Bad Times at the El Royale Review

I was intrugued the moment I saw this movie, and I'm glad I was able to get to see it opening weekend, and only hope it gets a good box office return because while it may be familiar in some aspects it is very original. What I don't understand is the short bit of critic reviews I previewed beforehand saying this movie was overlong and boring. I felt as though every bit was necessary for the most part to fully flesh out the characters and the story. I really want this movie to succeed in order to warrant more original scripts not sequel after sequel.

Story- Since this movie is a mysterious one, this section is going to be relatively concise. A few gripes I had, while minimal, did not detract from this brilliant movie.For starters, the little girl character was just too stupid, but that's her personality so it isn't a detractor of the film as a whole, I just had to put it out there because it's like a horror movie where you want to scream "WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT" but it makes sense in the long run. Second, there are a few coincidental situations that were too much of a coincidence, but they had to happen for plot sake so it's understandable and not outside the realm of possibility. Finally, while the climax I did not expect, the very ending was a bit predicatable once you understood the motivations of the characters, but that's only 5 minutes of an otherwise mysterious movie. Going to the plot, four different people all come to the El Royale with their own agenda: some sinister, some harmless, but not everyone is who they say they are. A series of events unfold, leaving the audience (you) to uncover exactly what is happening at this hotel. (I apologize this sounded like a terrible trailer but it's hard to not give away too much because I go into most movies nowadays having not watched the trailers to prevent spoilers. Luckily this trailer isn't too over-indulgent). I will say one thing though: nobody is safe in this movie. Another great thing about this movie was the unexpected twist that occurred about 2/3 of the way through the movie, I genuinely did not expect it, and you're left being skeptical with character who seem harmless in the beginning.

Cinematography/Props- The scene composition was done extremely well, as it was very authentic. The props lent themselves to the time period, in particular the TV set that sets the stage with some expositional news coverage, and the giant neon sign that adorns the backdrop of the main lobby building of the hotel. The rooms in the hotel and the technology available at the time was also authentic, such as the rotary phones and signing a ledger for checking in instead of everything being digital. The movie was just pretty overall, and was a joy to watch.

Acting- I'm going to start with the only slight negative I had in this aspect, so let's start with Chris Hemsworth. He's a great actor, and I love him in his other roles, but he was just a taaaaaad "animated" as the main antagonist of the film. He was very theatric, but then again the character he plays was so possibly that was just his interpretation for the role, he did a great job though because he is very unlikable yet charismatic. Jeff Bridges, what a guy. He always just seems like such a cool dude (not intentionally referencing the Big Lebowski), same with Jon Hamm, I love both of them and the roles they're in, they can play off comedy and seriousness very well. Dakota Johnson, while I've not seen her in anything before because I'm not gross and don't watch the Fifty Shades movies, she did a pretty good job too. Cynthia Erivo I thought was Jennifer Hudson for a bit because I forgot what she looks like but I heard her amazing singing voice so that's why I associated her for Cynthia, but after a short bit I realized it wasn't her, and I was able to concentrate on her acting a bit more, and she had real raw emotion and I loved it. Nick Offerman had a small role as well and he's always a treat. Last but not least I have to mention Lewis Pullman, because he took me by surprise. He reminded me of Miles Teller, who as of late really seems to be breaking out, as I fell Lewis can too. They both have this innocence but realness about them, and he was fantastic.

Directing- The opening was simple yet effective. The plot was slowly uncovered and never gave away too much at once, leaving you hungry to learn more. Drew Goddard was the director, and he also worked on The Cabin in the Woods and the Martian, so he's definitely a talented individual. The style for this movie was very reminiscent of Tarantino the Coenn Brothers (not just due to the Jeff Bridges Connection) which is absolutely not a bad thing. This movie in particular reminded me of the Hateful Eight due to its mystique and its dark comedy (plus Tarantino loves his period pieces, but so do I) aspects. This movie felt as if it was an homage to movies like those and ones like Rear Window. This movie nearly had me holding my breath at certain times which is a credit to the director.

Soundtrack/Audio- As I mentioned in the previous section, I'm a sucker for period pieces, so the soundtrack for this movie was fantastic in my opinion. It's old but classic, somewhat reminiscent to The Nice Guys, as previously mentioned all the time my favorite movie. Since the film is set in 1969, they could've easily relied on "The Tracks of Nam" as I just made up with bands like Creedance Clearwater Revival being dominant in that era in particular, but they went for Motown jams as I discovered, and it totally worked. Given that it was a throwback to Noire type mystery movies, that fit very well.

Final Verdict- A. While this movie wasn't groundbreaking, it took bits of other movies along with having its own identity to deliver a very enjoyable and unique experience.

#JeffBridges #DarkComedy #Thriller #ChrisHemsworth #JonHamm