BAD TIMES AT THE EL ROYALE REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

In 2012, Drew Goddard released his directorial debut, The Cabin In The Woods, which was a thriller that surrounded a group of young adults who stay at a remote cabin, however, they soon get more than they bargained for. The film featured a lot of shocking twists and was a success, both at the box office and with critics. Six years later and Goddard has followed up with Bad Times At The El Royale.

In the late 1960s, an aging priest, Father Daniel Flynn (Jeff Bridges), suffering from early onset dementia, a struggling female singer, Darlene Sweet (Cynthia Erivo) a talkative salesman, Laramie Seymour Sullivan (Jon Hamm), on vacation and an unfriendly young woman, Emily Summerspring (Dakota Johnson) who may or may not be a hippie, arrive by chance on the same day at Lake Tahoe's "El Royale", a once glitzy but now rundown roadside motel lying on the very border between California and Nevada, and operated by a single troubled staff member, Miles Miller (Lewis Pullman), who holds many dark secrets. Throughout the day, it becomes increasingly clear that almost no one there is exactly who they seem, but things really go from bad to worse in the evening when heavy rain hits and someone much worse than those inside arrives to find "a friend" and bring hell to all those unlucky enough to be there at the time.

The best aspect of Bad Times At The El Royale is the cast, which includes familiar names and new faces. The most impressive performance comes from Erivo in one of her first features, the other being Widows, which is due out next month. Prior to appearing in Bad Times At The El Royale, Erivo was known for her performance as Celie in the 2015 Broadway revival of The Color Purple, for which she won the 2016 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical as well as the 2017 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. As Sweet, Erivo shows off both her talented singing and acting skills. As previously mentioned, Erivo will next be appearing in Widows so I doubt this will be the last we see of her. Bridges has had a successful career that spans almost seven decades and has received a total of seven Academy Award nominations and won his first Oscar in 2010 for his performance in Crazu Heart. While his performance as Father Flynn isn't his best, he still proves that he's a great actor who is, in my opinion, yet to give a disappointing performance. Recently, Johnson has become known for appearing in the raunchy Fifty Shades films, however, as Summerspring, she proves that she can give a good performance. Hamm is very charismatic as the salesman, Sullivan, however, his fans may be disappointed to learn that his appearance is limited. Before watching Bad Times At The El Royale, I was surprised to discover that Chris Hemsworth doesn't make his first appearance until towards the end of the film, however, he leaves a lasting impression as cult leader, Billy Lee. Overall, there's not a bad performance to be found in this ensemble cast.

Aside from the cast, another aspect of Bad Times At The El Royale that I liked was the production design, especially that of the titular hotel.  The 1960s period detail is accurately captured through the setting and costume. It can be a challenging task to recreate a setting from decades ago, nevertheless, the production team have succeeded. It is annoying to see anachronisms in films as it's obvious that the filmmakers haven't paid attention to the setting which makes me appreciate the small details in films that try and recapture that of the year it's set in.

Like Goddard's previous feature, The Cabin In The Woods, Bad Times At The El Royale is full of twists that all leads to an intense final act that involves Billy Lee and the remaining guests at the El Royale. During this final act, secrets are revealed and characters' lives are at risk. The majority of the film is mostly driven by the characters, who are all hiding a secret. Because of this, we're never really sure if we can trust or believe anything they say. Through flashbacks, we learn what some of the characters went through prior to them arriving at the El Royale. Father Flynn is looking for a bag of money that his brother hid somewhere in the El Royale and Sullivan is actually an FBI agent named Dwight Broadbeck who was sent to investigate the hotel. Because I hadn't seen The Cabin In The Woods before seeing Bad Times At The El Royale, I didn't know what to expect and I was pleasantly surprised. By focusing more on the characters, I found it to be an interesting watch. Mainly because of the twists that feature within the narrative, I thought it was unpredictable and the final act was intense. I doubt those who liked The Cabin In The Woods will be disappointed with Bad Times At The El Royale as I can imagine it's just as thrilling. 

With a runtime of 141 minutes, I wouldn't be surprised if many people thought that Bad Times At The El Royale was too long, however, I think that this is the kind of film that needs to be over two hours, in order to give each character enough screen time and allow the plot to develop. While the beginning of the film does feel a little slow, the characters are interesting enough to keep our attention. 

This year, we've seen a lot of unoriginal films, including remakes and sequels. While these type of films aren't necessarily bad, they can be boring and predictable so it's refreshing to see a film that's as original as Bad Times At The El Royale which wasn't based on a book but written by Goddard himself. Those looking for something new to watch should definitely seek out his latest thriller. It is disappointing that it's not receiving the same level of appreciation that blockbuster films get.

Despite what its title suggests, viewers will certainly have a good time watching Drew Goddard's Bad Times At The El Royale as it features a great ensemble cast who each play interesting individuals. While it's not the best film that's released in the cinemas, it's definitely one of the most thrilling and original, which is why I'd recommend seeing it. 

7/10