Elvis

When Baz Luhrmann chose Elvis Presley as his new subject, it was clear that once again it would be a film that you had to see more than once. That’s exactly what happened. The result is brilliant. A great homage to classic great biopics with a fatal antagonist (in the style of Amadeus) and the splendor of a dying carnival world (American Horror Story: Freak Show or Nightmare Alley). Where are my DVDs of G. I. Blues, Blue Hawaii and Girls! Girls! Girls!? ;) (2022-07-25)

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. (2022-07-01)

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. (2022-06-27)

Two and a half hours of visual debauchery where the editor, the cinematographer and the director's specific signature reign supreme. However, when it comes to the emotional level, with the exception of a few moments, the film only touches the surface. Luhrmann doesn't know how to work well with characters and their personal motivations and emotions, which, among others, was also problem in The Great Gatsby and other films of his. As an homage to Elvis, it is alright, as a proper viewer experience, not so. In this, Elvis is beaten by the romantic A Star Is Born. (2022-10-30)

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. (2022-06-30)