Movie Review - Elvis

I'm going to keep this short because Steve T. wrote a nice in-depth review for this movie already.

Based on positive reviews I was expecting a really good movie. After seeing it I can say that overall I wasn't impressed.

7:42●●● 95%

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Pros

The acting was superb. Austin Butler did as good a job as can be expected portraying such an iconic person. (Note: I don't know much about Elvis so my judgment here might not be the most reliable.) I'm very excited to see Butler next in Dune: Part Two as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen. I expect he'll knock it out of the park. It's interesting that Butler's two biggest roles are Elvis followed up by Feyd who was originally played by Sting.

It's hard to recognize Tom Hanks’ magnificent acting because he plays such a despicable character. But make no mistake, Hanks makes Colonel Tom Parker a totally unlikable character. Props to Hanks for the willingness to take on a role like that.

Cons

The entire first half of the movie felt like one long montage. It barely slows down for a second. I feel that they tried to tell too much of a broad story. The movie would have been improved by editing out about 30 minutes of the first half of the movie and then add in a few slow character-building scenes. I think the best part of Elvis' story is his discovery and rise to stardom. More of that would have been more enjoyable.

The second half of the movie is filled with so much negativity that it's hard to enjoy watching Elvis spiral. I certainly didn't need to see that spread out over an hour+.

Grade: C+

A second take from Steve T

I like Elvis's music. I have enjoyed Baz Luhrmann movies. Music always conveys emotion, it's fun to see it being used to help convey a story as well. In short, I liked the movie a lot. It was hard to sit there and not sing along.

Movie soundtracks help me enjoy a lot of different music. Among most of my friends, in my age group, I'm the weird duck listening to the oldies (blues, jazz, rat pack, big band, classical and more but that is not relevant information) including of course Elvis. That helped me feel like I personally was part of their target audience for this movie. I enjoy Elvis's music but I'm not a super fan and know all the details of his life. I know some of the broad strokes. I can't sit there and pick the movie apart or say they did this or that wrong because that's not what really happened. Maybe to help defend against those that would try to bring up points like that. The easy defense would be, that the narrator telling us this story is Colonel Tom Parker played by Tom Hanks. The story could be just from his perspective or his point of view. Maybe he's just telling you a story. He was a promoter and seemed to spin a good yarn.

The movie follows most of Elvis's career; the early days all the way to his death. Including people and music that helped influence him. The highs and lows that happened in his life. An overall good drama. I walked away feeling I understand the man and his life better. At no point in this two-and-a-half-hour movie did I think to check the time. (Only time I looked at my phone was while I was writing notes for this review and Peetimes.) It never felt like it was dragging. The only time the story seem to slow down was appropriate emotional beats that needed a slow quiet moment.

Tom Hanks' makeup was really good, to look more like the Colonel, I assume. Can't say I've ever looked for images of the real Colonel. Austin Butler looks the part and seems to really do a faithful job of being like Elvis. The movie has also had the seal of approval from Elvis’s ex-wife, Priscilla Presley, and daughter, Lisa Marie Presley. Lisa Marie said “You can feel and witness Baz's pure love, care, and respect for my father throughout this beautiful film. And it is finally something that me and my children and their children can be proud of forever.”

As I stated earlier, the music was phenomenal and I really appreciate how it was used to help tell the overall story, beyond just Elvis performing a song. Sometimes the songs he sang beautifully emphasized what was happening in the story. Is that only because I knew the songs? I really hope not.

I feel I was such a good fit for this movie. I wonder if I'm coming in with almost a biased opinion. I start to wonder what others think. Is it an age thing? What do the older generations think of it? For that matter, what do the younger generations think of it? Older generations, who grew up with Elvis, might be bigger fans and might know more real-life facts. Where younger generations have probably heard of Elvis but do they care about him or his music? Would this movie interest them? Happily, I can say that during this screening there was a wide demographic representation, including multi-generational families. I didn't stop to ask anybody questions afterward but overall the mood seemed to be that everyone enjoyed themselves. Really wish I could see it with my grandparents, who are more age-appropriate to remember Elvis in his heyday. I'd love to get their feedback about the movie.

What are your thoughts? What are your expectations going in? If you've seen it, what did you think? Please keep your responses as spoiler-free as possible. As we never know who's reading this and when. While I wait for your response. I'm off to listen to my Elvis playlist on Pandora.

Tell a friend to see it?
Yes

Would I rewatch it?
Yes

Would I want to own a copy?
Yes

Must-see in theaters?
Not a must-see in theaters. The story could transfer to the small screen fine. But to help financially support the movie, yes.

Read Dan's review of Elvis here. Grade: C-

Steve's grade: A

There's no extra scene after the credits of Elvis, but there is something extra: covers of Elvis songs by other artists and some cool TCB jeweled graphics. (What we mean by Anything Extra.)

Plot
From his childhood in Tupelo, Mississippi to his rise to stardom starting in Memphis, Tennessee and his conquering of Las Vegas, Nevada, Elvis Presley becomes the first rock 'n roll star and changes the world with his music.