HOLLYWOOD- One word for the film Epic: Elvis Presley in Concert! Wow! The stage becomes sacred ground once more. This is not simply restored footage or a nostalgic montage-it is an emotional reckoning. Through electrifying performances and intimate moments, the film allows Elvis to narrate his own legend, not as a myth carved in marble, but as a man of breathtaking talent and aching vulnerability. It shows a sexy man, the world’s greatest entertainer of all time. Every note feels less like a performance and more like a confession. The power of this cinematic experience lies in its immediacy.
Elvis is not recreated-he is present! The camera lingers just long enough for us to see the joy behind the smile, the exhaustion behind the jumpsuit, the weight behind the applause. Especially doing 3 shows a night as pointed out in the film over 1100 shows. Like Elvis said in the film, he would lose 4-5 lbs after every show. His voice-still commanding, still tender-reminds us why the title “The King” was never hyperbole. Yet, while the film soars in musical triumph, it occasionally sidesteps deeper exploration of the pressures that shaped his fine years. The concert spectacle dazzles-gloriously so- but one is left yearning for a slightly fuller excavation of the man behind the curtain. Still, that restraint may be intentional: this is less stops and more celebration. EPIC ultimately succeeds because it restores Elvis to the place he understood best-under the lights, commanding a crowd, surrendering himself to song. It does not rewrite history; it lets the music speak.
And in doing so, it proves that legends do not fade-they echo. In the final moments of EPIC, the applause feels like nostalgia and more like gratitude. Gratitude for the voice that shaped generations, for the performer who gave everything he had under the lights, and for the reminder that greatness is rarely effortless-it is earned, lived and sometimes painfully carried. The film may not answer every lingering question about the man behind the crown, but it accomplishes something perhaps more meaningful; it lets Elvis stand center stage again, unapologetically magnificent. And as the screen fades to black, one truth remains undeniable-The King still commands the room. This isn’t just a concert film-it’s a resurrection. The King doesn’t return.. he reigns. What makes Epic resonate so deeply is its refusal to modernize or overproduce the legend.
The film trusts the music. It trusts the electricity that once shook arenas and television screens alike. In doing so, it gives viewers something rare in contemporary cinema: authenticity without apology. The best way to see this film is in IMAX. The sound, color is just amazing. The film is a celebration, not an expose’. The final moments, the applause feels less like nostalgia and more like gratitude. Gratitude for the voice that reshaped popular music. Gratitude indeed! As we all know, in the word Elvis, it also spells Lives.
The work is one of director Baz Luhrmann masterpieces, and discovering the footage in the salt mines in Kansas was simply amazing. Many original film elements from classic Hollywood productions are stored in climate controlled underground facilities in Kansas-including near Hutchinson. Luhrmann’s team reportedly uncovered dozens of boxes of original 35mm outtakes and performance footage that had been preserved there for decades. It was originally stored by the Hollywood studios that owned the film elements- primarily Metro-Goldwyn- Mayer (MGM) later under corporate control of Warner Bros, which now oversees much of the MGM library.
When films were shot in the 1950s-1970s, studios retained original camera negatives, outtakes, rehearsal footage, and unused performance material. Over time, major studios transferred massive archives to underground preservation facilities in Kansas for long term storage. It was also amazing to see The Memphis Mafia, including Red West, Richard Davis, Sonny West, Jerry Schilling. We also see the relationship with Colonel Parker, the tension between loyalty and control. Elvis’s parents, Priscilla Presley and the late Lisa Marie Presley. The King may have left the stage-but in the film, he takes it back. The King didn’t return for nostalgia. He returned to remind us who owned the stage.
Rose’s Scoop: Go. See it. Thank me later.
Enjoy Weekend Guide 