Review: Bad Times at the El Royale
- Tom
- Oct 14, 2018
- 3 min read
Past, present, mystery, and murder all collide in "Bad Times at the El Royale," a film with outstanding character work and surprising depth that takes audiences on one heck of a crazy ride.
It's not too often that a film comes along that genuinely surprises me. This particular movie caught my attention because of the diverse cast and the intriguing premise. In "Bad Time at the El Royale" seven strangers with seven mysterious stories converge on the titular hotel where nothing is at is seems, and no one is who they seem. This isn't the first movie where a bunch of seemingly random strangers come together to find out they're all linked, but I do believe this is the first one to pull it off in such a stylishly powerful way.
I can't talk too much about the film without giving anything away, but I will say that other movies like this seem to have the characters discover they are all linked by some past event or person, but in "Bad Times" it really is just that: bad timing. These seven strangers end up at the hotel for totally different reasons, but their stories end up colliding in fascinating ways that make it hard to look away.
There's a lot that makes this movie great but it all comes down to writer/director Drew Goddard's script, and the actor's earnest and committed performances. The cast boasts big stars like Jeff Bridges, Jon Hamm, Cynthia Erivo, Dakota Johnson and Chris Hemsworth. Bridges and Erivo give absolute standout performances here as Catholic priest Father Daniel Flynn and singer Darlene Sweet. But honestly, each of the actors give it their all. With big ensemble films like this, it's sometimes hard to give each actor and character a time to shine but "Bad Times" does a great job for the most part of developing everyone's personality and backstory. I will give fair warning that as much as we all love a shirtless Chris Hemsworth, he's the one with the least amount of screen time so don't get too excited.
The movie is stylishly shot and bursting full with thematic depth and social context, but it never once feels forced or heavy handed. With it's non-linear storytelling and experimental camera and lighting work, the movie at times feels like a Tarantino flick, but without the gratuitous violence or cursing which is pretty refreshing. At 2 hours and 21 minutes, it's definitely a long movie. However with many surprising plot twists and captivating characters, the film is able to justify it's run-time and manages to keep your attention.
What really surprised me about this film was the amount of emotional depth that it conveyed. You learn so much about these individual characters that when that actual Bad Times get going, you genuinely care about what might happen to them. I'll say again that Bridges and Erivo are the real stars with their great chemistry and tragically beautiful delivery. But, if you decide to give this movie a chance, I recommend you also keep an eye on Lewis Pullman's awkward hotel concierge.
There's so much that works in this movie, but there are also a few things that don't. All the characters are developed enough but I wouldn't mind a little more fleshing out on one or two of them. The film also introduces some humor every now and then but some of it does come across as awkward and unnecessary. The story also jumps back and forth not only between the different character's perspectives, but also past and present. While this adds to the film's intrigue and mystery, it can also be quite jarring at times, and I did find myself wishing that we could hurry and jump back to a different character once or twice. Though I already said the film manages to keep your attention for it's long run-time, it's still quite exhausting focusing and sitting still for so long.
FINAL THOUGHTS: With outstanding performances, surprising thematic depth, and a plot filled with secret twists and turns, "Bad Times at the El Royale" is worth checking in to the theater for if you think you have the appropriate attention span.
OVERALL GRADE: B+
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