{"id":38906,"date":"2023-02-17T08:51:21","date_gmt":"2023-02-17T13:51:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/?p=38906"},"modified":"2023-02-17T08:54:56","modified_gmt":"2023-02-17T13:54:56","slug":"elvis-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/2023\/02\/17\/elvis-2022\/","title":{"rendered":"Elvis (2022)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>This is one of the reasons why I normally detest music bio pics, is that they always present a skewed version of the actual story behind so many of these musicians. \u201cElvis\u201d is by no means one of the worst biopics I\u2019ve seen, but it once again presents Elvis as someone who spent his life being exploited. \u201cElvis\u201d depicts the titular rock musician as someone who was hopelessly a victim to his manager Colonel Parker who managed to find ways to control the musician and his life. At every turn the movie frames Colonel Parker as this slimy mastermind who turned Elvis in to his own circus sideshow for his entire life.<\/p>\n

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\u201cElvis\u201d centers on the life and music of Elvis Presley (Austin Butler), seen through the prism of his relationship with his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks). The story delves into the 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 cultural landscape and loss of innocence in America. Central to that journey is one of the most significant and influential people in Elvis’s life, Priscilla Presley (Olivia DeJonge).<\/p>\n

Director Luhrmann seeks actively to absolve Elvis Presly of his sins, whether it be poaching African American music, taking credit for black artists music, and being a genuine slime ball when it came to women. There\u2019s no look in to how he preferred underage women, his oedipal relationship with his mother, and his alleged affair with his friend Nick Adams. Instead \u201cElvis\u201d is formed through the eyes of Parker who spends a majority of his screen time explaining how he used Elvis and manipulated him like a puppet master. At times Parker even seems proud of how he turned Elvis in to his own toy to play with.<\/p>\n

And while by all accounts that it is fact, \u201cElvis\u201d makes the man himself feel like a talented singer who was tricked left and right. Rather than owning up to a lot of the man\u2019s mistakes while also taking Parker to task, Baz Luhrmann, like everyone else, perceives Elvis through this idyllic lens. On screen he\u2019s a larger than life individual working toward the wholesome goal of rock stardom. And every time the narrative slides in to exploring his more human flaws and mistakes, Luhrmann veers right back in to depicting him as this idol that was destroyed by sinister forces. It\u2019s not to say \u201cElvis\u201d is a bad movie. It\u2019s a pretty okay film all things considered, stacking the screen with great performances including Austin Butler who is enormous as Elvis.<\/p>\n

I also enjoyed Olivia DeJonge as Priscilla, while Hanks is very good as the conniving Parker. Luhrmann\u2019s direction is fantastic as well, with much of his dazzling camera work and mix of modern pop and classic pop make \u201cElvis\u201d an experience as well as a film. That said, while \u201cElvis\u201d might please his hardcore fans in the long run, the film is another flat one sided look at a rock idol that\u2019s never bold enough to challenge our perceptions of them.<\/p>\n