Why Baz Luhrmann's Elvis Has Fans In An Uproar On Twitter
When it comes to controversial films, you might think that Baz Luhrmann's "Elvis" biopic would be the last thing to offend moviegoers this summer. However, it seems that the director of "The Great Gatsby" and "Moulin Rouge!" just couldn't help but stir up a little debate.
"Baz gonna Baz," tweeted @bigchaunc64 in response to a growing "Elvis" controversy that's sprouted up in recent weeks. With the musical drama set to hit theaters on June 24, many people have had access to screenings and began giving early reviews for the film, which stars Austin Butler as Elvis, the legendary King of Rock and Roll. Critics have ultimately been torn, giving the movie a 77% Rotten Tomatoes score and offering up mixed takes at Cannes.
One major thing that keeps getting mentioned by audiences and early viewers is Luhrmann's song choices for the movie. Most notably, the film includes a mashup of tunes made famous by Presley, Britney Spears, and the Backstreet Boys — which seems to be the hilarious source of all the "Elvis" Twitter outrage.
Luhrmann mixed a classic Elvis song with Britney Spears' Toxic and Backstreet's Back
According to Kyle Buchanan of The New York Times, Baz Luhrmann's "Elvis" biopic includes a mashup of a classic Elvis Presley song with Britney Spears' "Toxic" and the Backstreet Boys' hit "Backstreet's Back." After seeing the film, Buchanan tweeted, "I told someone that Baz Luhrmann's ELVIS interpolates an Elvis song with 'Backstreet's Back' and Britney's 'Toxic' and he looked at me gobsmacked. But I was shocked he was shocked! It's Baz Luhrmann's ELVIS! That's practically the center square of the bingo card!"
However, users and fans didn't seem to feel the same way. "Wtf is this s**t," wrote @DaddyDDarkseid. "Why Baz... Why?" said @Askforken.
"The best way to get young people enthused about music from 60 years ago is the mash it up with music from 20 years ago," joked @LaJoieDeMe.
Despite the uproar, many fans of the director have come to his defense — saying the mashup is right on par with some of Luhrmann's most famous work. "Guys, Baz has been doing this for decades. Why are people shocked?" tweeted @betchwithgretch. '"Didn't you watch moulin rouge and all the mashups and kitsch scenery he had going on there?" said @MTreRo. "It's pretty much his signature."