By Gilberto Campa
Widely regarded as “The King of Rock & Roll” and one of the most important cultural figures of the 20th Century, Elvis Presley left a tremendous impact on the world in only a short number of years. Many other important musical artists have had movies and shows made about them over the years, but they all have the same problem. Even though having a good structure is vital for any movie to succeed, keeping the same formula (upbringing, big break, rise to fame, struggle, falling off, comeback/death) has gotten repetitive. With the larger-than-life career that Elvis had you needed to bring on a director that could showcase the spectacle of Elvis Presley to the fullest on the big screen. That’s where Australian born director, writer and producer Baz Luhrmann comes into play as he was connected to the project back in 2014. Widely considered as a contemporary example of a true auteur due to his deep involvement in all aspects of any project he works on, Luhrmann expertly brought his pomp and circumstance to this entertaining and tragic story.
The biggest and most important choice that would make or break the movie was getting the right person to portray one of the most charismatic people to ever exist. It was down to about four different actors but ultimately thanks to some advice from Denzel Washington and an incredible audition, Austin Butler was chosen for the opportunity of a lifetime. Butler got his start on a variety of shows on both Disney & Nickelodeon and has had little parts in other movies in the last few years, but being Elvis created a lot of expectations as all eyes would be on him. And to his credit he makes the whole experience worth everything as he fully becomes Elvis Presley in more ways than one, even though he may not speak in his natural accent anymore. From his youthful beginnings in Memphis, Tennessee living in the Lauderdale Courts and becoming exposed to the Blues on Beale Street, to his big break wiggling and gyrating every body part making the youth lose they’re minds and his eventual rise and fall, Butler made you believe what you were seeing and showed what really drove Elvis as a person and as a performer. Much of his musical inspiration is shown as he has interactions with the likes of B.B. King and Little Richard among others. Presley had a deep appreciation and love for Gospel and The Blues that helped him to pioneer the Rockabilly sound that led him to be the leading face of Rock & Roll that got him into a lot of controversary.
The other side of this story is the addition of America’s dad Tom Hanks as Colonel Tom Parker (Presley’s Manager) who helped to bring a different perspective to the picture as you see just how much he used and manipulated Elvis. And to my surprise the story is spearheaded by his narration as he goes out to explain what really lead to Elvis’s demise (whether you agree with it or not). Hanks doesn’t really do a lot of roles like this but it strangely works as you see just how poorly Elvis was taken advantage of that definitely lead to his demise as he worked Elvis as much as he could to bankroll his gambling debts among other things. In the background of this though was the rapidly changing 1960’s that saw many important events occur as the United States was changing, especially in the African American community that Elvis became torn with due to his position. For me though the reason you should see this are for the performances because Austin Butler completely enamors you as Elvis. Pair that with the directing style and the touch that Luhrmann can only provide and you get something that truly makes the experience something special and gave me chills. Overall, this is a bio pic that does something different and keeps you wondering what was going to happen next, even though you may be familiar with things that happened in his life, you still get some surprises and find out more about him. The film has a long runtime, but I didn’t really feel it as I was so entertained with what I was watching which is always a great thing.
The Verdict: