Review:
*Originally written October 19th, 2018*
Bad Times at the El Royale feels like its stuck in the '90s, which isn't a bad thing. This clearly Tarantino inspired feels exactly like the sort of film that came out just after Reservoir Dogs, riffing on Tarantino's formula, and for the most part, it works.
It's a hard one to talk about without spoilers. A group of strangers arrive at the El Royale Hotel, each with a different secret and complicated past. Some more interesting than others, but it all comes to a head when Chris Hemsworth's Charles Manson like cult leader 'Billy Ray' gets involved.
I'm not the biggest fan of Drew Goddard's work so far. I really wanted to like Cabin in the Woods, but just found it remarkably okay and a bit of a slog to get through (I will revisit it at some point though). Goddard clearly has an understanding of genre film-making that has largely been untapped as I can tell he's so much more capable than the films he produces. I will say El Royale is a huge improvement on Cabin at the very least.
Being a Tarantino style film, Goddard does indulge in some of Tarantino's faults. For instance, this is barbarically overlong. So much is drawn out and felt borderline insane to even exist within the film. We see the same event from several different angles multiple times throughout, and it got a little grating. This could have easily done with another round in the editing room.
But in terms of the good stuff, it's pretty much excellent all round. Every single cast member does an excellent job, even with such a talented and diverse cast, everyone feels on the same level and no one stuck out as wasted or pointless. It was incredible to see a film where I actually understood what Jeff Bridges was saying, which is a huge rarity these days.
The central mystery is constantly intriguing and helped by the marketing which told us pretty much nothing about the film, but really hurt its commercial performance at the same time. It builds up to a spectacular finale involving Chris Hemsworth who completely steals the show. It was so great to see him as the villain and I instantly wanted to ravage him and join his family every moment he was on screen. He just oozed charisma and brought alive every second of his brief performance. I just wish he was in it more, as he completely dominated every scene he was in, despite only showing up in the final act.
Bad Times at the El Royale is a step the right direction for Goddard. An overlong, but intriguing mystery thriller with an excellent cast and gonzo final act brought alive due to the pure psychotic charisma of Chris Hemsworth.
7/10 Dans
Bad Times at the El Royale is out now in cinemas in the UK
Watch the trailer below:
Follow us:
Twitter: @FigmentReviews
Instagram: @thesurprisingadventuresofdanb
YouTube: Figment Reviews
Letterboxd: Dan
No comments:
Post a Comment