Movie Review: Elvis (2022)

Elvis is an interesting biopic, but one that has a certain audience in mind. While I do appreciate the film’s unique storytelling, its novelty wears off. Not everything in this movie works. Sometimes you get some interesting narrative about Elvis, but most of the time, this film is sporadic and lacking in focus. While I didn’t outright hate this film, I wouldn’t go out of my way to watch it. I definitely won’t be watching it again by choice.

Elvis is the dramatization of Elvis’s career. The movie will jump around various key moments in Elvis’ life. These jumps often happen in the same scene. I can’t speak on the film’s historical accuracy, but parts of this movie feel embellished for narrative purposes and to make Elvis a sympathetic character. I can’t overlook how one-sided this narrative seems to be. I can only wonder about the unfavorable parts of Elvis’ personality that they hide behind the flashing lights and his famous wiggle.

Elvis is fine. The acting and music are great, but the sporadic narrative style leaves a lot to be desired. The constant jumping in time, the overbearing narration, and the editing make this feel like a long trailer for the movie about his life. This whole experience feels like an Elvis Presley speedrun that skips a lot of crucial story beats about his character. When the movie decides to have a long uninterrupted scene, I loved it. I loved watching the performances, but they were often cut too short. As I have mentioned before, the concept is great, but the execution isn’t effective.

If you are an Elvis fan, you will probably have a lot more fun than I do. I loved the music in this movie, I am sure you have a deeper appreciation for it. I also can’t deny that Austin Bulter gives a great performance. That said, this is made with a specific audience in mind, and if you don’t like the style, you won’t like the movie. If you like biopics, this is an interesting one, to say the least; otherwise, I would hold off on watching this till you can find it somewhere for free.

4 thoughts on “Movie Review: Elvis (2022)”

  1. Rosaliene Bacchus – Los Angeles - California - USA – I was born in Guyana, a former British colony on the northern coast of the South American continent. As the only English-speaking country on the continent, Guyana's historical, cultural, and economic development is linked with the Caribbean Region and is a founding member of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). In 1987, I migrated with my husband and two sons to Fortaleza, capital of the northeastern State of Ceara in Brazil. For fourteen years, I worked as an import-export manager. My sons and I migrated to Los Angeles, Southern California in the USA, in October 2003. After migrating to the USA, I started writing articles about international trade issues and US-Brazil trade, as well as fictional short stories. As a form of self-therapy, I began working on a novel. You can learn about my journey as a writer on my author’s website. My debut novel, Under the Tamarind Tree, was released in August 2019. You can learn more, read reviews, and purchase a copy on my author’s website at Under the Tamarind Tree: A Novel by Rosaliene Bacchus. My second novel, The Twisted Circle, the story of a young nun’s journey to self-determination in a patriarchal church, was released in August 2021. I am currently working on my first book of creative non-fiction.
    Rosaliene Bacchus says:

    Thanks for the review and don’t doubt that your criticisms are justified. As an Elvis Presley fan who saw all of his movies, I look forward to seeing Austin Butler’s performance in due course.

    1. I have gone back to see some of the live performances that are in the movie and Butler comes pretty close. Obviously no one can beat the king, but the performances in this movie are super fun. I respect the energy and respect Butler put into this role.

  2. troycarruthers – I am a franchise owner/technician specializing in mobile auto paint and tire rim repair. I live in New Brunswick, Canada, with my wife and children whom I love even more than movies.
    troycarruthers says:

    Great review Jose! I did enjoy it quite a bit, but I think you’re right That if someone doesn’t like the style they won’t like the movie.

    1. I loved all the moments where he was singing, I can respect the amount of work put into those performances. I just wish it was more of that instead of the constant jumping around. Thanks for reading!

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