By Jack Shanley

With Baz Luhrmann’s blistering biopic of Elvis Presley, ‘The King of Rock n Roll’, hitting cinemas in late June I felt it would be only right to write a review about the much-anticipated biopic.I felt a little unsatisfied with the film overall. It felt at times to be nothing more than a carnival on screen, with it feeling like a long stream of extraordinary editing but no consideration for the story. I found the opening 40 minutes to be quite restless and boring in all honestly, with it being nothing but swirling and wavy editing and shots from scene to scene leaving me quite discombobulated. With that I did find the last hour of the film to be sorrowful but rather entertaining at last. The film is essentially about the rise and fall of Elvis, a man who changed the landscape of music, so with that the thought of a film adaptation of Elvis is rather daring. The performances were fantastic, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Austin Butler picks up an Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of Elvis. As the film progressed and Elvis got older, the more he looked like Elvis. By the end of the film they both looked so alike it was uncanny. Although I felt a little lacklustre after watching the film, there was a lot of detail from the spectacular cinematography and glamorous costume design to the frenetic but graceful choreography. Although I speak of this film not being as good as I had anticipated, it was still entertaining. I’d recommend everyone to go see it, as it’s still an interesting story that shines a light on the darker side of Elvis Presley, a side that has always been hidden away from the world.Synopsis: With the rise of Elvis Presley to his superstardom, the Rock ‘n’ Roll icon maintains a very complicated relationship with his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, throughout his career as a performer. I’d give this film a score of 3½ stars. You can go see Elvis in your local cinema today. Director: Baz Luhrmann – Rating: 12A – Genre: Musical/Drama – Run Time: 2h 39m – Language: English. For more film content please follow @movies4fanatics on Instagram.