Elvis

Austin Butler looks nothing like Elvis, he doesn't have his unique charisma (no one does), but he’s a total magnet for women with his knockout looks, so he's a clear casting hit. Unlike the overrated Bohemian Rhapsody, which was held under the authoritative thumb of Brian May and where Rami Malek only played Mercury, Butler became Elvis for two and a half hours with his movements, his sexy deep voice, and the sparkle in his eye, which Malek didn't have. The first hour is a roller coaster ride, the timing of the scenes, the blending with the comic book panels, the craziness of the female fans, the riveting live performance where Elvis was arrested, the editing is fantastic. But there’s one big BUT. From the moment the Beatlemania fatally interferes with Presley's career, the film loses traction and, rather than focusing on the first ten years or so of his career, when he influenced rock 'n' roll like no one else, the story focuses on the last phase of his work and life, which is no longer so crucial and interesting. I would cut short everything that revolved around his career winding down at the International Hotel in Las Vegas. PS: Tom Hanks is perfect as the backstabbing manager. This is where I'm sure at least an Oscar nomination will clink. (15/08/2022)

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. (27/06/2022)

It was agony to spend nine years waiting for Baz Luhrmann's next feature film, but at least in terms of the visuals, the editing, and the overall use of the author's characteristic mannerisms, Elvis didn't disappoint, quite the contrary. Everything shines, pulsates, and moves from side to side, from window to window, or over the rooftops exactly as the fans would have hoped. The problematic yet daring creative twist is the narrator. To distance oneself from the idolized icon and let someone speak who, even with the greatest objectivity, is the antagonist, could have resulted in an absolute screenwriting disaster. Instead, Elvis is more alive than other biopics, but also not always comfortable for the audience and sometimes even venomous. In short, it's as if Fletcher were telling us about Australia, or even if the Duke himself was guiding us with his voice after Moulin Rouge! – a completely different kind of emotional experience. I understand everyone for whom this change didn't land right, but I also understand everyone who felt that the creators were forcing them to start hating Tom Hanks. I stayed close to the enthusiastic fever of all the camera and sound tricks, but slightly bitter that all of Baz's films in the last thirty years have resonated with me a bit better. (10/10/2022)

An energetic romp until the overweight, stoned ending. Baz Luhrmann piles up opulent shots, attractive camera fly-overs and the remixed and reimagined Elvis hits in the background pull you into the story immediately. Hanks’ unreliable narrator, denying any responsibility for the King’s stagnation and eventual decay, is an unlikeable, calculating bastard. His typical economic dodging, the merchandise scene and the corporate over-emphasis on security are the essence of everything that is bad about today’s world and Tom "America’s boy next door" Hanks lays it on us with great verve. Austin Butler is uncompromising and dedicated as Elvis, very faithfully copying his expressive dancing style; Feyd-Rautha is in good hands. The story follows a classic rise and fall pattern, while also going up interesting side roads, whether it is the luck of a white kid who was lucky enough to grow up in a better and all-round righter (black) environment. The timing of the premiere of this movie at the end of a PROUD month is a master stroke straight out of the Colonel’s textbook, the parallels are crystal clear. And Parker’s efforts to keep the King away from politics, family rows, disintegration of marriage, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. But it never runs on the spot. A most quality memorial to a legend. (03/07/2022)

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!? ;) (25/07/2022)

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. (30/10/2022)

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. (01/07/2022)

