(Film Review) Bad Times at the El Royale

Time to read: 2 min read

Movie Cover Movie Poster

Please, be my fuckin’ guest.

Review

This film ticked off many boxes for me, such as being a neo-noir film, being a mystery thriller, and being a film focused on the characters. The story follows four strangers who check into the El Royale Hotel; each of the strangers have their own backstories and their own subplots, all revolving around one main plot, which is the mysterious package stored under the floorboard of one of the rooms.

I liked the setup of the story, and the setup of the characters. I'm a big fan of mystery thrillers and this film's premise is right up my alley, as each character has their own mini-mystery. I also really liked how the film looked, especially with regards to character and set design; I especially liked the first scenes introducing the characters visually through their outfits and vehicles as well as the colour contrast throughout the film.

The acting is also very good, the highlights would definitely have to be Jeff Bridges as Father Daniel Flynn and Cynthia Erivo as Darlene Sweet. Some of the character development was a bit superficial though, such as Chris Hemsworth's Billy Lee, whose sole character development is just strolling around shirtless.

Conclusion

A really solid film with a decent story.

Overall rating: 8.1

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