BAD TIMES AT THE EL ROYALE: Deconstruction That’s Stylish To A Fault

Bad Times at the El Royale is Pulp Fiction meets The Hateful Eight – that is, the film has the strengths of the former and the weaknesses of the latter. Without question, it is a deconstruction, which seems to be a signature approach from writer and director Drew Goddard. His debut in 2012, The Cabin in the Woods, gave the audience a bird’s eye view of horror as a film genre, and it turned out to be one of the greatest films in the current decade. The shortcomings of Bad Times at the El Royale helped draw attention to what really worked for Cabin in my opinion – the less number of moving pieces you have, the easier the deconstruction and the more layers you can add underneath the premise to make the whole ordeal feel less gimmicky.

The premise here is delightfully simple – seven strangers stop by the El Royale, a hotel which sits in between the state lines of California and Nevada. These seven people, led by a large cast that includes Jeff Bridges, Cynthia Erivo, Dakota Johnson, Jon Hamm, and Chris Hemsworth, all have their own secrets to hide and reasons to enter the hotel. As the film progresses, situations become more dangerous, motivations begin to conflict, and we are there to see it all go to hell.

Style, Production Value, and Performances

Without question, Bad Times at the El Royale is a stylish, entertaining film. I was emotionally invested from start to finish, and I can certainly confess that I had no idea where the story was going to go. Goddard’s playful yet suspenseful tone signifies a mastery in directing actors. From its naturalistic dialogue to its ability to fuse laughs and gasps effortlessly, the script understands and celebrates a lot of Quentin Tarantino’s best qualities in his crime dramas, especially Pulp Fiction. The two films even edit their narrative in a similar fashion, where certain events are repeated but in a different perspective to add some more color. It’s entertaining, full of flair, and easily recommendable.

Every way you look at it, the production value is exquisite. The 1960s period detail is accurately captured, almost as if the hotel exists in a time capsule. If it weren’t for its shady secrets, the El Royale would’ve been an instant check-in in my book. But the fun comes from how the actors interact with the setting, and of course, each other. Erivo’s Darlene Sweet shares an almost intimate relationship with the lounge of the hotel, given that she is an aspiring singer and the lounge has a large vintage jukebox full of songs she loves. Adding on top of her character is her relationship with Father Flynn (Bridges), who shares almost no similarities to Darlene but bears a warm desire to connect and a backstory that might be enough to warrant our sympathies – it is one of Bridges’ best performances since True Grit.

And we can’t forget about the charm Hamm brings and the feisty energy blooming out of Johnson. There is even a supporting performance by Lewis Pullman as the El Royale’s concierge that almost stole the movie for me. As for Hemsworth, let’s just say there should’ve been more of him.

A Whole Lotta Movie, Even at 140 Minutes

Despite the entertaining style and dedicated performances, there is simply too much character and too much backstory in El Royale, especially when its premise is a stage-play premise. The script is unnecessarily dense at times, making several tangents that are essential to a certain character but also detrimental to the overall pacing, coherence, and flow. Goddard definitely has a large ambition to mesh so much together.

The problem is he doesn’t seem to have a thematic or substantial reason to justify such ambition. Lead editor Lisa Lassek tries to keep it all together, but the editing only brings to laser focus how problematic the flashback structure is. A couple times throughout its runtime, the film seems to take two steps forward and then one step back. The end result is an entertaining unique experience that had too many moving pieces and went on for too long, even at 140 minutes, whose flashback structure negatively affected the pacing – a strikingly similar issue I had with The Hateful Eight.

Worth Checking In Again?

Even with the plot reveals and surprises already known in a second viewing, and even with the problematic writing, there are still justifiable reasons to revisit Bad Times at the El Royale at least one more time. Not every question was answered, and there is certainly a handful of MacGuffins that may suggest more when observed again. Some imagery caught my eye the first time, but I definitely missed some details.

It took me two to three viewings to finally understand how The Cabin in the Woods was a complete mockery of the moviegoer, and how it’s the moviegoer’s fault that the horror movie industry is still making bad cliché horror movies. I can’t help but wonder if there is something deeper in Bad Times at the El Royale that I’ve overlooked.

Last but not least, the cast in this film is just so dynamite, it’s worth checking in twice. Goddard directed each and every one of them with swift confidence, and each actor gave a memorable performance that helped sell Goddard’s unique vision. Just on the performances alone, Bad Times at the El Royale is worth your time and money.

Did you see Bad Times at the El Royale? What did you think of it? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!

Bad Times at the El Royale was released in the US and the UK on October 12, 2018. For all international release dates, see here.