Elvis

Elvis Presley has been an indelible icon for decades even since his death on August 16, 1977. There have been a number of films he starred in as well as films created as biopics on the legendary singer, "Elvis" '79, a TV movie and "Elvis" '05. So it was certainly a pleasure to see another biopic appropriately titled, yes you guessed it, "Elvis" whereas it truly digs even deeper than its predecessors in dissecting the man, the singer and the icon. 

This film explores the life and music of Elvis Aaron Presley (Austin Butler), seen through the prism of his complicated relationship with his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks). The story delves into the complex dynamic between Presley and Parker spanning over 20 years, from Presley's rise to fame to his unprecedented stardom, against the backdrop of the evolving culture landscape--both Bobby Kennedy's and Martin Luther King's assassinations, and the growing loss of innocence in America. Central to that journey is one of the most significant and influential people in Elvis's life, his wife Priscilla Presley (Olivia DeJonge). 

Others to round out the cast are Helen Thomson as Gladys, Richard Roxburgh as Vernon, Kelvin Harrison Jr, as B.B. King, David Wenham as Hank Snow, Kodi Smit-McPhee as Jimmie Rodgers Snow, Luke Bracey as Jerry Schilling, Dacre Montgomery as Steve Binder, Leon Ford as Tom Diskin, Natasha Bassett as Dixie Locke and Gary Clark Jr. as Arthur 'Big Boy' Crudup. 

This was delineated with expertise by director Baz Luhrmann ("Strictly Ballroom" '92, "Romeo + Juliet" '96, "Moulin Rouge!" '01, "Australia" '08, "The Great Gatsby" '13) plus TV, shorts and a video short. What this filmmaker was able to extract from his actors, specifically Butler and Hanks was simply genius. Surely Hanks is a consummate actor, however Butler is certainly newer to feature films and Luhrmann was incredible with guiding this actor to 'own' the character of Elvis. Considering how long Luhrmann has been directing, he doesn't have quite the lengthy resume, however, where he is limited in number of films, he more than makes up for quality. It was effectively written by Luhrmann, Sam Bromell, Craig Pearce and Jeremy Doner, based on the story by Luhrmann and Doner. Luhrmann clearly has the lion's share of the experience here and, although the other writers have feature film experience, it is still somewhat limited, and that aspect does come out in this film. It was conveyed as a series of flashbacks by Parker, however, there were places where Presley was also interjecting situations that obviously pertained to him. Considering how often the flashbacks were going back and forth, the script was still able to allow the audience to understand the characters involved, especially Presley. However, there were a couple of places where the story seemed a bit confusing in the connection of scenes, but they were minimal. The story certainly obtained issues that is your basic common knowledge, but there were clearly places that I didn't realize nor most other people probably didn't know. Tom Hanks was his usual consummate (just look at his resume), but where did they find this Austin Butler. He encapsulated the very essence of the the icon of Presley in spades!. Could he see a nomination come Oscar time? Not sure, but it wouldn't surprise me. 

If you're an Elvis fan, you'll love this, and even if you're not, this has so much more that just seeing Elvis sing. The acting and directing of this was amazing and even though it was about 2 hours and 40 minutes, it sped right along. I can't believe that this would necessarily be needed to be seen in IMAX, but if you want that up, close and personal feeling, you'll be able to feel like you're right there with Elvis.

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                             Rated: PG-13                                         159mins.