Movie Review - Elvis

Director: Baz Luhrmann
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 159 minutes
Year: 2022
Starring: Austin Butler, Tom Hanks, Olivia DeJonge, Helen Thomson, Richard Roxburgh, Dacre Montgomery, Luke Bracey, David Wenham, Kodi Smit-McPhee
 
Description: The life of American music icon Elvis Presley (Austin Butler), from his childhood to becoming a rock and movie star in the 1950s while maintaining a complex relationship with his manager, Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks).

Review: It takes guts, making a movie about Elvis Presley. Director Baz Luhrman dared to do it. And you just have to dare, playing Elvis and singing in your own voice. Actor Austin Butler dared and succeeds with flying colors.

With Baz Luhrman we have a man who received an Oscar nomination for “Moulin Rouge”. The second leading actor Tom Hanks has already won two of those awards. But Austin Butler isn’t yet a big name. I believe that after you see him in “Elvis”, there’s no way you won’t remember his name.

“Elvis” is the type of movie that depends on the performance of the lead actor. Now matter how good the story is, a mediocre portrayal of The King will break the film. And from the first moment you see Butler as Elvis, you see Elvis, not an actor playing him. And the fact that he sang everything himself, makes it even more incredible!

The story itself is told from the perspective of Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis’ manager. Tom Hanks portrays him. He is actually known as Dries van Kuijk and came from Breda, The Netherlands. And even though he always claimed to wanting the best for Elvis, he wasn’t a good man. And Hanks does a fantastic job, as always, in a more villainous role, which is something we don’t often see from Hanks.

As every Baz Luhrman movie, the film looks gorgeous and stylish. And with a runtime of more than 2,5 hours, the movie never gets boring. It has a fast pace, where there is almost no time to catch your breath. I wouldn’t have mind some quieter moments here and there.  Thanks to great performances, this movie is definitely worth watching.

Rating: 4/ 5