The legacy of Elvis Presley lives on, but now it is at its most prominent point in the twenty-first century following the release of Baz Luhrmann’s epic film “Elvis,” starring Austin Butler as the King himself. “Elvis” is not the first biopic of Elvis’s life, but none before this one received such attention and praise. There’s no doubt that the film’s PR team and social media propped up the film to become a commercial success, but the talented cast and crew members made “Elvis” a film worthy of all of the praise and attention it receives.

In recent months, the popularity of Elvis’s music, his films, his fashion, and even the popularity of Priscilla and Lisa Marie Presley have increased greatly since the release of Luhrmann’s film. Both Austin Butler and Elvis have become the newest obsessions of young adults everywhere on social media, particularly on TikTok where the “elvispresley” hashtag has over 2.5 billion views and counting. Like other great films, “Elvis” is a magnificent work of art that everyone should experience on the big screen with the King’s glorious music coming from all directions. Despite the other great films such as “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Nope” being released this past summer as well, “Elvis” dominated screens everywhere and gripped audiences from the moment they saw the opening display of jewels with Butler’s rendition of “Suspicious Minds” in the theater.
“Elvis” was incredibly well received by audiences, earning a 94% audience score on “Rotten Tomatoes.” The movie also did very well in the box office, making over $281 million worldwide, with $132 million from the United States alone. Not only did the audience love the film, but critics did as well, despite many of them expressing their opinion that Austin Butler looked nothing like Elvis Presley in real life. Justin Chang of the “Los Angeles Times” called the film “unsurprisingly extravagant” and highly praised not only Butler’s performance, but also those of Tom Hanks, who played Colonel Tom Parker, and Olivia DeJonge, who played Priscilla Presley. Many critics also suggest that Butler may be a frontrunner for the Academy Award for Best Actor at the 2023 Oscars. But perhaps the most valuable reception of any audience member is that of the Presley family. Elvis’s only child, Lisa Marie Presley, went on Instagram and called the film “nothing short of spectacular.” She also highly praised Butler’s performance, describing it as one that “channeled and embodied my father’s heart and soul beautifully.” Priscilla Presley, Elvis’s former wife, shared on social media that she loved everything about the film, from Luhrmann’s direction to the portrayals from Butler and Hanks. She even went so far as to describe the film as “perfection,” and said Butler “became Elvis” and his portrayal was “to a T.” Although Priscilla admitted she was nervous to see the film, she had nothing but gracious and positive things to say about everything that contributed to making the film.
If you didn’t hear of Austin Butler before, you surely will now. Butler began his career playing minor roles on Disney Channel shows and on “The Carrie Diaries,” but he soon made his way up the ladder to starring as Tex Watson in Quentin Tarantino’s epic movie, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” with Hollywood legends Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt, and the modern blonde bombshell, Margot Robbie. Despite being technically famous, Butler lived the quiet life of a B-list celebrity and was arguably best known for dating the “High School Musical” star Vanessa Hudgens for about a decade. But thanks to his role as Elvis Presley, he has been one of the most talked about actors of the year.

Butler auditioned for his “dream role” for Baz Luhrmann’s new movie and ran up against several other actors, including Ansel Elgort, Miles Teller, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and even Harry Styles. But, after a lengthy audition process and sending Luhrmann a video of himself playing the piano while singing “Unchained Melody,” Butler was cast as the King. After going through months of “Elvis workshop,” Butler researched Elvis to such an extent that his whole apartment in New York looked like a murder board. In his first major starring role, Butler showcased his talent and dedication to the world and he received acclaim from audiences and critics alike. Side-by-side comparisons have been made between Butler as Elvis and Elvis in real life, and the resemblance is uncanny; it’s easy for anyone to see that Butler put his whole heart and soul into embodying the King of Rock and Roll. Butler’s fame skyrocketed in the spring of 2022 when he attended the Met Gala and the Cannes Film Festival alongside Priscilla Presley, Baz Luhrmann, the cast of “Elvis” and his new supermodel girlfriend, Kaia Gerber, the daughter of Cindy Crawford. He has also become the newest heartthrob amongst young adults, and this adoration of fans is mainly showcased by his own PR team (as well as the one for the movie itself) through social media. One Tweet reads, “guys breaking news!! austin butler is the hottest man on earth..” But his fame, popularity and influence are only growing, as he is already lined up to star in more roles such as Feyd-Rautha in “Dune: Part Two” alongside Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya, and as Major Gale Cleven in a miniseries called “Masters of the Air.” Because of his smashing role as Elvis, Butler’s future in the acting world looks brighter than ever, and it’s unlikely that he will burn out anytime soon.
“Elvis” has not only had an impact on the world of pop culture, but also on individual people. Sydney Lawrence ‘24 said she felt more understanding of Elvis’ life because she watched the film. “I feel like I now have a different view of some of the things I didn’t know about, like how I didn’t know about the Colonel and how he ruled Elvis’ life,” Lawrence said. She also greatly complimented Butler’s performance in the film. “I think he really put himself in that role, and I could feel that on the screen…Austin Butler was so deep into this role that it felt like I was watching a story about Elvis, not Austin Butler playing Elvis.” When asked about the build up to the movie, Lawrence said, “The marketing team really hit the head on that one. There was so much going on around this movie. You couldn’t escape it; you had to see it.” The film did linger in the minds of many audience members, however it did so in the best way possible. “I think all of that put together makes the movie of the summer.” Lawrence said, in reference to the skillfulness of the “Elvis” PR team. Lawrence also noted the influence of Priscilla Presley on the film’s success, and how her fashion taste has made a comeback on Instagram and TikTok. “I also see a lot of fashion inspiration from Priscilla popping up,” Lawrence said.

However, despite emphasizing the film’s greatness and strong suits, Lawrence also explained her negative feelings about the film, particularly about Tom Hanks’ accent and Elvis Presley’s portrayal. She clarified that she felt the film’s portrayal of Elvis glossed over some of the controversial things he did, such as beginning to court Priscilla when she was fourteen and he was twenty-four. “If you’re trying to respect Elvis, I think it respected him, but I don’t know if it was truthful. I’m sure Elvis would be very happy with his interpretation of himself,” Lawrence said.
Between the consistent marketing from the “Elvis” PR team, a handsome leading man, the glittering visuals, and the captivating musical performances, “Elvis” was destined to be the greatest movie event of the summer of 2022. The first half of the summer, despite screens being dominated by “Top Gun: Maverick,” propped up “Elvis” to take off as an extremely successful film, both commercially and critically. The film occupied the media and the attention of audiences all over the world in the latter half of the summer and even extended into the fall. There is no doubt that “Elvis” will experience a second surge of popularity when the 2023 Oscars comes around, and that it will surely go down in history as one of the best biopics of a musical genius and King.