I have never been the biggest Elvis Presley fan. You may wonder why someone who isnt an Elvis fan would go out of their way on a Friday night to see a documentary about the man but I thought that the experience of seeing it on the big screen would at least make it passable to watch. I think some of his songs are fine but could never understand the appeal. The 2022 Baz Luhrmann biopic managed to shed some light on his appeal but Elvis seemed like it was something liked by other people.
This was a screening that I saw at 6:30pm and at the time I booked the tickets was the only screening on but by the day itself they had added another three screenings. It was the largest screen at the cinema and if there were 20 empty seats then I would be surprised. It’s the most attended screening I can remember since Avengers: Endgame and there was a massive queue in the foyer which is something I don't remember the last time I saw that. This was an impressive achievement for a documentary and shows that people are still willing to venture out of the cinema and not just enjoy it on streaming.
The documentary uses footage shot of his Las Vegas residency with other archival footage to tell a story of Elvis’ life in the military and in the movies. There was one clip of a film where he is starring opposite a guy dressed as a dog. I never wanted to see an Elvis film so badly. The performances and songs were all really good and made me appreciate what a great performer he was. He comments that people can listen to someone’s albums and enjoy them but when they pay to come an see a concert they want to experience it so you have to put on a on a show for them. It’s a great attitude to have.
There was a moment which seemed quite relevant to today and that is the issue of entertainers and he is asked at one point to comment about something and he responds by saying he will keep his opinions to himself cause he’s there to entertain and it is refreshing to hear that take cause we can’t go one awards ceremony without some millionaire popstar lecturing us on their opinions.
I think that what a documentary should do especially if you are unfamiliar with the subject matter is show what type of person someone is and I think that this documentary does that. Elvis comes across as someone who loves the music, loves to perform but doesn't take himself too seriously that he can’t have a funny moment every so often. When the film ended, there was a thunderous round of applause and I could understand why. This was an amazing 100 minute documentary and it made a non-Elvis fan join in. The only real issue I had was that I wish it had been longer. I felt like it could have been another 30 minutes longer at least and its been a while since I have thought that.
This is currently my favourite film of the year. I thought that it was fun to watch and it works for people who are Elvis fans and those that are not. I thought that I might like this but I wasn't expecting it to have the effect on me that it did. This documentary shows the reason why going to the cinema is still important. Had I watched this at home I would have enjoyed it but I know for a fact that it wouldn’t have had the same impact that it did end up having sitting in a room with about 300 other people. Definitely worth your time.
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