E's Reviews: Bad Times At The El Royale


Seven strangers, each with a secret to bury, meet at Lake Tahoe's El Royale, a rundown hotel with a dark past. Over the course of one fateful night, everyone will have a last shot at redemption - before everything goes to hell....ooooo spooky! Or not. This isn't a horror movie. But what it is? Well...let's get into that.

Bad Times at the El Royale was written and directed by Drew Goddard (The Cabin In The Woods) and has an all-star cast that includes Jon Hamm, Dakota Johnson, Cynthia Erivo, Jeff Bridges, Chris Hemsworth, Cailee Spaeny, and Lewis Pullman. The movie centers on this group of people that end up at the El Royale for one reason or another, and then all Hell breaks loose when the truth behind their intentions begins to surface. And man, this was one helluva thrill ride!

Let's start with what I absolutely hated about this movie...and it's only one small thing. I wanted way more character background for Lewis Pullman's character, the concierge Miles. He was by far my favorite of all the characters in this movie, and I truly wanted to know more about his background and wanted to see more of him on screen. This young talent can truly act and we needed to see more of his badassery. That's about all I hated about the movie...now what I loved...

The script is fantastic, the dialogue is intriguing and draws you into this world. The visuals are excellent and the hotel is gorgeous and yet has this grimy, dark, disgusting feel to it at the same time. The all-star cast is great, I loved every character and everyone truly puts on an incredible performance. Aside from Lewis Pullman, Chris Hemsworth truly does steal the show. As soon as his cult leader character is introduced, he draws you right into his performance. He's also downright creepy at times. Every shot is done meticulously and this film proves to be a fun noir-comedy/thriller. I truly was also surprised every time a character would get into trouble or someone died on screen because you don't really see it coming (it happens suddenly without warning most times).

It's out now this weekend and you really should check it out as soon as you can. Definitely a fun film that won't disappoint you!

Final Score: 9/10

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