Music documentaries usually aren’t my thing. There was a time when I practically lived in Nashville bars and concert venues, chasing live sets and late nights, but as the years rolled on, that chapter slowly closed. These days, I’m more likely to be watching horror, sci-fi or something weird enough to earn a fake award at my #HauntLife Movie Awards than sitting down for a concert film.
However, my fiancée, Amy, is a massive music fan. From Harry Styles to Taylor Swift, she has a deep appreciation for performers who command a stage. And at the very top of that list, maybe even above them all, is Elvis Presley.
So, in a change of pace for me, I suggested we go see EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert. Normally I’m the one pitching whatever horror oddity or sci-fi head trip is playing that week, but this time I let the King take center stage. If I was going to step into the world of concert films, I figured I might as well go big.
And we did. We saw it in IMAX.
EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert is directed by Baz Luhrmann and serves as a companion piece to his 2022 biopic, Elvis. While working on that film, Baz reportedly requested box after box of archival material: behind-the-scenes moments, rehearsal clips and concert footage of Elvis Presley. Much of what arrived was raw and incomplete, with several reels lacking usable sound.
Rather than shelving it, Luhrmann and his team spent more than two years meticulously restoring the audio, cleaning it up and syncing it with existing recordings. The process wasn’t just technical. It was almost archaeological, piecing together a living, breathing performance from fragments of history.
What ultimately emerged isn’t a traditional documentary with talking heads and narration, nor is it simply a stitched-together concert film. It exists somewhere in between. Part time capsule. Part stage experience.
I have to admit, this film completely floored me. I cannot speak to how it might feel on a standard screen but experiencing it in IMAX is absolutely the way to see it. The sound alone is thunderous, rattling the room in a way that immediately brought back memories of standing shoulder to shoulder at live shows, feeling the bass in your chest.
Everything about the presentation feels amplified. The image towers above you, the music surrounds you and the energy is undeniable. Much like Elvis himself, the entire experience feels larger than life, bold, commanding and impossible to ignore.
Over the course of EPiC, you begin to feel the gradual toll that fame took on Elvis. The film does not limit itself to the electrifying peak years when he seemed untouchable. It also shows the erosion. The wear. The slow unraveling.
There are moments where vibrant, magnetic footage of Presley at full power intercut later performances where he looks tired, heavier and at times almost detached, as if he is pushing through out of obligation rather than joy. Seeing those eras side by side is quietly devastating. The contrast is not subtle, and it is not meant to be. It becomes more than a concert experience. It becomes a meditation on what it costs to live under constant adoration and pressure.
EPiC gently but unmistakably reminds you that even icons are human, and a life spent in the spotlight can drain even the most powerful souls.
I mentioned earlier that this is not just concert footage, and that really becomes clear in the quieter moments. EPiC takes us behind the curtain and into the recording studios where Elvis and his band spent countless hours shaping the music. Those scenes might be some of the most revealing in the entire film.
What stands out is how natural it all feels. The dynamic between Elvis and his musicians is not stiff or overly professional. It feels lived in. They tease each other, laugh, experiment and push through long sessions together. There is a brotherhood there, almost like a fraternity built on rhythm and shared ambition. You can sense the hours they have put in, but you can also see the joy.
Even the backup singers are fully part of that circle. They joke with Presley, harmonize effortlessly and genuinely seem to be enjoying the ride. None of it feels staged or manufactured. It feels like family, bonded not just by fame but by the simple love of making music together.
I give EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert a perfect five out of five stars. In the end, EPiC feels like more than a concert film or a companion to Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis. Seeing it in IMAX brought back the thunder and scale of live shows, while the restored footage shows both the power of Elvis at his peak and the quiet toll that fame took over time. The backstage and studio moments add heart, revealing laughter, brotherhood and a sense of family that makes the King feel human again.
Even as someone who does not usually gravitate toward music documentaries, this one hit me. Watching Amy tear up as her favorite performer filled the screen reminded me that movies are about shared experiences as much as what is projected in front of you.