EPIC: Elvis Presley in Concert

EPIC: Elvis Presley in Concert is not simply a nostalgic concert film. It is a work that allows us to experience, once again, the phenomenon that was Elvis Presley himself. What can I say? It was wonderful. Truly wonderful. I laughed, I cried, and I was completely blown away.

When I was in the first year of junior high school, my father took me to a packed screening of Elvis on Stage at the Marunouchi Piccadilly. That was my first encounter with Elvis. At the time, I thought I was just going to see a movie about some rock star from the past. What appeared on the screen, however, was something entirely different.

Dressed in a white jumpsuit, drenched in sweat, Elvis sang, electrified the audience, and seized control of the entire room in an instant. More than his extraordinary voice, it was the sheer force of his presence as a star that overwhelmed me. From that day on, I immersed myself in rock, soul, and pop music. Without question, Elvis was the starting point of my lifelong love of music. And that was nearly half a century ago.

Now Elvis has returned—on an IMAX screen, restored in stunning high resolution with extraordinary sound. That alone was enough to move me deeply.

But this film is much more than a collection of concert footage. Through the dynamic editing style of Baz Luhrmann, Elvis’s own voice serves as the narrative thread, weaving together childhood memories, private footage, and archival material as it traces the journey that led him to the grand stages of Las Vegas. This structure—allowing Elvis to tell his own story—is invaluable. It feels almost like a documentary extension of Luhrmann’s earlier film, Elvis, deepening and enriching its perspective.

The archival footage itself is astonishing. Fans may recognize some of the famous scenes, but what truly surprised me was the wealth of previously unseen material. Drawn from fifty hours of unreleased film and meticulously restored in 4K, performance after performance unfolds before us. A fleeting smile, a glance toward the audience, the smallest gesture of movement—all feel startlingly immediate, as though they had been filmed yesterday.

And then there is the sound. The sound is magnificent.

Not only Elvis’s voice, but also the harmonies of The Sweet Inspirations, the guitar work of James Burton and his fellow musicians, and the powerful orchestral arrangements are rendered with remarkable clarity and separation. In the latter half of the concert, as the music leans more heavily into gospel, the performances become overwhelming. It was impossible not to feel chills.

What struck me most was the realization that an Elvis concert was never simply a rock show. It was a vast musical experience that embraced gospel, R&B, country, and showmanship all at once.

The IMAX run may be over, but I already want to see it again in a regular theater.

The Elvis who pulled my thirteen-year-old self into the world of music nearly fifty years ago remains, even now, someone truly special.