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 beautiful cinematography and the absolutely divine brown suede coat on Dakota Johnson’s characters 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. Even though all the characters were well-acted, it was only really Miller, who’s story most intrigued me, and luckily, kind of paid off in a way that thrilled and surprised.

Where scenes are concerned, the one when 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 what 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, basically the absence of a thoroughly engaging structure / 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