Elvis: The Mini-Series
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Movie Reviews of Elvis: The Mini-Series
Movie Review: Bought for Rhys-Meyers, stayed for Elvis.
Summary: 4 Stars
I am not the world's biggest Elvis fan. I bought this DVD because I fancied Jonathan Rhys-Meyers after seeing him in Bend It Like Beckham (Widescreen Edition), The Tudors - The Complete First Season, and Match Point. I had seen a promo for it on TV but had missed it when it was on. I am now an Elvis fan!
The reason why this adaptation works so well is that Rhys-Meyers is able to perfectly capture Elvis' magnetism and earthy charm in his portrayal of the King. He has the nervous energy that's just right and despite his Irish background, a PERFECT accent.
Rather than chronicling the downfall we all know too well, the image of Elvis in Vegas in those awful white jumpsuits,it starts off with an Elvis hungry to be heard and ends with his 1968 comeback special. The screenplay shows just enough criticism so as to be truthful but not enough to detract from the legend.
Also an added bonus is that it's Elvis' actual singing voice that's used rather than Rhys-Myers', who has a pleasant enough voice (see Velvet Goldmine) but can't touch the most iconic voice in American history.
All in all, immensely enjoyable and a worthwhile purchase
Movie Review: The King is Alive!
Summary: 4 Stars
I've been impressed with the range and breadth of work Jonathan Rhys Meyers has accumulated in such a short timeframe. The Elvis miniseries is a fantastic effort by (let's not forget) an Irish actor playing an American icon. A daunting task for anyone.
Camryn Manheim does a solid job as Mrs. Gladys Presley (although she's a bit weepy and melodramatic at times for belief), but Robert Patrick (of "The X-Files" fame) is fantastic as patriarch Vernon Presley. You can feel his embarrassment and shame over not being able to adequately provide for his family in the '50s shots of the Presley family.
JRM steals the show and has all of the panache of the young Elvis. I only wish that the producers would've let Rhys Meyers sing more material-he has a great vocal quality. Plus, it looked odd for him to lip-synch with a voice as distinct as Elvis' was and is.
My main complaint was the actresses that portrayed Priscilla Beaulieu Presley and Ann-Margaret (Antonia Bernath and Rose McGowan). Bernath just felt WRONG as Priscilla and McGowan was such a ham and overacted the part of Ann-Margaret, that none of the sex kitten so attached to the real Ann-Margaret came through.
Overall, a 4-star effort because of the hard-working blue suede shoes of Jonathan Rhys Meyers. He's a tour de force.
Movie Review: Is A Movie With A Message
Summary: 4 Stars
The movie was good, the acting too, Jonathan Rhys Myers is a good actor, he is a deep actor, I had followed his career and to me he was actually good as Elvis, of course nobody could ever be Elvis because he was unique, he would never be second to any one but I should say that this movie does have a big message. Sometimes we think our dreams are going to make us happy and at the end is not what you expected it to be. I think Colonel Parker runned his professional life, it seemed Elvis wanted to quit but he didn't have the strengh to do it, he didn't know how to handle his financial matters so there Colonel Parker took over, Elvis did many things he didn't want to do but he did them so good that he could not be replaced by any other singer. I think it is really odd that he never tour outside the U.S. and he is world famouse, I think he would be impressed if he was alive to see how far his music has gone and how he still the King of Rock and Roll. The movie have a clear message, "don't let other people who are ambitious ruined your life, Elvis would it have been alive today if he had centered more on his personal life and less on his career and making money but still he is the GREATEST...
Ana
Movie Review: Meyers and Quaid are superb!
Summary: 4 Stars
Great miniseries that feature great performances from Randy Quaid and JR Meyers. Not only does Meyers look and sound like Elvis, but he captures the essence of the man. Randy Quaid is also good as his illegal alien manager, Col. Tom Parker. Robert Patrick is great as always playing Vernon Presley. Camryn Manheim, plays Elvis' beloved mother Gladys.
This film features Elvis as a young man until his crowning achievement with the 68 comeback special.
Pick this one up now, it is possibly the best adaption of Elvis Presley's life. Highly Recommended.
Movie Review: Great, but not perfect...
Summary: 4 Stars
I watched this on the television premier. I thought it was very good, with great acting. Meyers did as best as one could acting as Elvis, better than most. Some of the later scenes, primarily for the '68 Comeback special leave something to be desired though. Meyers just looked weird trying to do what Elvis did. Anyway, the story line was enjoyable and they seemed to correctly follow history for the most part. A plus for this mini-series is that they used Elvis real voice/songs. This is something even non-Elvis fans can have fun watching.