Nashville Noise got an exciting invite this week when we were invited to a pre-screening of Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis. Not only were we looking forward to seeing Austin Butler personify The King, but we got to see it in ScreenX!
ScreenX is a panoramic format where the movie is projected on 270-degree screens (the front and side walls are full screens). It was an incredible experience and the movie did not disappoint.
I went into Luhrmann’s adaptation of the life of The King of Rock and Roll with low expectations. I’m a cynic, after all. But Elvis was beyond my expectations. It was almost three hours of pure entertainment. I’m already making plans to see it again. Move over Top Gun: Maverick, there’s a new hound dog in town.
Elvis taps into every era of Presley’s life from his adolescence, where he discovered blues and gospel in the projects of Tupelo, until the heartbreaking end in 1977. The main plot line is the fascinating, albeit volatile, relationship between Presley (of course played by Butler) and Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks).
The music in this film was incredible. It’s almost hard to find the words to describe it so I’ll just say one: WOW. The soundtrack includes the likes of Doja Cat and Eminem.
Of course, it’s not just the music that carries the film. All of the actors were incredible, including Hanks in his role as Col Tom Parker. Let’s be honest, Hanks nails all of his roles, even Bosom Buddies. The only complaint I have is when I watched the movie, I saw Hanks. Butler, on the other hand, completely personified Presley. You don’t see an actor. You see The King. If I had a vote, I’d give Butler the Oscar tomorrow.
There’s so much I want to tell you but I don’t want this review to be as long as the movie. So let me just tell you to go see it. Trust me on this one. If ScreenX is an option, do that and thank me (thank me very much) after.
