Luhrmann’s most notable credits include the visually stunning musical “Moulin Rouge!”, Which offers obvious stylistic parallels. However, employing the turbulent and surreal aspects of that 2001 romantic fantasy clashes with the demands of a biographical film, drowning the substance with a hectic and frantic montage that attenuates the excitement of Butler’s punctual performance. , which has been accepted by Presley’s family and Although Elvis Presley’s life has been documented in several projects, the main precedent seems to be a 1993 television film, “Elvis and the Colonel”, which focused on the relationship between the star and his manager / manager, Colonel Tom Parker, making Beau Bridges the latter. A colorful, dark figure, Parker’s control sparked allegations of serious financial scams that were only exposed after Presley’s death in 1977.
Here, Luhrmann (who shares the script with three more people, almost a decade after his last film “The Great Gatsby”) makes the almost fatal mistake of telling the story primarily from Parker’s point of view. This puts the emphasis on a highly invented Hanks, which adopts an accent that, at best, can be described as punishment, acting as a narrator and addressing the audience directly.
“I’m the man who gave the world Elvis Presley,” Parker boasted, adding, “Me and Elvis, we were partners.”
Thus, “Elvis” begins in the critical phase when Parker enters Presley’s life as he begins his singing career at the regional level. But Parker’s frame of reference has less to do with music, in fact, it’s largely indifferent to that, than carnival attractions, almost saliva when he identifies the powerful effect Elvis ’movements have on women of the crowd.
While this still leaves room for Presley’s spectacular rise despite the creative and professional shackles Parker put into it, Luhrmann’s narrative approach doesn’t really develop the characters, including, to some extent, Presley himself. The scenes pass so quickly that even Elvis’ wife, Priscilla (Olivia DeJonge), parents (Helen Thomson and the alum of “Moulin Rouge!” Richard Roxburgh) and the group of friends from Memphis meet. the name but barely recorded, despite a film publishing more than 2 and a half hours.
Where does time go? Much of it is devoted to meticulously replicating Presley’s performances, including a detailed presentation of his acclaimed 1968 NBC special, which gives the opportunity to shine in Butler’s infallible imitation. But efforts to contextualize Presley’s journey with events such as the devastating 1960s murders and racial relations are overshadowed by the blurred narrative, which is not helped by a sly dialogue like Parker saying, “It’s my fault that the world have you changed
At the very least, the film helps rekindle the appreciation of Presley’s talent that will cause many to dust off the collections of great hits and cut through these classic songs. However, as impressive as it is to see Butler approach the king doing something like “Suspicious Minds,” “Elvis,” the film, he ends up trapped in a trap entirely made by himself.
“Elvis” opens on June 24 in U.S. theaters and is being released by Warner Bros., as CNN, a unit of Warner Bros. Discovery. It has a PG-13 rating.