Bad Times at the El Royale Is a Deceptively Good Time

Bad Times at the El Royale (2018)

Bad Times at the El Royale is a criminally under-seen movie. Nobody is watching it and nobody is talking about it and that is a shame. This movie was the most Tarantino-esque movie done by somebody not name Tarantino. It was a winding tale of strangers showing up at the same hotel for different reasons, few of them good, and their lives became intertwined through a series of coincidences. When you look back, you can see the hints littered around, but they are not obvious and some are truly clever. Bad Times at the El Royale gets the most out of its small cast, using mostly big names, like Bridges, Hemsworth, Hamm, and Johnson, to carry the movie and a career stage thespian in Cynthia Erivo to round out the main cast. With the tiny cast, every set piece’s importance was amplified and neatly placed. The story was told in layers, sequentially being peeled off to expose a climax with one final surprise. I had a blast watching this, and part of that was because of one unsung character, the setting. The scenery and lighting was a critical part of the story, creating tones of suspense, hope, and excitement, but always with a subtle sense of intrigue. The time period was perfect as well for two reasons; first, the music was a fantastic blend of late 60s and early 70s hits, and second, this movie could never take place today just because the internet and cell phones would have fixed most of the problems. Overall, I liked everything about Bad Times at the El Royale. I enjoyed it from start to finish and truly hope that it gets some kind of cult following when it is released on digital and disc. I give Bad Times at the El Royale 4 out of 4 unfortunate hotel guests.