REVIEW: ‘EPiC: Elvis Presley In Concert’ Captures The King’s Wild Energy

EPic: Elvis Presley in Concert tells you exactly what it’s going to be from the title alone. A sort of companion piece to Baz Luhrmann’s supersonic 2022 biopic Elvis, the NEON-produced documentary/concert film hybrid, once again directed by Luhrmann, aims to capture the performer’s lively on-stage energy.

Although its documentary elements aren’t as revelatory as perhaps Luhrmann had hoped, the technical wizardry utilized to clean up the footage of Elvis Presley’s legendary Vegas shows, and a propulsive edit, at the very least make EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert the definitive way to experience what The King was like on stage. 

Elvis Presley is a figure in pop culture that needs no introduction. Dubbed by many “The King of Rock and Roll,” his powerful voice that blended gospel, rhythm and blues, and country inspirations, combined with his erratic, hip-swinging dance moves, has made him an all-time American icon. 

EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert removes all barriers between subject and audience, putting you in the crowd.

This, despite controversy over what some view as his appropriation of other cultures and his relationship to Priscilla Presley, which started when she was underage. The former was dealt with in quite a thoughtful manner in Luhrmann’s 2022 film, while the latter was thoroughly explored in Sofia Coppola’s film Priscilla.

Nevertheless, one of the most memorable eras in Elvis’ career was his Las Vegas residency at The International Hotel. EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert puts the spotlight firmly on that era. Drawing from unseen footage filmed for prior concert films, Baz Luhrmann teamed up with Wingnut Films, the production company spearheaded by Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings franchise), to make the footage look as pristine as possible. Seeing the profuse sweat, the glimmering baby blues, and the wild-man dancing energy from Presley this clearly makes it feel like you’re really there, especially in IMAX. 

When it’s being a concert film, EPic is essentially unbeatable. It’s one thing for an actor like Austin Butler (Caught Stealing) to try their best— rather successfully, might I add—to channel such an iconic figure. It’s another to actually see it firsthand. While there was something uncanny about Wingnut’s work on the Disney+ doc The Beatles: Get Back, the digital clean-up of EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert removes all barriers between subject and audience. Elvis commands the stage, giving his all to the crowd.

EPiC makes it clear why Elvis’s appeal looms large to this day.

While Luhrmann’s Elvis explained Presley’s appeal to the youth of his day by drawing clear connections between Elvis and modern pop culture, EPiC does so by simply showing the man’s talent up close and personal. The pure sound and fury the King displays sparked glints in the eyes of audiences, young and old. That’s multi-generational appeal, and it absolutely worked; I found myself ready to rock out in the aisles of the theater. 

The documentary component of EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert is nowhere near as successful. While there is a great wealth of unheard and unseen audiovisual material, Baz Luhrmann hastily recaps the life of Presley from the get-go in a way that feels rather unsatisfying. Between and during some of the songs is footage or audio of Elvis talking about either his past or present. It never offers up an insight into its titular figure that Elvis or myriad other depictions haven’t already given.

The 2022 Elvis film was quite incisive in digging into who Elvis Presley was. Meanwhile, the “companion piece” EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert feels almost afraid of implying anything less than savory about the man.

EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert uses remarkable editing to meet Elvis’s manic energy.

That’s why one of the best moments of the film is an interview with Elvis Presley. When asked about his political affiliations, he says his job is “only to entertain,” then performs the very politically charged song “In the Ghetto.” It’s a moment of complication and contradiction that actually gets the audience to think about who Elvis was through implication. 

Kudos must be given, regardless, to editor Jonathan Redmond, who just inherently gets Baz Luhrmann’s and Elvis’ manic energy, keeping the film electric even when it’s not as revelatory towards its central figure as it should be. EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert, regardless of its shortcomings in a documentary narrative, is effervescent as a concert film.

All the appeal of Elvis Presley is here on screen for all to see in the crispest, clearest way it’s ever been shown. If you’ve ever questioned why Presley has been called “The King,” you owe it to yourself to see EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert big and loud.

EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert is in theaters everywhere February 27.