I am a huge fan of Elvis Presley. I grew up with his incredible music and always wondered when we would see a film about his life made. When director Baz Luhrmann announced that he was developing that movie, I was curious to see how he would tell the story of Elvis, especially with his wild and energetic cinematic style. Then the trailers started coming out Elvis and they made me super excited to watch the movie, and I’m happy to say that Luhrmann made something unique and special, and I loved the movie he made.
Elvis’s life is a fascinating and tragic story, and Luhrmann told that story in the most beautiful way. I love the wild energy he brought into the film and the liveliness he brought, especially with all the wonderful musical numbers. It’s hard to imagine what Elvis’s life must have been like, but now that I’ve seen it through Baz Luhrmann’s eyes, I don’t feel the need to see it any other way.
The film made me feel all kinds of feelings, and when it went through the last few years of its life, it was a real emotional roller coaster. I have to applaud Austin Butler, who gave birth to Elvis in the film. It was damn incredible! He delivered an amazing performance, a performance that should win him some award nominations for Best Acting. He completely embodied Elvis! All I could see was Elvis when he was on that screen. I have a feeling it will impress a lot of fans.
Elvis’s story is told through the prism of his complicated relationship with his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker, played by Tom Hanks. The story explores the complex dynamic between Presley and Parker over the course of 20 years, from Presley’s rise to fame to his unprecedented stardom, against the backdrop of the changing cultural landscape and the loss of innocence in America. Many people blame the colonel for Elvis’s death, and yes, there is no doubt that it led to an untimely death. It’s crazy that Elvis was only 42 when he died.
Hanks also delivers a creepy performance in the film and in the end, you definitely don’t like The Colonel. Hanks rarely plays the villain in the movies he makes, but in this one he played hell. Make no mistake, Colonel Tom Parker was the villain of this story.
I had the opportunity to watch the film in a ScreenX cinema, which is where images from the film surround you as you watch it and it was a really cool experience to watch this film in that type of cinema. The way the film was presented visually worked great with that display format! I don’t see many movies in ScreenX, but I liked the way this movie was presented using the technology.
The film also features a wonderful supporting cast which includes Olivia De Jonge as Priscilla Presley; Helen Thomson (Top of the lake: China Girl) as Elvis’ mother, Gladys; Richard Roxburgh (Crest of the hacksaw) as Elvis’ father Vernon; Luca Bracey (hacksaw crest) plays Jerry Schilling; Natasha Bassett (Hello, Caesar!) plays Dixie Locke; David Wenham (The Lord of the Rings) plays Hank Snow; Kelvin Harrison Jr. (The Chicago trial 7) plays BB King; Saverio Samuele (The Twilight Saga: Eclipse) plays Scotty Moore; And Kodi Smit-McPhee (The power of the dog) plays Jimmie Rodgers Snow.
Other cast members include Dacre Montgomery (Stranger things) in the role of television director Steve Binder, alongside Australian actors Leon Ford (Gallipoli) as Tom Diskin; Kate Mulvany (The Great Gatsby) in the role of Marion Keisker; Gareth Davies (Hunters) as Bones Howe; Carlo Motivi (Rich and crazy Asians) as Billy Smith; Josh McConville (The island of fantasy) as Sam Phillips; And Adam Dunn (At home and away from home) as Bill Black.
I loved this movie and am thrilled to see it again. It’s one of those movies that I couldn’t get out of my mind after seeing it, and it also inspired me to throw myself in and take a deep dive into Elvis history. One of the things I liked the most about the film is all the feelings and emotions it made me feel throughout the story.
by Joey Paur
Source: Geek Tyrant
