Elvis

I loved Austin Butler and the spectacle of it. Although compared to BL's others this is isn't as Wow! But I found the script was greatly lacking in depth. Glad I saw it but for me its not one to shout about.

Just out from this. Austin Butler Is just incredible.
Great film.

I saw this on the weekend and loved it. Agree with Jon that if someone isn’t a fan of Baz Luhrmann’s style then I don’t think they will enjoy this. He’s a very unique and visual filmmaker. I didn’t really know Austin Butler before this but wow what a performance! I think it worked better than having a very well known face taking the part of Elvis (personally I’m so glad that it wasn’t Harry Styles, that would have been awful). I know it wasn’t all 100% accurate to the real story but it was a movie, not a documentary. It was entertaining from start to finish.

In contrast to the OP, I found the first half more engrossing. Here, we get to see the character development of Elvis Presley and his relationship with his parents. Later on, the film loses its focus and tells less in a greater running time. The movie really didn't need to be 159 minutes long.

This being Baz Luhrmann, Elvis is not a simple biopic, but more a dark fairytale, with a beautiful colour palette, gorgeous production design, fast and wild editing, and a stunningly immersive soundtrack. The start is so promising and impactful, that I thought this was headed for film-of-the-year territory, but it's not long before disappointment starts to set in.

There are two big issues:

- Colonel Tom Parker is a caricature rather than the fully fleshed-out human being and family man that he was in real life, and Tom Hanks is completely miscast in the role;
- Rather than celebrate the fantastic music of Elvis and that which influenced him, Luhrmann has chosen to interweave some specially-created, modern r'n'b and rap interpretations that jar and wreck what was otherwise a delightful aural experience; the musical sounds of the 50s and 60s are good enough to speak for themselves, and are tarnished by the juxtaposition and association with 21st century crap.

As the title character, Austin Butler is phenomenal, and is surely destined for an Oscar.

Elvis is dazzling cinema, and, if it introduces a new generation to rock'n'roll and traditional rhythm-and-blues music (before the latter genre morphed beyond recognition and turned sour in the 90s), then that is for the good. Certainly, BBC Radio has done its level best to excise anything pre-1970 from its mainstream schedules, and, as Kate Bush is currently proving, the age of music is no barrier to its popularity amongst the young when they are actually exposed to it.

Go see Elvis, but, do yourself a favour, and see it on the biggest screen possible with the best sound system.

Four stars.

Typical Luhrmann style over substance, like his Great Gatsby the first 45 minutes are wonderful and then it falls apart because he's not a storyteller with any depth

I am not an Elvis fan but loved this film.
I've seen it twice already and will probably see it again. I thought it was great.

The only negatives for me were the first few minutes which was throwing the kitchen sink of effects at us, and Tom Hanks direction seem to be mainly stand and stare.

really? 

And hey folks: like the boat sinking in Titanic, Elvis has died so no spoiler warnings needed 😂

Yes we know he died. But reveals of the detail of film are still spoilers. You made a spoiler warning yourself so you apparently agree that it’s a spoiler why not tag it just for the people who don’t want to know the way the plot goes before they see it?