The El Royale hotel near Lake Tahoe, California, with its dark past has finally lost its luster as a hot spot. Now attracting a less fashionable crowd, the arrival of a beleaguered priest, a desperate lounge singer, and a cult leader each with their own agenda set us up for a night to remember at the El Royale.
Jeff Bridges (Father Flynn/Dock), Cynthia Erivo (Darlene), Dakota Johnson (Emily), Jon Hamm (Laramie/Dwight), Chris Hemsworth (Billy), Cailee Spaeny (Rose), Lewis Pullman (Miles).
Bad Times at the El Royale begins with some character introductions and backstory. The plot shows up quickly, but then takes most of the two and one-half hours of runtime to completely unfurl. The journey is interesting using a mix of different perspectives against fixed time points along with some action.
Acting was solid here with Erivo and her wonderful vocal performance being the big star. Bridges delivered well and seemed to work nicely with Erivo. Johnson also did well with nice depth and delivery. Hemsworth was okay, if a bit out of place, but in the end opening his shirt only made him seem more like Thor and a mismatch for the film. Spaeny was perfectly disturbing while Pullman fit his role perfectly.
Camera work, sets, and backgrounds are all nicely done with a strong, rich feel. Action scenes fit the film well and were executed nicely. Dialogue was interesting and enjoyable with reasonable depth and plot movement. Sound and soundtrack are well done.
Overall Bad Times at the El Royale is unusual, but interesting. While the plot is okay, plot depth is somewhat lost with the style of the film which really dominates here. Those who enjoy unusually styled films should enjoy this one the most.
With some brief mild nudity, plenty of violence and gore, and foul language, save this for older teens and above.
Released: 2018
Reviewed: 3.16.19
Star rating: 3 out of 5
Genre: Mystery, Crime, Drama, Thrillers, Period Pieces
copyright ©2019 Dave Riedel
Jeff Bridges (Father Flynn/Dock), Cynthia Erivo (Darlene), Dakota Johnson (Emily), Jon Hamm (Laramie/Dwight), Chris Hemsworth (Billy), Cailee Spaeny (Rose), Lewis Pullman (Miles).
Bad Times at the El Royale begins with some character introductions and backstory. The plot shows up quickly, but then takes most of the two and one-half hours of runtime to completely unfurl. The journey is interesting using a mix of different perspectives against fixed time points along with some action.
Acting was solid here with Erivo and her wonderful vocal performance being the big star. Bridges delivered well and seemed to work nicely with Erivo. Johnson also did well with nice depth and delivery. Hemsworth was okay, if a bit out of place, but in the end opening his shirt only made him seem more like Thor and a mismatch for the film. Spaeny was perfectly disturbing while Pullman fit his role perfectly.
Camera work, sets, and backgrounds are all nicely done with a strong, rich feel. Action scenes fit the film well and were executed nicely. Dialogue was interesting and enjoyable with reasonable depth and plot movement. Sound and soundtrack are well done.
Overall Bad Times at the El Royale is unusual, but interesting. While the plot is okay, plot depth is somewhat lost with the style of the film which really dominates here. Those who enjoy unusually styled films should enjoy this one the most.
With some brief mild nudity, plenty of violence and gore, and foul language, save this for older teens and above.
Released: 2018
Reviewed: 3.16.19
Star rating: 3 out of 5
Genre: Mystery, Crime, Drama, Thrillers, Period Pieces
copyright ©2019 Dave Riedel
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