Elvis Presley is recognised as one of the most popular musicians in history. He was the subject of a successful biopic in 2022. When making the film, Baz Luhrmann discovered lost footage and used it for a concert film.
I would normally write a plot synopsis when writing reviews. That’s impossible with EPiC since it was a concert film assembled from footage of various Las Vegas concerts. There was some setup showing Elvis’ early career, when he was drafted into the army, and his movie career before he got his Las Vegas residency and could perform live again.
EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert has received high praise. It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and was the runner-up for the People’s Choice Award for Documentaries. It has a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and earned high scores from IMDb and Letterboxd users. There’s an obvious appeal to the film since people can watch a fantastic performer on screen again.
Elvis was clearly a showman. He performed some iconic songs, and he could play to a crowd. In his younger days, Elvis was able to get women excited with his swaying hips, but by the time he was performing in Vegas, he had lost his flexibility. He modified his performing style by speaking to the crowd and bringing women up on stage. Elvis did show affinity for his fans, especially the younger members. The performances on screen were made up of various shows. It was a musical kaleidoscope and showed how consistent a performer Elvis could be. The musical performances can be admired, even by non-Elvis fans.
There was some exploration into what made Elvis tick. Between songs, there were recordings of Elvis saying why he loved performing ever since he sang in church. It gave him the confidence to become the entertainer everyone knew him as. He said one of his biggest desires was to perform overseas, something he never got to do. The behind-the-scenes footage showing Elvis and musicians practising before the show was particularly interesting since everyone was natural and relaxed. However, it was a basic look at the singer’s life. It wasn’t an in-depth look like Amy or Becoming Led Zeppelin, which explored the lives of those acts as people and artists. Because of this lack of depth, EPiC felt more like it could be viewed on the BBC or Sky Arts.
For fans of Elvis, it is a pleasure to see the King of Rock n’ Roll back on the big screen in all his glory. EPiC was a labour by all those who made it, but it was not an insightful look at Elvis.
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