The most spectacular superhero film of 2022 does not come from Marvel or DC

Dwayne Johnson might rout entire armies as Black Adam, Chris Hemsworth swings his hammer like it’s funny in Thor 4: Love and Thunder. Neither of them will even remotely reach the energy level of Baz Luhrmann’s new film Elvis. Of the most spectacular superhero film of the year features a singing hero in colorful suits, but the comparison to Marvel and DC heroes runs deeper into the film. Because Austin Butler plays the tragic King of Rock and Roll as the boy next door who has a superpower. This hero needs a monstrous villain to prove his own greatness.

Elvis instead of Thor and Black Adam: Music is a superpower in the Cannes film

The musically gifted boy from Mississippi loves superhero comics. Most of all, he worships Captain Marvel Jr., who says his own name to transform himself into a powerful being. Elvis Presley only needs a swing of his hips. And how he swings his hips and trembles his knees! So both in historical recordings and in this one relish staged music film.

Check out the trailer for Elvis:

Actor Austin Butler rules the stage from the first minute like a thunder god his rumbling kingdom of heaven. Every movement, every blink of an eye sends out pressure waves into the audience, possessing their (mostly female) fans. she scream and tremble in ecstasy, which has hardly been seen in a feature film since the final appearance in the Beatles film A Hard Day’s Night. who that Phenomenon Elvis could never understand, after a few minutes he will see his or her mistake.

In his first film since 2013’s The Great Gatsby, Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge) interprets the King’s relationship with his audience as one of love and seduction, which is why there is an inherent erotic tension in the performances, especially at the beginning. Something is happening here that shouldn’t be allowed in buttoned-up America in the 1950s got to. Which is why the morale guards soon speak up and finally drive Elvis into military service in Germany.

Elvis’ villain could also bully a DC or Marvel movie

The young man from a humble background is already in the clutches of the manager, Colonel Tom Parker major villain and narrator of this film biopic. Tom Hanks stars under tons of makeup for this role. With his plump build and fake nose, he could easily take Danny DeVito’s place as the penguin in Batman Returns, and Hank’s cartoonish gameplay fits in perfectly.

As perfect, pure and smooth as Austin Butler’s Elvis looks at a young age, the Colonel appears just as grotesque. All superheroes need an intimate enemy and Elvis’ evil double is the ruthless businessman who recognizes a dollar sign in every note he sings.

Elvis changed music history because he combined the rhythm and blues of his black Mississippi neighbors with the country music of white people. His music is deeply rooted in the American South. In Colonel Parker, on the other hand, we have one man without origin in front of us, a gifted talent scout who can’t indulge in music once in the entire film. Everything he does is aimed at increasing his wealth. Elvis, who makes people ecstatic with his superpower, is his means to an end.

So there are two major relationships in Elvis: that of singer and audience and that of his manager. who the unleashed romance hoped for in earlier Luhrmann films such as William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet or Moulin Rouge could therefore be disappointed. The later wife Priscilla Presley (Olivia DeJonge) acts at most as a background singer. Your scenes are schematic. And the fact that Elvis, who was 10 years his senior, dated 14-year-old Priscilla, the film makes the widest possible arc.

Elvis and his villain fight for the essence of the singer

Anyway, the film doesn’t see the star as a private person who needs more attention. This story is told by Colonel Parker and Parker’s only interest is in the phenomenon he is dealing with Bargain contracts, a decade of terrible movies and merch can exploit.

The heavier the Colonel’s crushing influence, the more this odd superhero film evolves into Battle for the essence of the hero. This is polluted by Parker, exploited and wasted in Hollywood for years (a phase Luhrmann thankfully skips). In the film, it bubbles up on stage, not in his daughter’s nursery or at the kitchen table (where we never see him).

The comeback special from 1968 plays a central role in the fight for the real Elvis. How Austin Butler’s Elvis finds himself again is one of the highlights of Baz Luhrmann’s career. He virtuously weaves together the machinations of the Colonel, the role of the sponsors and Elvis’ return to music. He bounces on and off the stage from behind-the-scenes quarrels with his usual attention deficit.

But – and this cannot always be said of Luhrmann’s films – he knows exactly when to focus on the essentials. Then he leaves it to that fantastic Austin Butler the stage. He brings enough charisma of his own to withstand the king’s shadow. When he appears in front of the cameras in a black leather outfit to do his thing, Luhrmann stages it more spectacularly than the action thunderstorm of a blockbuster.

The Comeback Special evolves into the Liberation for our singing heron, but the fight with the Colonel is far from over. This superhero film does not have a happy ending.