Set in a rundown hotel with a dark past, Bad Times At Hotel El Royale, the story of seven strangers with secrets to bury and one last shot at redemption is a movie I can’t say I enjoyed a lot. 

There were moments of beauty, including the cinematography and the absolutely divine brown suede coat/jacket on Dakota Johnson’s character’s back. I also liked the pay-off in regards to the story of Miles Miller, the one hotel employee, and what he was found to be capable of. Yet, even though all the characters were portrayed well by the actors, it was only really Miles Miller whose story most intrigued me.

The scene in which Cynthia Erivo’s Darlene completely verbally sizes up Chris Hemsworth’s Billy Lee. That’s a great moment because of the dialogue and Billy Lee’s inability to deny the truth.

As for other things I liked quite a bit less in director Drew Goddard’s film, I didn’t enjoy the way the story was structured. As a result, I was annoyed by how pointless continuing to watch felt at times. The film’s length, pace, and the absence of a thoroughly engaging and natural flow for the entirety of the movie were the key lowlights.

I say, if you’re really curious, give Bad Times at Hotel El Royale a chance. Perhaps you’ll find much to love. For me, my mind often went to other movies I’ve seen that featured many characters, yet remained thrillingly engaging throughout. I just wish I could name an even more comparable example than Magnolia (1999) right now.

Happy Film Loving, 

G