What happens when a priest, a salesman, a singer, and a woman with a gun walk into a rundown motel? About two and a half hours of suspenseful plot twists, that is what!
Walking into Palace Barracks Cinemas for the preview screening of Bad Times at the El Royale, all I knew was that Chris Hemsworth was starring. It clearly does not take much for me to get excited about a movie. I did not know that I was about to see an award-winning, all-star cast execute a complicated and thrilling plot.
Fortunately, my lack of preparation for this film did not impact how much I thoroughly enjoyed it. Here is the elevator pitch, Jeff Bridges, Dakota Johnson, Jon Hamm, and Cynthia Eriva play four unlikely acquaintances, each with their own secrets to protect. While Chris Hemsworth takes on the timeless role of the charismatic, mentally disturbed, cult-leading villain. The group of strangers coincidently meet whilst checking into the El Royale.
Once a thriving, seemingly private, escape for celebrities of Hollywood’s golden era, The El Royal is now a forgotten, rundown hotel on the border of the California-Nevada border. However, do not let my incredibly brief synopsis fool you. This film, directed and written by Drew Goddard, is anything but predictable.
In his career thus far, Goddard has proved to Hollywood that he has a talent for adapting amazing novels into screenplays such as The Martian (2015) and World War Z (2013). Even though the cinematic style of Bad Times at the El Royale occasionally resembles the flair of Quentin Tarrintinto, there is no doubt this film is Goddard’s creative vision. By taking on the role of writer, director, and producer, Goddard has taken leaps and bounds to becoming a sought-after Hollywood auteur. With the help of cinematographer Seamus McGarvey (The Avengers [2012], Fifty Shades of Grey [2015]), Goddard brought to life a visually stunning depiction of 1970’s America.
Due to the film’s time and place in history, the collision of these characters is an investigation into the political climate of America following the election of Richard Nixon. Through a series of cinematic winks and nudges, Goddard has packed this film with more social commentary than one viewing could possibly uncover. I may have to see it again.
Overall, despite its misleading name, I undoubtedly had a good time watching Bad Times at the el Royale.
Readers also enjoyed this review of Night School.