In many ways this is a remarkable piece of work that shows its protagonist through the eyes of the antagonist, the music and the image of Elvis as a construct of the environment and the media, and also as the passion it held in one man, controlled like a puppet by every greedy little bugger who wanted to make a buck out of Presley, which eventually drove the whole world mad. Elvis's career was a ground-breaking show with an impact on pop culture that even the Beatles didn't have in Britain, so it's clear that Luhrmann opts for heavily pop-cultural filmmaking devices – from splitscreen to extravagant compositional continuity to flashbacks and flashforwards, with a narrator who is utterly reliable in all his guile and cunning. Tom Hanks may never have entertained me like this before, and as the manager, Parker dangerously steals some scenes for himself – as does Luhrmann, who dominates the fragmented but iron-clad and coherent plot much like Parker dominates Presley's life, reduced to a glittering pompous cliché. "I'm caught in a trap, I can't walk out....," Elvis sings in Casino as his manager makes a deal with the devil and takes absolute control. Luhrmann showers us with vivid scenes, but never leave us floundering, clinging to his increasingly fractured protagonist as the noose around his ill-fated life partner tightens. Everything is perfectly aligned, each act and each collage complementing each other in an almost constant spatio-temporal communication, which in Luhrmann's circus rhythm is almost dizzying. How long can a man be an attraction when he himself is denied pure joy? Countless motifs for comparison emerge from the film, which makes it easier to navigate the dynamic arrangement, and the fact that the director, with his perfectly calculated mannerisms, sometimes takes us too far away from Elvis can be forgiven – the final archive shots bring such lumps in our throats that not even the greedy Parker would take them. And I don't want to blame Butler at all, who was really amazing and blended so well with Elvis that after a while I didn't notice the actor, but only the character, something I couldn't do with Malek in Bohemian Rhapsody. Richard Roxburgh, my still favourite Sherlock Holmes from a not so favourite film, was also very enjoyable, and thanks for Little Richard. This is how you make biopics about cultural icons, through the lens of a culture that was crumbling before your eyes, and all it needed to be happy was a good wiggle in its hips. Again and again. 90 % (29/06/2022)

Elvis est un film biographique musical agréable, même si son intrigue n’apporte pas grand-chose de nouveau et qu’il modifie légèrement les faits historiques centraux pour les rendre un peu plus captivants. Cela dit, ses atouts principaux résident bien sûr dans le style de réalisation particulier de Baz Luhrmann et, en particulier, dans la performance artistique époustouflante de l’acteur principal Austin Butler, lequel se fond à la perfection dans le personnage d’Elvis dès la première minute. Par contraste, celui qui fait tache et échoue dans son rôle, c’est Tom Hanks. Ça dépend un peu du crédit qu’on accorde à ses efforts, mais pour ma part, je n’ai jamais réussi à voir dans son personnage le colonel Tom Parker ; au lieu de ça, tout ce que je voyais au cours des deux heures du film, c’était Tom Hanks et les couches de prothèses et maquillage dont il était affublé. L’hyperstylisation injectée par Baz Luhrmann est parfois un peu too much et, en tout bien toute honneur, je dirais que le choix des musiques modernes comme accompagnement du récit de vie du roi du rock’n’roll est pour le moins discutable. Quoi qu’il en soit, et malgré les éléments perturbateurs de l’œuvre, le tout fonctionne à merveille et le spectacle vaut le détour, surtout si on le voit au grand écran. Personnellement, j’en ressors un peu perplexe, mais néanmoins satisfait. (01/07/2022)

