Chaotic and jittery, Elvis is like a person with Restless Leg Syndrome; helpless to stop moving for long enough to exhale and tell the story of its subject in a way that gives us any true insight into who he was.

Aussie director Baz Luhrman (Moulin Rouge, The Great Gatsby) is playing a game of “The Floor is Lava,” as he jumps from one couch cushion to another, afraid that the floor ( representing in this case, a cogent narrative) will melt his feet. But then again…

Luhrman never met a bread roll he couldn’t turn into a five-tiered wedding cake.

The US Post Office basically told the life story of Elvis with two stamps in 1993, and Luhrman’s flashy take seems almost as sudden: we go from rockabilly Elvis to teen heartthrob to bloated Vegas Elvis- barely getting into the substance of anyone involved.

Except for one person, and it was a big mistake:

Tom Hanks, the most loved and lauded actor of our time has never been able to nail accents, which is a particular problem here because Hanks is playing (and Luhrman’s POV is largely through) Colonel Tom Parker. An illegal Dutch immigrant who started in the carnival business before representing some country artists of note, Parker was managing Elvis by the mid-1950s, and took half of Presley’s earnings from that point forward.

Nobody wants to be that guy who’s slagging Baz Luhrman and Tom Hanks in the same review, but it must be said: this is not a good performance from Tom, God love him. It’s stagey and the accent comes in and out like the ocean tide – some prosthetic make-up has been added to change his nose, but there’s no mistaking Mr. Hanks.

At first viewing, my notes said “Colonel Parker’s appearances are a distraction from the story at hand.” That was before I knew for sure that he was meant to be, in effect, the narrator of the story.  Yikes.

So what is good about the movie?

That’s easy: Austin Butler in the title role is a revelation. Where did this guy come from? His physical resemblance to The King is both debatable and completely irrelevant. What Butler has done is channeled, rather than imitated, a persona of whom most people know every twitch and swivel by heart.

Since the script doesn’t dive deep into his psyche, it is up to Butler’s subtle expressions, stolen glances and, of course, the musical performances that bring the story to life. He’s very, very good.

Also, editors Jonathan Redmond and Matt Villa will likely be noticed this coming awards season. The frenetic cuts must number a thousand and their work, though visually exhausting at times, is top notch.

The Art Direction under Damien Drew is superior work – his team have expertly re-created the TV studio in which Elvis made his 1969, black leather-clad, comeback, as well as the Vegas showrooms.

And cinematographer Mandy Walker, whose work is well known, once again produces magic from the behind the lens.

You want story? The HBO doc from a few years back is best. You want flash and spectacle on a big screen, served with a slice with lacey Wedding cake? Baz is your man.

Elvis| rated PG-13 | 2h 39m | 2 ½ out of 4 stars