Bad Times at the El Royale Review
Bad Times at the El Royale is like watching a neon deity walk down the street of your small home town. It's pretty to look at, and you're going to get a lot out of it by just staring, but oh boy is it a lot to process. Bad Times is Drew Goddard's second directed feature film, and already I can't wait to see what he does in the future. This movie is directed the hell out of, and the story he wrote is so delightfully weird and intrinsic at the same time.
The film starts off with the cast of characters one by one arriving at the "El Royale" hotel. This hotel is special because it rests on two states; Nevada and California with the state divide literally dividing the hotel. In this lengthy opening scene we get to see Jeff Bridges, playing an odd-ball priest named Flynn, Jon Hamm as Seymour a supplies salesman, and Cynthia Erivio as Darlene a singer. After they get to know one another while the concierge is nowhere to be found Dakota Johnson and Cailee Spaeny enter the film as Emily and Rose, two twisted sisters.
With a cast this big the film really takes its time introducing everyone, and exploring each individual character's arc. They do this by way of flashbacks, packing this movie with so much information that it could easily have been a season of television. Bad Times handles this fairly well with mostly well done pacing. Some scenes do feel a tad dragged on, but the script and actors pull you along through this wild ride of a world on an unforgettable weird adventure.
Because there is a lot of ground to cover, Bad Times rolls along like a slow burn thriller. Secrets, conspiracies, and evil shroud the hotel throughout the film, and once each character gets a whiff of something afoot you start to learn more and more of the creepy underbelly this hotel was founded for. Secret passageways, two-way mirrors, a no-faced group of "owners" who ask this poor concierge to do horrible things are but the many reveals that are pulled throughout this gorgeous caper.
However, this is not for everyone. While the pacing and length of the film will be fine for most, audiences expecting action and adrenaline running through their body will be sorely unimpressed. The flashbacks will either take you out of the movie, or enhance your experience as will the multiple view points to cover everyone's story in as much detail as needed. Truly, this is a love it or hate it film.
The one thing that everyone will notice right away is how Goddard takes advantage of space. The lobby in the hotel is grand, and the camera work inside it compliments the sets very well. From a beautiful shot of the jukebox, to characters walking across the room, the cinematography on this film is impeccable. So much so that I'd love to see Goddard direct a 3D film, as his placement of characters in a scene and attention to the space in each frame are remarkably on point.
From the weird location, to the incredible cast, and even down to the colors used in each frame, Bad Times at the El Royale is an impeccably made film to delight cinephiles. This movie is chock full of film references, and the reverie in the craft of making a feature film. It's an experience to see it on the big screen and while it most certainly is not the best film to come out of this year it's definitely a unique venture, and love letter, about why people love film.
7.5/10
