Riley’s review published on Letterboxd:
i can't remember the last time i was this invested in a music biopic. the one-two punch of Baz Luhrmann's ability to capture lights, sound and movement, and Austin Butler giving a shockingly propulsive performance (seriously wtf how is he this good?) make this movie a treat for the entire runtime. i think the big thing that sets this apart is, unlike most rock biopics, this script is so good at finding the right moments to linger on. the moments where Elvis is at his most emotionally challenged and vulnerable. the rest is mostly just montages of his career as it blurs by with multi-screen editing. i love that! and even though Tom Hanks is giving a performance that doesn't fully hit the mark, framing the film through his eyes (something Baz loves to do) leads to some pathetically heartbreaking moments. great movie! almost good enough to make me forget Elvis started romancing his wife when he was 24 and she was 14 (not saying the movie would be better if it talked about that, but i couldn't stop thinking about it in the romance scenes).