Dans la première moitié, l'accent est mis notamment sur les confrontations d'Elvis le rebelle avec la commission de censure, qui considère ses mouvements contorsionnistes comme obscènes. La deuxième moitié traite principalement des conflits de Presley avec son entourage, qu'il refuse de satisfaire soit par principe, soit par incapacité à les satisfaire, ce qui le tourmente. Tout au long du film, le thème d'un effort incessant pour préserver son identité personnelle et musicale exceptionnelle se développe, car c'est la clé du succès et de l'immortalité de l'artiste. Austin Butler, charismatique et doté de talents de danseur et de chanteur, est absolument excellent dans le rôle principal. Non seulement il parvient à captiver sans ciller lors des numéros musicaux magnifiquement filmés, mais il parvient également naturellement et délicatement à exprimer toute une gamme d'émotions dans les moments calmes. La plupart des rôles secondaires et périphériques sont également parfaitement interprétés. En particulier, le personnage secondaire le plus important, Tom Hanks, est excellent dans le rôle de l'agent musical d'Elvis, qui est aussi le narrateur du film. Bien que, dans ses commentaires, il tente à plusieurs reprises de convaincre le public qu'il avait toujours de bonnes intentions envers son protégé, ses actes capturés par le film racontent tout le contraire. Sa perspective de narrateur peu fiable se complète naturellement avec la perspective d'Elvis, et le film se concentre fortement sur les transformations de leur relation amicale, familiale et commerciale. L'histoire suit une structure précisément rythmée, dans laquelle les performances d'Elvis sont toujours le point culminant des différentes périodes et segments isolés. Le réalisateur Baz Luhrmann est dans sa meilleure forme depuis Moulin Rouge, excellant également en tant que conteur audiovisuel phénoménal et maître du montage, à qui quelques plans de deux secondes et une bande son appropriée suffisent pour capturer instantanément l'ambiance parfaite du moment, de l'environnement et des circonstances. Dans le domaine des biopics sur les légendes de la musique, Elvis est un joyau qui présente son héros éponyme à travers de nombreuses situations et styles différents, qui vous captivera indépendamment de la connaissance de son destin ou de ses chansons, et ne remet pas en cause la talent de son réalisateur grâce aux nombreuses marques de fabrique et techniques de réalisation bien identifiables. C'est un voyage audiovisuel captivant qui vous embarque dès les premiers plans et qui appelle à être diffusé sur grand écran. (24/06/2022)

After Freddie Mercury and Elton John, the King of Rock 'n' Roll and his (in)famous story also found its way to the big screen. Baz Luhrmann's films stand out audiovisually, with unmistakable soundtracks, lavish production design and gorgeous costumes, and Elvis also bears a strong directorial signature. I was intrigued that Elvis's story was told from the perspective of his controversial manager, who tried to keep him in a golden but exceedingly toxic cage. From an acting standpoint, I have nothing to criticize, Austin Butler and Tom Hanks are superb, and they are wonderfully seconded by Olivia DeJonge. For me, the strongest scenes were the dialogue with the mothers, Elvis and Priscilla's conversation in the car, and of course the performance with “Unchained Melody”. While I'm not a huge Elvis fan, the film managed to keep me on my toes despite its longer running time. PS: "When things are too dangerous to say, sing." (23/06/2022)

It suffers from pretty much everything that current mainstream biopics about music legends suffer from. 1) an unquestioningly noble protagonist as victim of the intersectionality of unsavory businessmen (Tom Hanks here is pretty much playing the Penguin from the comic books, with all the grotesque overacting that entails) 2) a narrative fractured into disembodied scenes, a year here, five years there 3) an attempt to anchor a potentially controversial hero in the mindset of the contemporary mainstream (Elvis, a queer icon, hangs sulking with his African-American pals). 4) When the filmmakers run out of mergle or get tired of it, along comes the green screen. I barfed at the final scene at the airport. ____ Unlike the other flat bio-memorials, however, Elvis has Luhrmann behind him, which... weeeeeell, it’s not bad news, but it’s not exactly good either. Because I have a recurring problem with this director – his methods of visual interpretation and indeed narrative as a whole is horrible kitsch, almost to the point of actually being an exploitation of kitsch. But one of the problems with kitsch is that underneath its perhaps flashy and colorful veneer you can tell at first glance that it’s not bringing anything new to the table. And yet here it is. Luhrmann can bust a gut in his effort to make sure not a second goes by without entertaining you and giving you something to look at. The image splitting, camera rotation, zooms, reflections, deliberate staginess, and frantic editing that often divides scenes into half-second shots are things that Bay, Neveldine/Taylor, or Gilliam got away with because they were intertwined with a comparably insane narrative. Elvis is just a conventional family spectacle about a kid from the suburbs where the camera pans dramatically to the Intercontinental Hotel eight times and the editing is all done with blurry rotation. (25/09/2022)

For me, the biggest surprise of this year’s season. A riveting spectacle that is ecstatically overblown, especially in its opening, but it's also bursting with ideas for the rest of its running time and really squeezes the most out of the material within the ossified "biopic" genre. And I'm not a fan of either Luhrmann or Elvis. (29/12/2022)