Movie Review: Bad Times at The El Royale, A Fun Movie Bogged Down By A Long, Choppy Story
‘Bad Times at the El Royale’ has one of the bigger casts of 2018, with some big stars, but did the neo-noir thriller deliver? Let’s find out…
Jeff (82/100): ‘Bad Times at the El Royale’ is a fun neo-noir thriller, thanks to great performances from a stellar cast, but is bogged down by an overly-complex and jumbled story. With a long runtime, the movie is never really able to find a consistent flow or pace and is a tonal mess at times amidst its story’s multiple twist and turns.
The biggest downfall of the movie is a story that sort of loses itself as the movie moves along. It just drags a bit too much at times, especially after you get the sense every now and then that the story-telling is about to hit a groove. There are so many fucking flashbacks in this movie that stop everything dead in its tracks. It felt like it was so close to getting it right, but there were enough snags along the way to pull the movie off the tracks a bit.
It’s a shame the story, as a whole, struggles to stay out of its own way, because a lot of the movie works very well. The idea is intriguing, even with its issues, and I felt engaged enough to care about trying to figure out what was going to happen at the movie’s climax. I enjoyed every performance, as well, from Jeff Bridges to Cynthia Erivo, Jon Hamm, Cailee Spaeny, Chris Hemsworth and more. Even Dakota Johnson was enjoyable in her role and I am happy to see her get out from under the thumb of the ‘Fifty Shades’ franchise. There is plenty to like about ‘Bad Times at the El Royale’ that saves it from its issues.
I would suggest going to see ‘Bad Times at the El Royale’, as it is a unique and intriguing enough experience to make it worth the price of admission. It’s not without its flaws and never really establishes everything it is trying to be, but the movie is bold enough to put it in the top third of movies from 2018.
KenJac (78/100): A perfect example of doing too much, this would have been a great movie if it was just a half hour shorter. It’s highlighted by some really interesting performances and a suspenseful plotline, but it drags in the second act and leaves you checking your watch.
They touted the huge cast of this movie throughout the entire promotional period, and I found that to be a little disingenuous after watching. If you saw ‘Isle of Dogs’, they did a similar spiel with that as well where they promoted the ensemble cast even though Bryan Cranston and Koyu Rankin dominated 90% of the screen time. The big players in this were Jeff Bridges, Cynthia Erivo, and Lewis Pullman. The latter pulled off an outrageous performance and I look forward to him getting more work going forward. Chris Hemsworth is introduced in the third act, and I loved him as a bad guy. He was perfectly off-putting and creepy while remaining seductive, and it was a good change of pace from his normal roles.
The pacing was brutal at points, especially in the back half of the movie. They did weave a really interesting story that has some Tarantino-esque vibes to it, but it just took way too goddamn long for anything you learn to mean anything. I will say, I loved the soundtrack. It was expertly picked to express the time period along with some very authentic set pieces. The practical effects were also fun, adding more realness to an interesting shooting style.
If you like whodunnit-type thriller movies, this will for sure be your thing. It has some ‘Clue’ and ‘Gosford Park’ type feels to it, but as a whole, the movie just fails to grab you. If they shaved 25-ish minutes off this and redistributed the screen time to the tertiary characters while avoiding some of the seemingly endless flashbacks, this might have easily scraped the 90’s.
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Our audience liked the movie a bit, but it is not yet Officially Buttered and awaits Trillballins’ exclusive score reveal on this Thursday’s podcast. with Trillballins’ score, set to be revealed this Thursday on the podcast. Make sure to subscribe to Lights, Camera, Barstool where we will review ‘First Man’ and ‘Bad Times at the El Royale’. Make sure to rate all 2018 movies below.
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