to describe this film. It has some accuracy to it though, which I will get to. I overall really enjoyed “Elvis”, and it turned out to be way better than I thought it would be. From the opening logos, you can very much tell that this is a Baz Luhrmann film, it's not your average musical biopic! And I think this is one of Luhrmann’s finest films, right behind the incredible “Moulin Rouge”. Luhrmann’s style worked really well here, but I found he almost dialed it down in some respects. His cinematography, editing and sound design are still super complex and detailed however, and those are what made the film for me!
This film truly was made in an editing room. The editing gives it such a great energy and style, and it has this frantic, insane pace of images that flow together so seamlessly. Like the quote at the beginning says, it does feel like a super-montage at times, but I found the style worked for this film. However, because of this rapid editing it gets almost exhausting by the 2 hour mark, and because it goes on for another 40 minutes after that I really feel like they could have cut 20-30 minutes. It was just way too long, and I felt it. But, I still can’t say that I didn’t enjoy myself. I also really adored the powerful sound mix, from the excellent use and remixing of classic Elvis songs, to integrating Austin Butler’s vocal performance and making it sound like Elvis, as well as how the inclusion of other artists' versions of Elvis songs worked for the film. I, myself, would not have used other artists' versions of the songs, and I genuinely hated some, but they worked in the way the film needed them too. I just wish they would have included more of Elvis’ hits.
Baz Luhrmann also brought his great eye for cinematography to this film, it just looks so great, has some really unique camera movements and angles, as well as really makes the most of what you see in the frame, from colour to filled space. It is just really well directed, and he imbues it with an undeniable energy that really illustrates why Elvis was so beloved. As someone who doesn’t know anything about Elvis besides some of his music, I found the story really intriguing and I loved getting to understand why he became the icon he was and still is to this day. And this movie wasn’t a film about Elvis’ music, it was instead a film about his career; it's a business film! It tells the story of Elvis and how he was built into a star and manipulated/financially abused by his manager, Colonel Tom Parker. It is a cautionary tale for those looking for fame; a tale as old as time that we’ve seen happen countless times with many different celebrities.
And finally, the acting in this film is brilliant. I see Oscars coming to both Austin Butler and Tom Hanks. Their performances were insanely good! Butler became Elvis, from his movements to the voice to even his look. Most Elvis performances feel like impersonations, but Butler IS Elvis. At the end when it cuts into real footage of Elvis performing I almost didn’t realize it wasn’t Austin Butler as Elvis, he just looked and performed that similarly to the real Elvis. Tom Hanks was also remarkable, he was mesmerizing to watch. His performance was slightly insane and cooky, but in a way that he seemed crazy yet dangerous. It’s the first time Tom Hanks has ever played an unlikeable character, and oh boy did he ever make himself unlikeable. Parker was such a twisted guy and Hanks truly brought that side of him out. I also loved the makeup they did on him!
This film was remarkably engaging, full of some awesome energy and great editing, on top of some of the best performances you will see all year! I enjoyed it as a non-Elvis fan, so I feel like anyone could enjoy this film and get something out of it! Baz Luhrmann really delivered with this one, and it is probably my favourite of his other than “Moulin Rouge”. His maximalist filmmaking sensibilities really lent themselves well to this material; it’s a film that is so different from what you’d expect, but it works so well!
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IMDb Rating: 7.9/10
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 78%
RT Audience Score: 94%
Metacritic Score: 63
CinemaScore: A-
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Warner Bros
Directed by Baz Luhrmann
Screenplay by Baz Luhrmann, Sam Bromwell, Craig Pearce & Jeremy Doner
Story by Baz Luhrmann & Jeremy Doner
Cast: Austin Butler, Tom Hanks, Olivia DeJonge, Helen Thomson, Richard Roxburgh, David Wenham, Kodi Smit-McPhee
Runtime: 2hr 39min
Rating: PG
Biography, Drama, Music
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From his childhood in Tupelo, Mississippi to his rise to stardom starting in Memphis, Tennessee and his conquering of Las Vegas, Nevada, Elvis Presley becomes the first rock 'n roll star and changes the world with his music.
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Fun Fact: In an interview with CinemaBlend, Austin Butler revealed he called Rami Malek before shooting his first performance, asking for advice on replicating the movements of music's past.
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