Elvis

An energetic romp until the overweight, stoned ending. Baz Luhrmann piles up opulent shots, attractive camera fly-overs and the remixed and reimagined Elvis hits in the background pull you into the story immediately. Hanks’ unreliable narrator, denying any responsibility for the King’s stagnation and eventual decay, is an unlikeable, calculating bastard. His typical economic dodging, the merchandise scene and the corporate over-emphasis on security are the essence of everything that is bad about today’s world and Tom "America’s boy next door" Hanks lays it on us with great verve. Austin Butler is uncompromising and dedicated as Elvis, very faithfully copying his expressive dancing style; Feyd-Rautha is in good hands. The story follows a classic rise and fall pattern, while also going up interesting side roads, whether it is the luck of a white kid who was lucky enough to grow up in a better and all-round righter (black) environment. The timing of the premiere of this movie at the end of a PROUD month is a master stroke straight out of the Colonel’s textbook, the parallels are crystal clear. And Parker’s efforts to keep the King away from politics, family rows, disintegration of marriage, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. But it never runs on the spot. A most quality memorial to a legend. (03/07/2022)

Elvis is an enjoyable musical biopic that doesn't bring much new under the sun in terms of plot and slightly alters key events to build a somewhat better drama around them, but its main asset is of course Baz Luhrmann's idiosyncratic directorial grasp and especially the committed performance of Austin Butler, who manages to completely connect with the character of Elvis from the first minutes. Who failed to blend into the character, however, and who sticks out like a sore thumb in the film, is Tom Hanks. It's kind of a matter of whether you accept his peculiar efforts, but I simply didn't believe for the entire two and a half hours that I was seeing Colonel Tom Parker, but rather just Hanks overacting under a layer of prosthetics. Baz Luhrmann doses his hyperstylisation sometimes unnecessarily too much and his choice of the accompanying soundtrack, or rather modern music genres, in a story about the king of rock 'n' roll, I would in all fairness call at least questionable. In any case, and despite these distractions, the film works and offers a truly spectacular experience, which is worth seeing if possible on the big screen. For me, slightly mixed satisfaction. (01/07/2022)

A lavish and ornate ride. The film doesn't stop for a moment, it's bursting with ideas and, unlike The Great Gatsby, it's fully deserving of them all, because you expect exactly what Elvis gives you from a film that pays homage to the King. How timeless his music was is evidenced by probably the best original soundtrack I've ever heard, which puts Elvis's hits into the hands and throats of contemporary musicians who do whatever they want with them, and yet they're still absolutely great. Great joy... And as for Austin Butler, also a big surprise – I didn’t like him much in the trailers, but in the film he just needed a few minutes and he had me in the palm of his hand. And there were tears at the end, I just couldn't help it. Tom Hanks was also great, he shows what a versatile actor he is when given the chance. Great job. I have the urge to go to the cinema again like I did for Bohemian Rhapsody or the unjustly neglected Rocketman, although those films couldn't be more different. (01/07/2022)

Austin Butler looks nothing like Elvis, he doesn't have his unique charisma (no one does), but he’s a total magnet for women with his knockout looks, so he's a clear casting hit. Unlike the overrated Bohemian Rhapsody, which was held under the authoritative thumb of Brian May and where Rami Malek only played Mercury, Butler became Elvis for two and a half hours with his movements, his sexy deep voice, and the sparkle in his eye, which Malek didn't have. The first hour is a roller coaster ride, the timing of the scenes, the blending with the comic book panels, the craziness of the female fans, the riveting live performance where Elvis was arrested, the editing is fantastic. But there’s one big BUT. From the moment the Beatlemania fatally interferes with Presley's career, the film loses traction and, rather than focusing on the first ten years or so of his career, when he influenced rock 'n' roll like no one else, the story focuses on the last phase of his work and life, which is no longer so crucial and interesting. I would cut short everything that revolved around his career winding down at the International Hotel in Las Vegas. PS: Tom Hanks is perfect as the backstabbing manager. This is where I'm sure at least an Oscar nomination will clink. (15/08/2022)

A great film, I certainly didn't expect a flop. It was clear from the first trailer that this was going to be a powerful, emotional, charged and entertaining spectacle that might even go for the Oscars. Austin Butler as Elvis is great, Tom Hanks is unrecognizable but also excellent, the music is of course awesome (all the performances are great), the dialogues are good, and the story managed to surprise several times. There was also the traditional troubles that belong to rising stars like the looming jail time. However I'm a bit sorry that the film isn’t R-rated, and there was no room for drugs and a bit of that wild nightlife, but probably the makers just wanted to show it in the best light. I'd fault the longer running time, but otherwise solid. 8/10. (27/06/2022)