Bad Times at the El Royale (2018) Review
4:57 AM
All Roads Lead Here.
Drew Goddard has delivered a film that is stylish and thrilling. Bad Times at the El Royale has some really interesting characters with deceitful pasts and shocking agendas. With a run-time close to two and a half hours, it would be easy for a slow burn like this to become boring and flat. Although the excitement comes to a halt with an underwhelming third act, Goddard's script creates enough intrigue, suspense and drama to keep the audience's interest. Bad Times at the El Royale's premise shares similarities with Hotel Artemis. However, where Artemis's residents are thinly written and underused, El Royale's are pretty tantalizing.
Goddard shines as a director and a writer. It is great to see an impressive and original screenplay brought to life. Hollywood is infamous for lacking originality these days but thankfully films like Bad Times at the El Royale, that have unique concepts and memorable characters, exist. It is Goddard's characters that elevate the film; the film would have suffered had he chosen cliche archetypes. From a fake priest with memory loss to the leader of a cult, this film's characters are atypical and absorbing. It is probably best to structure the next section of this review as a character breakdown because they all deserve analysis and dissection:
Jeff Bridges's Father Daniel Flynn is one of the first to be introduced. The character is also one of the most layered and crafty. Father Flynn briefly manipulates Darlene (Erivo) into believing he suffers from severe Alzheimer's and has an upsetting past. Flynn's true intentions are revealed during a startling scene (I literally gasped out loud) - Flynn is actually Dock O'Kelly, an ex-convict who has returned to the hotel to retrieve a hidden stash of money that he stole many years ago. This reveal effectively links the film's ambiguous opening scene to the plot. There was a time when Jeff Bridges over-exposed himself, doing pay-cheque gig after pay-cheque gig but his performance as Flynn/O'Kelly is a refreshing return to genuinely charismatic and nuanced delivery.
Father Flynn is introduced alongside Darlene Sweet, an aspiring musician who, like Bridges in the early 2010s, is relying on the next pay-cheque to survive. Darlene was definitely one of my favourite characters. Cynthia Erivo has an excellent singing voice that Drew Goddard utilises creatively. There is a scene where Darlene sings a medley of retro classics to disguise the noise of Father Flynn dismantling her room to look for the hidden money. Erivo and Goddard work together to make a chilling and tense scene using just a voice, a secret and a gun. Cynthia Erivo may shine because of her amazing vocal abilities but she also proves to be a good actor. Darlene doesn't have as many secrets as the other characters but her dream and talent make her just as endearing.
Emily (Johnson), Rose (Spaeny) and Billy Lee (Hemsworth) add the darker and twisted undertones to the film. Emily Summerspring is my favourite character; she is cunning, secretive and a little violent - everything I like in a female character! Emily is nameless for a chunk of the film, introducing herself as "F**k You" in the hotel's guest book. It isn't until a shocking scene where Laramie (Hamm) explores the hotel and discovers that Emily appears to be linked to a kidnapping. Goddard paces the revelations about Emily perfectly; the audience slowly finds out more about how the character links to a much darker and twisted entity. Johnson's performance is subtle and understated; the best I've seen from her since, well, ever. As Goddard's screenplay unravels, Rose is introduced. Now, Rose is the character that really lets the film down. She is the key to the film's messy third act; if Rose hadn't of foolishly picked up the phone when Emily was absent, the film could have reached a more satisfying finale. Cailee Spaeny delivers what the script asks of her (which is, unfortunately, an irritating and distasteful young teen who devotes herself to an older man). There is an odd moment when Rose jumps on to a chandelier - the visual effects were poor and the whole scene was very random.
SPOILERS AHEAD
Chris Hemsworth is likely the reason this film will be on a lot of people's radar. Hemsworth's role is small and his screen time is sadly the entirety of the weak third act. He plays Billy Lee, the leader of a cult and a God-like figure to many (his followers absolutely adore him). It was predictable that Billy Lee was going to be sinister because of the way Emily and Rose spoke about him prior to his arrival - it is suggested that Billy Lee has influenced Rose to do some awful things in the past. Hemsworth shines in the role and commands the screen. This is the first time since his superb star-turn in Thor: Ragnorak where I've thought "That guy is a movie star!". Billy Lee is a great addition to Goddard's slew of equally interesting characters, but I just wish he wasn't the climax the plot was building towards.
Laramie Seymour Sullivan is introduced as an everyman - a vacuum salesman staying at the El Royale for business. Of course, there is more to the character than meets the eye; Laramie is actually Dwight Broadbeck, an FBI agent sent to inspect the shifty hotel. Dwight's inspection reveals the hotel's two-sided mirrors, secret microphones and filming equipment. This was a cool twist that created a sense of mystery early on. Dwight's time in the film comes to an abrupt end when shot by Emily. Jon Hamm is probably landed with the film's least interesting role but still delivers a solid performance. Finally, there is Miles (Pullman), the hotel's clerk (and every other position). Miles suffers from PTSD because of his time in the military and has since become a drug addict and feels major guilt. Miles's character journey is the most moving because he is relieved of his sins and overcomes his fears. Miles is arguably the film's biggest hero. Lewis Pullman is great and his career will hopefully continue to grow after this role.
Goddard has created an almost perfect ensemble of characters. His directing is also strong. Goddard directs with a distinct style, employing colour, music and camerawork to produce a visually impressive and narratively memorable flick. Goddard creates a great sense of enigma; from the unveiling of the two-sided mirrors to the secret tape that Miles kept to the state border segregating the hotel into two halves. However, Goddard doesn't deliver a satisfying conclusion - these ambiguities are unresolved when the credits roll and Goddard instead chooses to focus on Rose's membership in Billy Lee's cult. Goddard obviously wanted to tell a character driven story which would have been successful if he hadn't of hinted at a bigger mystery. The two-sided mirrors and 'Big Brother' element did have shades of Goddard's The Cabin in the Woods. I did like how Goddard told the narrative from multiple perspectives and continued to do that throughout. The shooting of Laramie was retold from viewpoint of Emily, Father Flynn and Darlene. It was well executed and one of the film's strongest sequences. Goddard deserves praise for exploring darker and tabu subjects such as military PTSD, memory loss illnesses and religious cults.
Bad Times at the El Royale is a film packed with style and compelling characters. Not only has Drew Goddard written a screenplay that unwinds at a slow pace but he has directed a film that is visually impressive (with a great soundtrack!). Although Goddard's script doesn't quite deliver with a messy and disappointing third act, the film's first two-thirds are intriguing and suspenseful - I jumped more during this than I have during some horror films! Dakota Johnson, Jeff Bridges and Cynthia Erivo lead a cast of layered, twisted and well-developed characters and Chris Hemsworth is a
74
/100
What did you think of BAD TIMES AT THE EL ROYALE? Did you enjoy the third act? - COMMENT BELOW
0 comments