Overview
On the big screen since late June, Baz Luhrmann's Elvis Presley biopic has already proven one for the money, and currently sits among the top ten box-office drawcards for 2022 so far. But if you've already seen it in cinemas and you're keen for a repeat date with Austin Butler as the king of rock 'n' roll, you can now get all shook up from your couch — yes, Elvis is the latest high-profile flick to release on digital while it's still showing in movie theatres.
As always, the silver screen is the best possible setting for Luhrmann's step back into Presley's life. Butler's swinging hips and slicked-back pompadour deserve to be projected onto the largest surface possible. The film's unsurprisingly enormous playlist of tunes sounds a treat echoing out of cinema speakers, too. Still, giving audiences more choice when it comes to how, where and when they see movies — and catering for everyone who hasn't been able to make it to a big-screen showing so far — is always a great thing.
Elvis follows in some pretty hefty footsteps this year alone, with everything from Dune, The Matrix Resurrections and Spencer through to West Side Story, Everything Everywhere All At Once and The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent doing the same thing. Yes, fast-tracking from the big to the small screen is that common. That doesn't make Elvis entering the building — your building — any less welcome. Thank you, thank you very much indeed.
If you've somehow missed everything to do with Luhrmann's film, it sees Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and The Dead Don't Die actor Butler slip into Presley's blue suede shoes to play the music icon from his teenage years through to his death — covering everything from the singer's days on the carnival circus through to his Las Vegas residency. Fame, love, scandal, Graceland, drugs, stress, all those songs: yes, they're all included.
Shot in Australia, Elvis also stars Tom Hanks (News of the World) as Presley's manager Colonel Tom Parker, alongside a wealth of local talent — including Olivia DeJonge (The Staircase) as Priscilla, Richard Roxburgh (Fires) as Presley's father Vernon, Oscar-nominee Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Power of the Dog) as singer Jimmie Rodgers and David Wenham (The Furnace) as country artist Hank Snow.
Charting its namesake's rise not just to popularity, but to icon status; exploring the role that manager Parker played in that journey; showing the toll that such a life took, and what it says about America and pop culture: that's all in the movie's remit as well. That and some phenomenal live performance scenes that'll test out your home speakers.
Check out the trailer for Elvis below:
Elvis is currently screening in Australian cinemas, and is also available to stream online via video on demand — including via Google Play, YouTube Movies and iTunes. Read our full review.