Taking Care Of Business - ELVIS (Review)

By the time the last scenes played, and the credits rolled, the cinema was sat in the darkness with huge gold lettering honouring Elvis Presley’s life. It was respectful, with a teary-eyed audience. Me also among them, shedding a tear or two for the American legends last performance.

Video review here

What Baz Luhrmann, Austin Butler, and everyone else involved with this movie have accomplished is nothing short or Oscar worthy and timeless. As a long time Elvis fan this movie shows aspects of the king of rock and roll I have seen and that I never knew existed. The good, the bad and the ugly side of his life story, his friends and family. For me this is not a simple biopic like we saw with Bohemian Rhapsody, this is something more. Elvis was a miracle baby who was inspired by comic books at a young age and became the biggest star on the planet before an untimely death. This is his story told in the lens of a superhero movie, its bold, fantastic, emotional, funny but melancholy. The film itself is told through the perspective of his lifelong manager colonel Tom Parker. An odd and eccentric gentleman to say the least that many hold accountable for the Presley’s death. Which is what this movie is also about, Parker is dying and recounting his life with Elvis and wondering did I kill the king?

We see numerous aspects, eras, and facets of Presley’s life. Starting young at the Louisiana hayride in the 1950s, all the way to his final years in Vegas. All those important things we know but with nuanced smaller parts of his life captured by Butler in a way I had never seen Elvis and trust me neither have you. Elvis is introduced as almost a mythical figure slowly in the first half hour of the movie and that sets the tone of this entire experience.

Its an unmistakably a Luhrmann film, with the pedigree he has via Romeo and Julie, moulin rouge and great Gatsby. You can see the bold and stylish way he makes his movies, and it is mesmerising. The film rarely slows down but when it does you see Butler captured pure snippets of Elvis. Almost channelling the late singer’s soul into his performance in an almost terrifying accuracy. Obviously, the argument remains nobody truly resembles Presley in looks but Butler captured his essence, voice, and mannerisms in an unprecedented way. Give this man an Oscar.

We don't see as much Priscilla as I would have expected. Her relationship with Elvis in her teen years is quickly glossed over which is what I expected, given its a point of controversy they would want to avoid. However, she is portrayed well by Olivia DeJonge in the moments we see her, after all its not her story. Tom Hanks who plays the colonel is much more vital to Presley’s life in this story, and he is present throughout majority of the runtime and pivotal to its storytelling motif. His performance I felt was fine, it was a different role for him as he basically was a villain and it left me a little bit jarred.

The film does not shy away from showing positive and negative facets of his life, relationships, and actions. From the drug use, sex with groupies and people using Elvis for their own gain. Even his parents don’t come off in a good light, given they did push him to a life of loneliness in their own way. It showcases everything the star went through in a very human and superhuman way which is fascinating to watch as a fan and not. My partner was informed and felt a sadness at the end of the movie which was intriguing to see the contrast.

The movie has some pacing flaws at times but its runtime being nearly three hours felt a good length for a cinema visit. I was left wanting more in a good sense. Like mentioned the 60s were largely ignored, his movies merely mentioned, shown briefly, and moved passed. Luhrmann has promised a four-hour cut exists and I would love to see that. Each era transitions with a showcase of its original soundtrack of Elvis back catalogue of hits in a montage format that I personally loved, burning love being a standout moment for his Vegas era.

Nevertheless, this film is simply one of my all-time favourites as of now, it was a brilliant, fun and emotional ride of Hollywood DNA pumped into Presley’s life for the big screen. Everything from cinematherapy, music and acting were the best the industry could get, and the editing was almost flawless to the viewer. If they had cut more out, it was not too obvious.

This film is quite simply a must-see cinema experience, as a fan you will adore it and as a new person entering the world of king of rock and roll. While it has a few issues with glossing over or even ignoring aspects of his life it’s a thoroughly good time. You will be left shocked, rocked, and enlightened with its conclusion to a real-life tragedy you may never have known to much of.

As Tom Hanks says at the close of the movie, Elvis died for his fans, he never stopped reaching for eternity.

9/10

By John Perry