It would have been very easy for Bad Times at the El Royale to be mere popcorn entertainment. Certainly based on the trailers, it looked like an enjoyable but shallow film that treated its characters flippantly in favour of quips and guns. Its slick appearance and lavish cast were enough to entice me to the cinema, but I was still hoping the film itself would aim higher. Given writer/director Drew Goddard's historical tendency to make films more than they first appear, I was optimistic. Fortunately, that attitude wasn't misplaced.
Bad Times at the El Royale is intricately constructed. Visually, there's so much attention to detail, with set design comparable to Wes Anderson's incredible The Grand Budapest Hotel. Although, replacing the hotel with a motel gives it a sordid edge that distinguishes this film from Anderson's. Seamus McGarvey's cinematography indulgently soaks in this atmosphere, framing each shot with purpose and drenching it with intoxicating neon. Scenes are blocked and choreographed in somewhat theatrical but undeniably mesmerising ways. Michael Giacchino's sinister score juxtaposed against the soulful soundtrack creates an unnerving, contradictory aural landscape that perfectly reflects the action on-screen. The narrative itself is just as intriguing, opting for a structure that isn't entirely linear. The plot is dexterously shuffled around itself by distinct chapters that jump back and forth through time and occasionally overlap.
However, Bad Times at the El Royale works as well as it does because it's more than just style. There's a surprising amount of depth to the themes and characters that injects the surface thrills with substance. Beneath the sinuous structure and dense dialogue, Goddard's script is a layered discussion of morality. Right and wrong are ingeniously symbolised by the two sides of the bi-state hotel, with the morally ambiguous antagonist shown literally walking the line between them. In fact, the time Goddard dedicates to fleshing out the characters is when this theme is explored most thoroughly. Each character is carrying a troubled, immoral past that is forced out of them by the unfolding events. Through dialogue, flashbacks and occasional violence, Goddard delves into how these burdens have shaped the characters, whether that's crippling them with guilt or driving them away from morality altogether. The film’s search for redemption takes it to intensely dark places, never settling on a simple conclusion but ultimately allowing a glimmer of hope to break through.
The entire ensemble cast brings their characters skilfully and distinctly to life, but there are a few standouts. Chris Hemsworth is seductively charismatic and utterly horrid as the lurid cult leader Billy Lee. Jeff Bridges disappears into the heartbreaking vulnerability of Father Daniel Flynn, as he tries to reconcile his past amidst a deteriorating memory. However, it's the lesser known faces that really shine. Lewis Pullman's turn as Miles Miller is deceptively complex, elevating what could've been a minor supporting role to a compelling study of guilt and repentance. Cynthia Erivo, an established stage actor but relative newcomer to film, brings further depth as the struggling soul singer Darlene Sweet. Erivo's performance is very much the emotional heart of Bad Times, providing the audience with a genuine human being to identify with amidst the seedy morality and gory violence. Her astonishing singing is also frequently used to infuse the action with a surreal, transfixing musicality.
Bad Times at the El Royale is a fascinating journey. Drew Goddard's inventive script draws the audience through a plot thick with mystery, populated by a diversely talented cast and told by impeccable, vibrant filmmaking. It's wildly ambitious and widely successful, packed with imaginative and unexpected ideas that largely land as intended. Whilst its surface is flashy and brutal, its subtext is thoughtful and its characters are nuanced. Bad Times at the El Royale is unlike anything else I've seen all year; it's surprising, captivating and thought-provoking at every twist and turn.
However, Bad Times at the El Royale works as well as it does because it's more than just style. There's a surprising amount of depth to the themes and characters that injects the surface thrills with substance. Beneath the sinuous structure and dense dialogue, Goddard's script is a layered discussion of morality. Right and wrong are ingeniously symbolised by the two sides of the bi-state hotel, with the morally ambiguous antagonist shown literally walking the line between them. In fact, the time Goddard dedicates to fleshing out the characters is when this theme is explored most thoroughly. Each character is carrying a troubled, immoral past that is forced out of them by the unfolding events. Through dialogue, flashbacks and occasional violence, Goddard delves into how these burdens have shaped the characters, whether that's crippling them with guilt or driving them away from morality altogether. The film’s search for redemption takes it to intensely dark places, never settling on a simple conclusion but ultimately allowing a glimmer of hope to break through.
The entire ensemble cast brings their characters skilfully and distinctly to life, but there are a few standouts. Chris Hemsworth is seductively charismatic and utterly horrid as the lurid cult leader Billy Lee. Jeff Bridges disappears into the heartbreaking vulnerability of Father Daniel Flynn, as he tries to reconcile his past amidst a deteriorating memory. However, it's the lesser known faces that really shine. Lewis Pullman's turn as Miles Miller is deceptively complex, elevating what could've been a minor supporting role to a compelling study of guilt and repentance. Cynthia Erivo, an established stage actor but relative newcomer to film, brings further depth as the struggling soul singer Darlene Sweet. Erivo's performance is very much the emotional heart of Bad Times, providing the audience with a genuine human being to identify with amidst the seedy morality and gory violence. Her astonishing singing is also frequently used to infuse the action with a surreal, transfixing musicality.
Bad Times at the El Royale is a fascinating journey. Drew Goddard's inventive script draws the audience through a plot thick with mystery, populated by a diversely talented cast and told by impeccable, vibrant filmmaking. It's wildly ambitious and widely successful, packed with imaginative and unexpected ideas that largely land as intended. Whilst its surface is flashy and brutal, its subtext is thoughtful and its characters are nuanced. Bad Times at the El Royale is unlike anything else I've seen all year; it's surprising, captivating and thought-provoking at every twist and turn.
8.4/10
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