Butler & Baz dazzle in a surprisingly ordinary biopic.

Considering his iconic status, it probably comes as no surprise that Elvis Presley has had plenty of onscreen portrayals through the years. From biopics to parodies to spectral cameos and everything in between, Elvis’ screen life has managed to last well beyond his passing.

During this time, everyone from Kurt Russell to Bruce Campbell has offered their take on The King, yet few have hit quite the right notes. As a man whose persona proceeded him, and whose life so often appeared stranger than fiction, even the best actors in the game have struggled to live up to expectations.

So, here we are forty-five years after his untimely death with perhaps the most sweeping big screen depiction of Elvis’ career to date, as the singular vision of Baz Luhrmann and the striking looks of Austin Butler combine for a brash, flamboyant run through of his life.

From humble beginnings to the top of the world and back down again, we’re offered a vibrant glimpse into the life and music of Elvis Presley (Austin Butler), all seen through the prism of his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks). Spanning twenty years and against a backdrop of America’s evolving cultural landscape, we delve into the complex dynamic between Presley and Parker, and how much this relationship would ultimately lead to The King’s downfall.

Biopics are a funny thing. Done right and it can be among the most fascinating genres around, done badly, however, and you’d struggle to find a more insipid out there.

At the end of the day, there really are few approaches your average biopic can take to tell its story and, often, many will decide on the path of least resistance. In many ways, Elvis is as linear and narratively conservative as they come, yet its bold presentation is anything but.

This, in no small part, is down to the hiring of Baz Luhrmann as director. Right from the off, Luhrmann’s style hits you like a ton of bricks and rarely lets up for the remainder of the film’s chunky 160-minute run time.

For anyone who’s seen even a minute of his previous works, you’ll know full well what to expect from a Baz Luhrmann-crafted Elvis biopic, and the director does not disappoint. Whether it’s Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rouge! or The Great Gatsby, Luhrmann’s style has been nothing if not consistent in its vibrant visual identity and Elvis is no different, as the director piles on the style like there’s no tomorrow.

From beginning to end, Elvis is an absolute sensory overload. It’s a sparkly, jangly, rhinestone-plastered, candy-coated ride that knows the limitations of its genre and makes no bones about covering over its cracks with the kind of ostentatious window dressing that would’ve made Elvis himself proud.

With all the director’s signature stylistic affectations present and with the kind of rapid-fire editing you’d usually associate with a music video, the film will sweep you off your feet and leave you in a daze, as Luhrmann offers a shot in the arm for what can so often be an exceedingly stodgy genre.

Quite honestly, you’d expect nothing less for a big screen recapping of Elvis Presley’s career, but while the film has style for days, you really don’t need to dig too deep before arriving at its hollow centre. For, as impressive and distinctive as the film is on the surface, under it all, it remains a distinctly strait-laced biopic. Strait

Running us from point A to point B in Elvis’ career with little deviation, the film hits familiar notes that anyone with even a passing knowledge of either Presley’s life or the narrative formulae of the music biopic will clock from a mile off. Sure, you don’t necessarily approach a biopic wanting anything too narratively progressive, however, when you consider the lengths to which Luhrmann has gone to ensure Elvis stands out from the crowd, you’d be forgiven for expecting something a little more distinctive underneath the shiny surface.

It’s a wild ride through the life of one of the wildest there’s ever been, yet the film’s insistence on sticking to conventions holds it back from being a truly great one. For those with little background knowledge of Elvis, several the revelations surrounding his career and his strange, symbiotic relationship with Colonel Tom Parker will certainly add enough intrigue to coax you in, but for those with a deeper understanding of Elvis Presley, there may not be enough there to make it any more than another rehash of his story.

What does, however, give Elvis a big edge over anything that’s gone before is the film’s frontman. It should never be underestimated just how incredibly hard it is to embody a figure as singularly iconic as Elvis Presley without it tipping over into parody, but there’s no risk of that here, as Austin Butler puts in a note-perfect performance as The King.

With bombast and swagger to spare, and backed up by one hell of a voice, Butler goes all in for a performance befitting the larger-than-life legend, all without descending into caricature. Make no mistake, this is a portrayal that could’ve easily fallen flat on its face, yet Butler strikes just the right chord to lift the entire film above its limitations.

It’s a feat made even more impressive by Butler’s relative unknown status, as he utterly morphs into Elvis - voice, mannerisms, quirks, and all - completely outshining his far more illustrious co-star, Tom Hanks, who’s performance as Colonel Tom Parker can politely be described as…interesting.

With an accent landing somewhere between Colonel Sanders and Count Dracula, and covered in a frankly unnerving layer of prosthetics, Hanks certainly has some fun with the villainous role, yet it all ends up leaving a rather strange taste in the mouth. Considering Butler’s mesmeric, chameleon-like transformation, it’s a huge shame that Hanks is unable to follow suit, as his Parker ends up being every bit the caricature his co-star’s Elvis isn’t.

Not so much horrible, more horribly miscast, Hanks’ oddball performance is, however, indicative of the entire film’s outrageously OTT outlook and, in many ways, feeds into its overriding sense of gregarious fun, which is more than can be said for your average paint-by-numbers biopic.

Built on the back of Austin Butler’s enthralling performance and bolstered by a big old dose of Baz razzmatazz, Elvis is about as enjoyable music biopic as you could hope for. With style for days, a suitably killer soundtrack, and breakneck editing, Luhrmann’s hyperkinetic approach and lavish styling just about mask over the film’s failings to do Elvis Presley, his whirlwind life, and his iconic music justice.