On a weekend in June I entered a somewhat crowded movie auditorium with relatively low expectations for the newest biopic to release, “Elvis.”  I did not enjoy Baz Lurhman’s “The Great Gatsby” nor his adaptation of “Romeo and Juliet.”  I wasn’t much of an Elvis fan either. 

The thing that drove me to see this movie was probably Tom Hanks and how well edited the trailer was. As soon as Elvis–played by Austin Butler–did the infamous wiggle I instantaneously felt the excitement of the girls on the screen. Their screams and grins were contagious. 

At first, I was taken aback by the modern music playing over a montage of 1950s Beale Street. However, as the film progressed the music became seemingly more fitting and overall gave the film a touch of modernity that made the story easier to follow and understand. 

Elvis is a very theatrical show that uses bright colors and loud blasting music at the start of scenes. The costuming was spectacular and you can tell the stylists worked meticulously to match the real life people in the footage of Elvis they showcased. 

The run time of Elvis is 2 hours and 39 minutes, almost three hours. Despite the long run time it did not feel long or stretched out and the finale warmly summed up the story of Elvis’ stardom and legacy. 

The film was a beautiful and musically vibrant biopic of the king of pop. Butler succeeded in passing on the impact of Elvis Presely from mid 20th century teen girls to a new generation of Gen Z who are swooning over Butler in a similar way as Elvis. 

Overall, I recommend this movie to anyone who loves fashion and music and it will remain on my favorites list.