Elvis

Growing up in Tupelo, Mississippi Elvis Presley (Austin Butler) would take influences from the largely African American culture he grew up in and infuse them into his own special style of rock and roll. With his dashing good looks and natural instincts as a showman the world couldn’t seem to get enough of Elvis, and, combined with the marketing genius of manager/hustler Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks), Elvis would of course become The King of Rock and Roll. Detailing his rise and fall through the eyes of a near death Parker, this is Elvis.Written by Craig Pearce, Sam Bromell, and Baz Luhrmann, and Directed by Luhrmann, this fictionalized recounting of history surrounding one of the most iconic showmen to take the stage in the 20th century sets out with great ambition but falls far short of the fevered dreamlike quality and imagination that’s come to be expected from a Baz Luhrmann film. Attempts at combining the contemporary rap and hip hop with classic Elvis lack the pizzaz or storytelling quality we’ve seen in previous Luhrmann films, and to be frank the final third of the film, the Vegas years, droll on for what feels like an eternity, essentially dragging the viewer into a less than entertaining drug induced bender of gluttony and abuse. A tragic film to a tragic character in the world of Pop/Rock history, The King deserves better. Running a brutal two hours and thirty nine minutes and rated PG-13, perhaps steer clear this weekend.