With the release of the hugely successful Baz Luhrman biopic, as well as the upcoming Priscilla Presley biopic by Sofia Coppola, there has been a resurgence of popularity for the legend that is Elvis Presley. The man is music royalty. And so it makes perfect sense that Netflix was going to cash in on all of this at some point. And cash in they did. Now being a massive Elvis fan, I questioned whether Agent Elvis – a larger than life animated series – was actually something the world needed? But as I got into it, I quickly came around and began to allow it. Let me explain…
Agent Elvis essentially expands on the widely popular conspiracy theory that Elvis was doubling up as a secret agent for the American government during his music career. It’s a theory that has been widely circulated but never quite debunked, so why not take advantage of that and create a series that imagines him kicking ass and taking names. Following in the footsteps of shows like Archer and Hit-Monkey, this can best be described as an absurd farce that doesn’t pull any punches. Filled with crude jokes, incredible displays of violence, and just all around madness, this is not going to be something that the older generation of Elvis fans are going to enjoy. It might, however, in some twisted way, introduce a new generation to his massive library of music.
The Name’s Presley, Elvis Presley
This series has a lot going for it. The animation style is incredibly engaging, it is vibrant and unique, and when combined with bursts of Elvis’ songs, as well as an tremendous voice cast, there is more than enough to keep you interested throughout its 10-episode run.
That said, I don’t really have much to say about the plot or narrative of the series. Each episode is so manic and over the top that you really can’t binge this or last for more than three episodes at a time. Yes, Agent Elvis is a lot of fun (his sidekick is a gun toting monkey with rage issues for chrissakes!), but the series doesn’t really do much more than namecheck interesting moments in history as a way to fill out its runtime.
You will enjoy this. But you won’t necessarily remember it. Heck, it might even end up being something you just run in the background while doing your chores. Which is fine, but the Elvis purist in me feels like that’s a disservice to the man and the sometimes incredulous stories that surrounded his life.
Thank You Very Much
As for its voice cast, the creators of Agent Elvis have managed to wrangle a stellar line up of talent. We’ve got Tom Kenny, Johnny Knoxville, Don Cheadle, Simon Pegg, Jason Mantzoukas, Christina Hendricks, and even Priscilla Presley herself. Unfortunately, Matthew McConaughey, who plays the main man, might be the weakest link. Now don’t get me wrong, his performance is fantastic, but when you have a voice as iconic as Elvis Presley, it’s very hard to move past it. What’s more, when you get an actor like McConaughey, who has an equally distinct timbre, all of it becomes incredibly jarring. There were moments where I hear McConaughey’s voice and expect his face and vice versa. This would often pull me out of the show. More so given the series uses Elvis’ actual recordings throughout.
This is something that could only have been made now, in this current climate of normalizing adult cartoons such as Bob’s Burgers, M.O.D.O.K, and Rick and Morty. This one appeals to even massive Elvis fans like me as there are enough moments of his actual life and music on screen to keep you going.
Despite my nitpicks, Agent Elvis is still a fun ride from start to finish. It’s loud, it’s exciting, it’s hilarious, and you are bound to enjoy yourself. It’s an interesting take of an alternate reality where The King was possibly running around with his drugged up, gun slinging monkey, and karate chopping his way through bad guys. Watch it, if only because it is so incredibly, wonderfully, wrong on many, many levels.
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