Elvis (2022) | I’ve Watched It, But Should You?

To be completely honest with you, I didn’t have any high hopes for the movie when I heard it was coming out. I thought it would be another one of the “Bohemian Rhapsody” types of movies, which I did like, but was getting kinda bored of. I also didn’t know much about Elvis himself, or at least I knew the basics that he was well known. But then, one day, I decided to break into my savings to afford a ticket to the cinema, and here is my opinion.

Usually, when I do these types of posts (despite the fact this is my 2nd movie review post) I like to have a section for the people who haven’t watched it and for the people who have because I do like to talk about the actual movie itself. So don’t feel tempted to read the second part because there may be some spoilers (despite the fact it is literally based on a man’s life which you could probably search up so it really isn’t a spoiler but a fact).

Should You Watch It?

To put it simply, FUCK. YES. Excuse my french, but it literally was a good movie. And I know, I know, it is literally 2 and a half hours long and that killed me to hear as well. But let me explain why it isn’t actually that bad.

Firstly, I am the kind of person that can only watch seasons like “Friends” because anything over the 25-minute mark is like a slow, merciless death. Getting through stranger things was a real struggle for me (totally worth it though tbh). So, naturally, you can see why this would make me want to avoid the Elvis movie. But, to my surprise, it actually went pretty quickly.

Well, it did feel like a long movie, don’t get me wrong, but none of it felt unnecessary. It all felt like it was important to know. I mean we all knew what the end was going to be before we watched it, but there are some things that you didn’t hear that much and it is pretty interesting and sad.

Secondly, the actors in it are literally amazing. This hasn’t got to do with how long the movie is, but if their acting sucked then it would have been 10 times worse, obviously. The acting was so impactful that I literally started to dislike Tom Hanks for a quick second. Now, I’m sorry to admit that and I know that is a sin, but for real, I felt anger when I saw his face.

On the other hand, we have Austin Butler, or as he is known in the film, Elvis. If you don’t know much about him, he is a method actor. And when I say he is dedicated, I mean he became Elvis for around a year and a half before they even started filming. 6 months of that was in lockdown so that was why it was for so long, but still. I think he deserves a round of applause. We all strive to find a man with this much commitment!

And lastly, why is the really, really long movie a good idea to watch? Because you get your money’s worth. If you are gonna go see a movie for literally £8.50, you better know I’m gonna want to be in there for as long as possible. I’m just chuckling halfway through as the minion movie ends twice during our film. So it kind of makes the price worth it (slightly).

Overall, I think you should definitely go see it because it genuinely is just such a great movie. The acting is perfect. The cinematography is perfect. The way it goes from re-made to original videos of Elvis is PERFECT. I do struggle with movies sometimes because I think they can be dragged out a little, but the whole entire film had so much meaning and emotion behind it and shows how fame can truly change people and tear your family apart. So, to conclude, I watched it and you DEFINITELY should too!

Post-Movie Watchers

Right, let’s get into the real stuff because I haven’t talked to anyone about it yet.

Let’s start at the beginning. I had NEVER heard about anything to do with Elvis’s background. I knew he was big and I knew he died young, but I never knew about his family history and what inspired him to make music. So hearing about how his parents moved to a black neighbourhood and were influenced by the music was so amazing.

Don’t even get me started on the scene where he went into the tent where they had the preacher and everyone was dancing and getting really into the music! It was literally so good! And when Elvis’s friend tried to pull him out again and the preacher was like “no, he’s with the lord now” I was like PERIODT. I swear by the end of that scene I was next in line because it was literally so impactful. It all felt so real and the music was just amazing.

What I really loved about the movie was how well they emphasized the influence of “black music” on Elvis because it was such a big part of who Elvis was. I mean in the middle of the movie when Elvis was watching a guy singing in the bar and was proper getting into the music, it really just showed how energetic and influential their music is. It wasn’t just a song, it was a performance that everyone was getting into. And then to see how Elvis then went against his agent by doing all the leg shaking, or whatever it was they were pissed about, was like “oh shit, PERIODT.” because he was so motivated to do what he actually wanted to do and do it the way he wanted to.

Imagine being at one of his concerts though, it’s so mental! And then when he went around the crowd and proper started kissing everyone! I was kinda like “OK?” and then I was like “but his wife?” and I felt too sad when I saw she was just sitting there watching. Fair play though because she just accepted it and knew that it wasn’t anything personal. Props to her I guess especially when she walked out on him but he started crying on the steps and said really sweet stuff but still left anyway. I was for sure she would have stayed or something but we love a woman who knows how to say no!

The thing is she was such a lovely person. Like you could tell that she wasn’t in it for the money. Honestly, get her a movie too because I need to know what happened to her and her daughter! I could search it up but like I don’t want to.

The scene in the car near the end where Elvis handed over the daughter and then it was just the two of them in the car and she was like “promise me you will get help” and had already planned out how it would work, I was near in tears! And I don’t even cry at things! I’ve only cried at Moana and Fatherhood)

And then when he said he had to go and he just stared at her before getting in the car and mouthed “I will always love you” I was fighting! Literally fighting to keep it together! But then I later found out that she was 14 when they got together so that kinda weirded me out a bit, but in the movie, when I didn’t know he was sort of a paedo, it was cute.

Did anybody else hate Tom Hanks for a quick second as well? I mean, I adore the man, but he acts too well at this point. It’s when Elvis falls for his games that I literally crumble inside because why the fuck would he do that to him? Literally taking him for all he has. I don’t know how I felt seeing him like that. It kinda threw me but maybe they wanted a friendly face to make us trust him too? I don’t know, I think I cracked it.

One really difficult scene for me was the one where Elvis literally faints in the hallway before the show and they shove his face in the iced water and he is literally dying on the ground but then the agent guy is like “he has to go on stage no matter what!” but then puts the decision onto the dad’s shoulders! The dad was so confused and you could just tell that he was so frightened and was thinking of what his wife would have wanted 😦 It was so hard to see them be manipulated like that because they used to be such wholesome people. The dad just wanted what was best for his son in a world that neither of them was familiar with.

I could probably talk about that movie all day, but honestly, it’s too heartbreaking. I might go watch it again once I have recovered my life savings. I hope you found this useful and if so please leave a like. Also, comment below what you thought about the movie. Was it just as good as you thought it would be? Better? Do you agree with what I’ve said (you better… jk)? Anyways, I hope you have a great day, stay safe and stay yourself PERIODT.

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