--- title: "Elvis: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/elvis/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/elvis" critics_score: 69 critics_reviews: 23 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Elvis (2022): what the critics said Critics' score 69 from 23 reviews: 16 positive, 5 mixed, 2 negative. Most critics come away entertained, and the praise lands in the same two places. Austin Butler’s performance is admired almost without exception, singled out for its physical energy and for the way it holds across three decades; several reviews call it star-making. The concert sequences are the other point of agreement, with the 1968 comeback special and the Las Vegas years picked out as the stretches where Luhrmann’s maximalism and the material meet. For most, the excess is the point. The reservations cluster around what the film leaves out. A recurring complaint is that it keeps Presley at arm’s length, with little interest in his interior life, and that telling the story through Colonel Tom Parker’s narration pays off only intermittently. Some note historical simplifications. The spread is wide: a handful of raves sit against two firm rejections, with Sight and Sound and The Ringer arguing the style smothers the subject, though both still praise Butler. ## Total Film Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 24 June 2022. The critic finds the biopic terrifically enjoyable with swagger and a star-making turn from Austin Butler, praising Luhrmann's exuberant style that strikes the right balance of bombast and character beats. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/elvis-review-baz-luhrmann/) ## Los Angeles Times — Katie Walsh Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 23 June 2022. Butler delivers a fully transformed, star-making turn as Elvis in Luhrmann's opulent, maximalist biopic that resurrects the King and makes him relevant again. The manic filmmaking and focus on Elvis's exploitation and revolutionary energy create an intoxicating, dynamic portrait. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2022-06-23/elvis-review-baz-luhrmann-austin-butler) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 26 June 2022. The critic calls Baz Luhrmann’s whirlwind biopic cinematic dynamite with electrifying performances from Austin Butler and Tom Hanks. It singles out Butler’s physical, emotional and electrical energy in the title role for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/jun/26/elvis-review-blistering-turbocharged-chronicle-of-the-king) ## Time Out — Phil de Semlyen Rating 4/5. 25 May 2022. Luhrmann bounces back with a larger-than-life, energising and wildly entertaining anthem to the King that centres the Black roots of the music. Austin Butler delivers a show-stopper performance as Elvis. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/elvis-2022) ## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 25 May 2022. Festival review. The critic praises the film's kinetic, maximalist style and Austin Butler's performance as Elvis but criticizes the narrative focus on the exploitative Colonel Tom Parker and the resulting emotional distance from the subject. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/elvis-baz-luhrmann-cannes-2022-1235152957/) ## Variety — Owen Gleiberman Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 25 May 2022. Festival review. Luhrmann's film is a fizzy, deliriously energetic pop-opera biopic that captures the Elvis mythology in a compelling if scattershot way until the powerful Vegas sequences. Butler's performance improves markedly in the later years, building to something moving and true despite the film's imperfections. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2022/film/reviews/elvis-review-austin-butler-tom-hanks-baz-luhrmann-1235269244/) ## Empire — Olly Richards Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 22 June 2022. The critic praises the performance sequences as a triumph and Austin Butler's sensational portrayal of Presley across decades, but notes the film keeps its subject at a distance with little exploration of interior lives or subtler feelings. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/elvis-2022/) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 25 May 2022. Festival review. The biopic is lavish, passionate and overblown as expected from Luhrmann, with electric concert sequences that recapture Presley's vitality, but attempts to go beneath the surface prove less convincing and the Parker perspective is only intermittently rewarding. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/elvis-cannes-review/5170586.article) ## The i Paper — Geoffrey Macnab Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 26 May 2022. Festival review. The critic calls the biopic a fitting tribute with tremendous concert scenes and a vivid sketch of Elvis, praising Butler's capture of feral energy while noting it skims the surface and does not dig deep. [Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/elvis-fans-will-love-baz-luhrmanns-tremendous-thrusting-biopic-1653515) ## Vulture — Bilge Ebiri Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 24 June 2022. The critic finds the film bloated, hectic and excessive but ultimately likable for its mesmerizing focus on the feeling of being beside greatness and the dynamics of stardom, despite the Colonel's narration device. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2022/06/baz-luhrmanns-elvis-might-be-a-hazard-to-your-corneas.html) ## The New York Times — A.O. Scott Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 23 June 2022. The film is an operatic, chaotic anti-biopic that lurches and wobbles in its handling of Elvis's story. It ultimately succeeds as a musical where the music, remixed and anachronistic as it may be, shines through powerfully. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/23/movies/elvis-review.html) ## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 24 June 2022. Luhrmann delivers a lively, unsubtle telling of the Elvis tale that sucks in less knowing viewers despite its familiar biopic structure and gaps in key moments. The film questions whether it critiques or continues the mainstream absorption of Elvis's revolutionary style, landing more on charm than danger. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/07/04/how-elvis-plays-the-king) ## Film Comment — Clinton Krute Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 30 June 2022. The critic finds the film overstuffed and garish but notes that archival footage at the end makes it unexpectedly heartbreaking. Praises the focus on the exploitative relationship with Parker but criticizes some historical simplifications. [Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/no-business-like-snow-business-elvis-baz-luhrmann-review/) ## Sight and Sound Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 24 June 2022. The critic views it as a frenetic jukebox musical heavy on style and light on substance that never quite reaches the heart of its subject. Austin Butler's swaggering yet sensitive performance is singled out for praise amid the razzle-dazzle. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/elvis-frenetic-jukebox-musical-thats-heavy-style-light-substance) ## Deadline — Pete Hammond Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 25 May 2022. Festival review. The critic praises Luhrmann’s visual and vocal feast of a biopic, highlighting Austin Butler’s thrilling performance as Elvis and Tom Hanks’ memorable portrayal of Colonel Tom Parker. He singles out the 1968 comeback special sequence and the poignant use of real footage of the late Elvis for praise. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/video/elvis-review-austin-butler-tom-hanks-baz-luhrmann-biopic/) ## Polygon — Oli Welsh Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 24 June 2022. The critic praises Luhrmann as the ideal director for capturing Elvis's legend with high camp, sincerity, and virtuoso musical set pieces that are thrilling theatrical spectacles. Austin Butler and Tom Hanks deliver compelling performances, with the film succeeding as a ravishing, emotional tribute that puts the King back where he belongs. [Read the review](https://www.polygon.com/reviews/23180048/elvis-review-baz-luhrmann-tom-hanks-austin-butler/) ## HeyUGuys — Luke Walpole Rating 4/5. 31 May 2022. The critic finds the film a conventional but exhilarating music biopic elevated by Luhrmann’s energetic direction and Austin Butler’s charismatic, star-making performance as Elvis. The second half feels baggy, but the overall result is an enjoyable, if imperfect, look at the icon’s rise and cultural impact. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/elvis-review/) ## NME — Alex Flood Rating 4/5. 20 June 2022. Luhrmann delivers a bold, flashy biopic that works as both entertainment and cultural history lesson, with strong performances and soundtrack. Highlights the focus on Parker's influence and Elvis's tragic end. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/elvis-review-3249220) ## /Film — Rafael Motamayor Rating 7/10. 26 May 2022. Festival review. The critic describes the film as an electric, excessive musical biopic told through Colonel Tom Parker’s perspective, with comic-book energy, lavish production design, and rapid editing. Austin Butler’s outstanding performance as Elvis stands out as career-defining amid the maximalist style. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/875608/elvis-review-an-electric-excessive-musical-biopic-that-feels-like-a-comic-book-movie-cannes/) ## The Wrap — Steve Pond Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 25 May 2022. Festival review. The critic sees the film as a spirited homage mixed with a cautionary tale and showcase for Austin Butler’s terrific performance, but also notes it gleefully distorts the icon’s life and career with oversimplifications and fabrications. He praises the musical sequences and the use of real footage of Elvis at the end. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/elvis-movie-review-baz-luhrmann-austin-butler/) ## Den of Geek — David Crow Rating 3/5. 23 June 2022. Austin Butler's performance is transcendent, making the film a dazzling spectacle despite its excesses and chaotic nature. Criticizes Hanks' portrayal and some anachronisms but overall sees it as a victory in its bombast. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/elvis-review-austin-butler-shaken/) ## Collider — Ross Bonaime Rating C. 16 June 2022. The critic argues that Luhrmann's flashy, gaudy style overwhelms the substance of Elvis Presley's life story, turning the biopic into more spectacle than meaningful drama focused on the manager-performer dynamic. Austin Butler's performance is singled out as the saving grace that brings the character to life on stage. [Read the review](https://collider.com/elvis-movie-review-austin-butler-tom-hanks-baz-luhrmann/) ## The Ringer — Paul Thompson Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 27 June 2022. The critic finds that Luhrmann buries Elvis's legend under excessive metaphors, unreliable narration devices, and tedious maximalist tics that feel like a brainstorming session rather than a coherent film. Austin Butler's strong performance is noted but ultimately suffocated by the surrounding style and lack of focus on the subject's irreducible myth. [Read the review](https://www.theringer.com/2022/06/27/movies/baz-luhrmann-elvis-review) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/elvis.md