Bad Times at the El Royale

Bad Times at the El Royale is written and directed by Drew Goddard and stars Jeff Bridges, Cynthia Erivo, and Dakota Johnson. It tells the story of a fateful night at the El Royale, a motel located on the border of California and Nevada. Seven strangers, each with layered backstories, are given a final shot at finding redemption.

Drew Goddard found fame with the hit horror-comedy Cabin in the Woods. It was a clever send-up of the slasher films of old by adding new twists to what seemed like a straight forward affair. His second directorial effort sees him channeling his best Quentin Tarantino impression, for better and for worse. 

Bad Times… shines in the first act, when suspense and mystery meet characters with intriguing backstories. A sequence occurring about midway through the first act involving two-sided mirrors leaves the audience on the edge of their seat. Character motivations are revealed, and actions are seen that set up potentially great payoffs for later on in the movie. 

In a film with great performances from powerhouse actors Jeff Bridges and John Hamm, the true star of the movie is Cynthia Erivo. 

Erivo stars as a former Motown singer who could not make it in the industry. This movie marks Erivo’s feature film debut and just might be a star turning role for the former Broadway performer. Her singing is used throughout the soundtrack and provides the backdrop for the best sequence in the movie.

The main problems with Bad Times… start about midway through the movie. After a shocking twist, the movie begins to peter out. The arrival of a bizarre performance from Chris Hemsworth does little in answering the questions from the first half of the movie. His entire storyline feels tacked on.

The feel of a Tarantino movie shines with the dialogue and unique characters. But it hinders it with its blood lust and excessive runtime. By the end of the movie, character deaths had no emotional weight. People were being killed for shock value alone. And the runtime of 2 hours and 22 minutes began to drag on as the potentially great payoffs often times revealed themselves to be empty.

Bad Times at the El Royale is not a bad movie. Fans of Quentin Tarantino or pulpy crime films will have a lot of fun with it. But the average movie going audience may feel just as I did; Bad Times… settles for average when it had the potential for greatness. 

When should you see it?

Dollar Theater