Bad Times at the El Royale (2018) is a neo-noir thriller directed by Drew Goddard. It deals with a bunch of people stuck in a motel where secrets start to unravel. Below is my Bad Times at the El Royale (2018) movie review
When we see all of the characters, we start to see that some seem innocent while others are not. As it progresses, we find out that majority of these people are not good. All of them have terrible pasts and some are even trying to find redemption. This is why some of the reviews see the hotel as a limbo where people are trying to face their past and come in terms with all the things they did, good and bad.
The hotel itself is very unique. Most of the interior down to the matchbooks is custom made to reflect 1960’s fashion. One side is a California side that is yellow and sunny while the other side is Nvada which is blue/green and more rainy. This helps it create this two sided place that is both evil and good. On top of this the soundtrack is fantastic. It has some great 60’s songs as well as one of the characters played by Cynthia Erivo singing a lot of the songs. She has a great voice and it really ties well to her character and her struggles. Her soulful singing just brings the movie up a notch.
The other characters are all well written and look like they are having a great time. Some are thieves, some are cultists, some are abused, and others did unspeakable things they want to repent. They are all in for themselves and are unwillingly pulled into the drama occurring around them. In terms of drama, one can say that it never builds into anything huge. The ending is fine but never builds into something worth the 2+ hour runtime.
The movie also has some great gore. It is very bloody and brutal. It was almost unexpected but then the movie goes nuts with it. Again, keep in mind that a lot of these people are bad or have done bad things. This is their redemption place but a lot of them can’t change their ways.
Overall the movie is good. It is long and sometimes it drags, but the scenery, the characters, and the overall good is interesting. The ending is lacking any big conclusions but it is not bad by any means. The constant raining also gives a place a dark atmosphere and it comes off as an abandoned place with no escape. We also get small glimpses into the characters’ past which are helpful in developing their overall personalities.
Very well made movie that had a lot of detail put into it. The director is on record saying he loves the 60s, the music from that era, crime fiction, noir, and it all comes out in this movie.
Thanks for reading my Bad Times at the El Royale (2018) movie review
