But you should still go see the movie because Lurhmann get's a lot right in this stunning spectacle which will unrelentingly hold your attention for nearly three hours with constant movement, quick cuts, split screens, overlapping anguished moments, vintage photos, animated sequences, newspaper headlines, the full-throated screeching of devotees and, of course, endless music. If you thought Lurhmann pulled out all the stops in Moulin Rouge, think again. With Elvis, he shows that he still has plenty of tricks up his sleeve and he uses all of them in a slam bang film that's perfect for the TicTock generation but also dutifully evocative for the rest of us.
This movie is epic. There's no other way to describe it. And yes, it borrows from other movies and other directors and, in its own way, pays homage to them. But it's also a daringly original work. Lurhmann has a a lot of ground to cover here (all 42 years of Elvis' life) and he skips over some key portions (like Elvis' military service in Germany) but he manages to pull it all off by having Colonel Parker (superbly portrayed by Tom Hanks) as the film's narrator. As for Austin Butler's star turn as Elvis, it's simply breathtaking. This is not somebody pretending to be Elvis and this is no impersonation. Rather, this is as close to an inhabitation as you will ever see. Butler assumes the presence of Elvis and delivers the essence of his legendary performer for new generations. Both Hanks and Butler are giving Oscar worthy performances here.
Go see Elvis. And, by all means, see it in a theater on the Big Screen. Nothing else will do this movie justice. As the examination of one iconic personality and his impact on others, this is right up there with Citizen Kane.
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