The new film about Elvis Presley received generally positive reviews. Many critics have praised Austin Butler’s portrayal.
Baz Luhrmann directed the film, which premiered at Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday.
The Wrap stated that Butler “throws himself into the performance” and Total Film predicted an Oscar nomination.
Vanity Fair called Butler “the only thing that works”, while IndieWire called it “deliriously terrible”.
Robbie Collin, The Telegraph’s Robbie Collin, gave the film four stars. He wrote: “Yes it’s bright and splashy jukebox epistle with an irresistible central performances by Austin Butler.
It is, however, Luhrmann-style, and it moves in and out fashion scene-by-scene. It’s the most immaculately styled and outrageously gaudy thing that you’ll ever see, and it’s all the more enjoyable for it.
Kevin Maher, Times’s fourth-star reviewer, said that Elvis was “easily Luhrmann’s best movie since Romeo + Juliet”.
He said that the power of the musical numbers comes from Butler’s turning but also from Luhrmann who edits with frenetic rhythms almost impossible to resist (feet tap),”
They are the most important highlights of the movie and make it a must-see.
When he was cast in Presley’s role in 2019, Butler beat Harry Styles and Ansel Elgort, according to reports.
Clarisse Loughrey, The Independent’s editor, praised Butler’s performance and wrote that the actor “makes an compelling argument for Elvis’ power at a time when the musician has arguably lost some of his cultural cachet”.
She said that Butler has the looks, voice and stance down. But what’s really impressive is the indescribable and undistillable essence Elvis-ness – magnetic, gentle, fierce and all at once.”
Steve Pond, The Wrap’s editor, described the star’s portrayal as “wildly physical but not cartoonish or disrespectful”.
He continued, “It’s really not [Butler’s] fault he doesn’t appear like Elvis, his singing voice cant really get close, and that the makeup and hair styling used to get him into the ballpark mostly makes it look like an Elvis impersonator.”
Some reviews were more negative than others.
David Ehrlich, IndieWire’s founder, said that “if only this 159-minute eyesore…a sadistically monotonous Super-montage in which an odd Flemish guy manipulates a young greaser over-and-over until they both become sad and die – were as gracious as to be so short in every other respect.”
