Editor’s Note: Former movie columnist Tom Sansom returns for one edition to review Elvis, which he was so taken with that he submitted a review to us after retiring from officially writing for MSDN/MHN a number of years ago now. Regular MSDN/MHN Movie Columnist Will Moore will return with our September 8 edition.
The last time I was in a movie theatre was before the Pandemic, which coincided with my last column as Sun City’s resident movie critic. I had no plans to go until a number of friends told me about the movie Elvis. They, in fact, insisted I see it. I finally gave in and Annamarie and I went to an afternoon matinee. That was one of the best decisions we’ve made in a long time.
Austin Butler stars as the King. For all intents and purposes, he is Elvis. He strongly resembles him and his voice is phenomenal. He does virtually all of the singing and sounds every bit as good as the original. He recreates the flamboyance, moves and gestures that (at one time) only the King himself could do. We literally sat awestruck watching him perform, as did everyone else in the theatre.
One of my (long ago) dreams was to see Elvis perform in Las Vegas. Despite my best efforts I could never coordinate my schedule with his, (although we saw Wayne Newton live three times, which was awesome). That dream was fulfilled as a portion of the story was devoted to his Las Vegas performances, it was as good and entertaining as the real thing, (and much cheaper too!).
Elvis
Entertainment Rating: ★★★★
Rating: PG-13
Possible Oscar Nominations: Best Actor: Austin Butler; Best Movie: Director Baz Luhrman
The story follows Elvis from boyhood to stardom. His early devotion to gospel music paved the way for him, and his childhood, which was difficult, laid the foundation for his rise to stardom. Along the way he crossed paths with all manner of personalities, musicians and those who wanted to take advantage of an inexperienced but highly unusual talent. One of those was Colonel Tom Parker, who eventually became his manager. Parker is played by Tom Hanks, who in my humble opinion, is one of the two or three best actors ever. Most of Elvis’ fans knew about Parker, but few realized what he was really like. Evil is the best word. He fleeced Elvis endlessly and the King trusted him. Hanks’ portrayal is excellent, but his character leaves so much to be desired.
A number of you have probably already seen this film as it has been out for a while. If you haven’t, I encourage you to go. You will see the best performance of the year, I promise.
