“Elvis” is a PG-13 biopic that tells the story of the rise to fame and tragic downfall of the notorious rock n’ roll icon, Elvis Presley. The film was written and produced by Baz Luhrmann, and was released in theaters on June 24, 2022. As of September 2, though, “Elvis” has been released to the streaming service HBO Max.

 The film mainly focuses on the relationship between Elvis (played by Austin Butler) and his manager, Colonel Tom Parker (played by Tom Hanks), though this is not the only relationship that is touched on in this movie. Over the course of the film, viewers get a glimpse into Elvis’ relationship with his wife, Priscilla Presley (played by Olivia DeJonge), his parents (played by Helen Thompson and Richard Roxburgh), and many more as well. Likewise, the movie highlights key points in Elvis’ career that shot him into stardom, as well as the factors that played into his tragic demise. 

The first thing I noticed about “Elvis” is how accurate it was to real life events. When creating a biopic, there should not be any misinformation about the person who is being told about. As I watched “Elvis,” I did not feel misled or suspicious about the events that were being shown before my eyes. Also, the movie touches on occurrences in Elvis’s life that many people may not have known about him prior to tuning in. The little peeks into Elvis’ reality helped me, as a fellow watcher, understand why his career unraveled the way it did. Reliability is a factor that I deem to be very important when viewing a biopic and “Elvis” maintained that reliability exceptionally.

Another element that I found to be brilliant was the acting within the film. You don’t have to be a professional movie critic or casting director to notice that the acting in “Elvis” was remarkable. By just sitting down and watching the film, I could tell that every actor who was hired to be a part of the project worked to their full potential to make the movie amazing. Although every actor in the film was wonderful, there are three that I thought were particularly notable: Austin Butler, Tom Hanks, and Olivia DeJonge. 

From the voice, the mannerisms and the emotion, Austin Butler played the role of Elvis to a T. By watching his performance, I could tell that he clearly did some intensive research for his role. In fact, Butler has vouched first hand that he had meticulously studied the king of rock and roll for three whole years after being cast. Also, Butler mastered the voice of Elvis unlike anything I have ever heard before. The way he pronounced his words, the accent, and the unique singing voice made the film feel ten times more authentic.

Moving on to Tom Hanks, he had a noteworthy performance as the Colonel Tom Parker. He was able to encapsulate the mysterious, scheming identity of the Colonel, and I was very impressed to say the least. I feel that Hanks’ ability to shape-shift into his characters shined brightly indeed as his character, Colonel Tom Parker. Lastly, Olivia DeJonge’s appearance as Priscilla Presley was particularly fabulous, in my opinion. I admired the way DeJonge portrayed Priscilla because of the way she was able to display the emotions that she was enduring while in her relationship with Elvis. Watching DeJonge’s powerful and expressive acting made me genuinely tear up a few times.

Overall, I really enjoyed watching “Elvis.” It was definitely one of the better biopics I’ve seen in a while. I thought that the entirety of the film was very authentic and respectful. I would recommend this movie to Elvis-lovers and people who enjoy movies based on a true story as a whole. Personally, I would rate this movie 5/5 stars.