HOTEL ARTEMIS REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

Drew Pearce is a name you're probably not familiar with, however, he's written for two very successful films, Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation and Iron Man 3. For most of his career, Pearce has mainly worked on TV Series and video games, however, he makes his directorial debut with Hotel Artemis, a thriller starring Jodie Foster, Jeff Goldblum, Sterling K. Brown and many others.

Hotel Artemis is set in a decade into the future and focuses on the titular hotel that is run by the Nurse (Foster). It is a secret, members-only emergency room for criminals that has several rules. Guests are referred to only by their room designation, fights aren't allowed and neither are weapons, and, for obvious reasons, cops aren't allowed in. However, these rules soon get broken and it doesn't take long for all chaos to break out.

I had no idea what to expect when I first watched Hotel Artemis, fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised. I don't think that it deserves the mixed reception it's been receiving from both critics and audiences as it's not a terrible film. It's not a perfect film by any means. I think that the runtime could've done with an extra half hour as, at 94 minutes, it does feel a little short. Despite this, Hotel Artemis moves at a quick pace and it never overstays its welcome. At the time of writing this review, the films that are being released this summer are mostly sequels, including Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Sicario 2: Soldado, Incredibles 2, Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again and Mission: Impossible - Fallout. While sequels aren't necessarily a bad thing, I appreciated Hotel Artemis for its originality and that's why it's worth watching. I recommend giving it a watch if you enjoy thrillers and the cast involved.

Speaking of which, the cast features some very talented actors, who each give solid performances. Foster, in her first feature film role since 2013's Elysium, is great as the Nurse. While, on the outside, she portrays a fierce personality, on the inside, she's grieving for her son, Beau, who died of a drug overdose. She's also suffering from a severe form of agoraphobia and struggles with anxiety whenever she leaves the hotel. This isn't one of Foster's best performances, however, it's far from a bad one and I'd even go so far to say that Hotel Artemis is worth watching just for her portrayal of the Nurse. I'm not familiar with Brown, I've only seem him in Black Panther, however, I think that he gives a good performance as Sherman. In the beginning of the film, he and his brother, Honolulu (Brian Tyree Henry) rob a bank, unfortunately, Honolulu gets injured, leading to Sherman taking him to the Hotel Artemis. While Sherman is a criminal, he's not a bad person and we see he cares deeply for his brother. Dave Baustista is best known for his role as Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy, however, he gives a solid supporting role as Everest who is the Nurse's assistant. As the 'Wolf King', Goldblum has more screen time here than in his brief appearance as Dr Ian Malcom in Jurassic World - Fallen Kingdom. As Nice, Sofia Boutella has an impressive fight sequence towards the end of the film.

Hotel Artemis is currently receiving mixed views from both critics and audiences, which is a shame as I think that it's worth a watch to those who enjoy thrillers and like the actors involved. I think a lot of people were expecting too much from this film, leading them to be disappointed, however, that doesn't make it a bad film. This is the first feature that Pearce has directed and I think that he has mostly succeeded. I'm not easily disappointed and I thoroughly enjoyed watching Hotel Artemis. It had an interesting story and I think it would benefited from a longer runtime and allowing the characters and story to develop. It did feel a bit rushed especially when it finished as I would've liked to seen more. The plot does suffer from a lack of unpredictability as it is quite obvious how things are going to turn out but that didn't spoil my enjoyment of Hotel Artemis. I watched this at a preview screening at my local cinema before its release in the UK and I've read reviews from people who attended the same screening and, from what I've seen, the reception was mainly positive. Hotel Artemis isn't an amazing film, and don't go in expecting to be wowed, however, it features a good story and a great cast.

7/10