After the critical and commercial success of the last two Twilight movies, most people will have seen the film rights to Stephenie Meyer’s vampire saga as an opportunity to cash in. With just over a week to go until the first of The Twilight Saga: Eclipse’s two-week cinema run, anticipation is building for the third installation in the series. One of the most anticipated releases of 2012 is the anticipated return of one of cinema’s most enduring and popular characters: Elvis Presley. After two successful movies based around the singer’s life, it seems fitting that Hollywood would once more choose to pay homage to the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll with yet another biopic. With just under four weeks to go before its premiere, we take a look at the progress of the latest installment in the Elvis movie franchise, and ask whether it really can live up to the immense hype surrounding it.

No Film Is Perfect

In the year 2012, it’s hard to avoid movie criticism. Without a steady stream of new releases to provide audiences with something to talk about, films have to stand out among the competition, and sometimes that means sacrificing some of what makes a film unique. It’s a double-edged sword: while it’s undoubtedly easier to hit a home run with a biopic than it is to recreate an entire musical genre, it’s also much easier to do so. The King Of The Decade, One Of The Most Anticipated Movies Of 2012 is certainly no exception. Despite its title, the movie doesn’t shy away from delving into the 1960s, with costumes, sets, and hairstyle being the mainstays of what is essentially a direct homage to Elvis’s time in the military. The movie’s director, Matt Reeves, is best known for the fantastic success he had with 2007’s wonderful blockbuster, The Matrix. It’s fair to say that the Wachowskis’ neo-noir classic didn’t do a great deal for cinema as a whole, but it certainly garnered a large amount of praise, with many reviewers and fans hailing it as one of the best films of all time.

Unfortunately, most of that praise was probably a little too generous. While it’s undoubtedly an incredible cinematic experience when viewed on the big screen, with its incredible special effects and unique visuals, there are also significant flaws that detract from the movie’s overall greatness. These range from a weak script, to the complete lack of any substantial characterization or interaction between the characters, to poor pacing, to a climax that feels more like a reset button.

Even so, there’s still plenty to love about King Of The Decade, and it certainly has its moments. Chief among these are John Leguizamo’s hilarious turns as Mr. Colton, Elvis’s manager, and William Mapother’s terrifying performance as a henchman named Charlie. Together, they provide the funniest and most authentic depiction of the King’s life and times to date. The score, too, by Terence Blanchard is full to the brim with memorable moments, and even those who feel that the film falls completely short of its full potential will still find inspiration within its walls.

An Opportunity To Pay Homage

Back in June, we took a look at the cinematic universe of Elvis Presley, and how the king would fare against some of his most memorable movie characters. At the time, it seemed like a fun idea, but now that King Of The Decade is upon us, it seems a bit more complicated: it’s not just that the film isn’t very good, it’s that it’s a pale imitation of what came before it.

In every way, King Of The Decade is a faithful cinematic adaptation of one of contemporary pop culture’s most iconic and beloved figures. From the opening scene, in which Leguizamo’s Mr. Colton briefs Elvis on his new manager, played by Danny DeVito, to the film’s astonishing climax, in which DeVito’s character is revealed to be an FBI informant, the movie is chock-full of references to the King’s life and career. One of the best examples comes courtesy of an over-the-top performance by William Mapother, who embodies the cartoonish character Max Baer, a hulking brute who works for the mob and is intent on killing the singer.

Even the film’s poster, which reimagines Elvis as a WWII fighter pilot, isn’t very different from the real guy’s most famous pose. It’s tempting to see King Of The Decade as the cinematic culmination of a long and distinguished career, a chance for Stephenie Meyer to celebrate her creator’s most significant contribution to popular culture. Unfortunately, what we have here, in all its green-screen glory, isn’t very good, with the script being both unfunny and uninspired, and the direction being sloppy and uninspired. If you’ve never been a big fan of Elvis’s, there’s no harm in seeing King Of The Decade for what it is: a fairly standard biopic with some cool period costumes and one hilarious performance by John Leguizamo, and even Leguizamo admits that he had a blast making the movie. He was, however, extremely disappointed with the result, telling Coming Soon that, “I’m not gonna lie to you, man. I’m not having fun doing this. This is like, the worst. I don’t know if I can do another one. This one was a fluke.”

An Explosion Of Memes

On the internet, fans quickly found ways to meme the hell out of King Of The Decade, using the hashtag #KingElvis to show their support for the singer, and using the film’s myriad of pop culture references to fuel their humor.

The result was, in a word, hilarious. Here are just a few of the best memes pertaining to this one-of-a-kind cinematic experience.

  • Elvis Is Back: Riff (YouTube user A_RiFFaART): “I love King of the Decade. I think it’s one of the best films of this century. Elvis is back!”
  • Elvis Is Back! Nigel Barwick (YouTube user nigelbarwick): “Elvis has returned! Matt Reeves gave us our hero back. We get to see him in all his glory on the big screen for the first time ever. The movie is called King Of The Decade and it’s available to rent or buy. What a glorious day!”
  • Wanna See A Real American Icon? Nigel Barwick (YouTube user nigelbarwick): “Do you wanna see a real American icon? Matt Reeves gave us our hero back. We get to see him in all his glory on the big screen for the first time ever. The movie is called King Of The Decade and it’s available to rent or buy. What a glorious day!”
  • We Need To Talk: Lolita (YouTube user lolita): “Elvis has returned! We get to see him in all his glory on the big screen for the first time ever. The movie is called King Of The Decade and it’s available to rent or buy. What a glorious day!”
  • Elvis Has Returned! Matt Reeves (YouTube user MattReeves): “Elvis has returned! We get to see him in all his glory on the big screen for the first time ever. The movie is called King Of The Decade and it’s available to rent or buy. What a glorious day!”
  • We Need To Talk: TikTok (Twitter user @daviddarling): “The best film of the year is King Of The Decade. A cinematic triumph. One of the best films I’ve ever seen. Pure gold. (10/10).”
  • The Best Film Of The Year Is King Of The Decade
  • The Return Of The King. Dan Bilzerian (Twitter user @DanBilzerian): “The best film of the year is King Of The Decade. A cinematic triumph. One of the best films I’ve ever seen. Pure gold. (10/10).”
  • The Best Film Of The Year Is King Of The Decade
  • The Return Of The King. Willie T. Perry (Twitter user @perrywillie): “The best film of the year is King Of The Decade. A cinematic triumph. One of the best films I’ve ever seen. Pure gold. (10/10).”
  • The Best Film Of The Year Is King Of The Decade