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To say that Bad Times at the El Royale is a good time at the movies seems like a bit of an understatement, as I personally had a great time watching this film. Writer/director Drew Goddard’s last feature, The Cabin in the Woods, is a modern masterpiece that completely deconstructs the horror genre, so fans have been eager to see what he would offer up next. Being my most anticipated movie of 2018, Bad Times had a lot of expectations to live up to, and boy did it deliver. Set in 1969, seven strangers all arrive at the mysterious El Royale hotel, which has just as many secrets kept away as each of the characters.
Saying any more about the actual plot would be a disservice to the film, as the marketing team has done a brilliant job of keeping the main plot point under wraps in all of the trailers, instead choosing to highlight the film’s style- which it’s in abundance of. Bad Times is certainly a Tarantino-esque film that bears resemblance to both The Hateful Eight and Reservoir Dogs at times, but I don’t see this as a problem. Goddard’s quippy dialogue and impressive use of long takes helps establish his own voice, and it’s a voice that speaks loud and vibrantly. Specifically, the long takes in this movie are beyond impressive. Without diving into spoiler territory, there is one long shot of a character walking back and forth while Cynthia Erivo’s character, Darlene, sings a song. The lighting, the sound design- everything about that shot gave me goosebumps, and there were several others just like it.
Much of this movie’s success is also owed to its all-star cast, consisting of Jeff Bridges, Jon Hamm, Dakota Johnson, Cailee Spaeny, and Chris Hemsworth. However, I think it’s clear that the two best performances are those by the up-and-coming Cynthia Erivo and Lewis Pullman. Erivo, already being a Broadway standout, lends her voice to several singing sequences, and it’s immediately obvious that she will be a star in film as well. Alongside Erivo is Lewis Pullman as the clearly mentally and emotionally damaged hotel worker, Miles Miller. Unfortunately, to say more about his character would be saying too much, but needless to say his performance is just fantastic and I look forward to seeing what else he takes on after this.
All in all, I enjoyed the hell out of Bad Times at the El Royale. The movie isn’t based on any existing property, nor is it a sequel or reboot- it’s an original film. That’s not something you see too often in Hollywood today, with most releases being either a blockbuster comic book movie, or a slew of sequels, remakes, or adaptations that are basically just cash-grabs. It was nice to see an original thriller set up in the neo-noir style that was popularized back in the mid-90s, and I look forward to whatever else director Drew Goddard decides to conjure up next.
Grade: 9.4 / 10
Bad Times at the El Royale is rated R for strong violence, language, some drug content and brief nudity – now playing everywhere.
Written by Zackary Townsend (@themoviebuzzz)