It’s hard to believe that Drew Goddard has only directed one movie prior to the newly released Bad Times at the El Royale. Considering the unexpected success that his directorial debut The Cabin in the Woods (2012) received, you’d think that opportunities would have had him behind the camera again much sooner than this. Whether it was a lack of offers or not the right project, Goddard has continued to build upon his stellar reputation as a writer and producer.
If you don’t already know, here are a few television shows that Goddard is known for: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Alias, Lost, Netflix’s Daredevil, The Good Place. And on theatrical side of things: the Cloverfield franchise, World War Z, The Martian. His resume is as impressive as they come and that’s what makes his latest movie so intriguing. Not to mention, you have no idea what direction he’s going to take things.
When a robbery goes sideways, the money has to be stashed due to circumstances and retrieved at a later time. This takes us to a rarely-frequented motel right on the California-Nevada border. As a matter of fact, the El Royale resides directly on state lines where even the laws are different depending on where you happen to be standing. When several visitors show up from various backgrounds for different reasons, the mysterious plot thickens. The more you learn about each character, the more confusing and curious things become. It doesn’t take long before you realize that not everyone is who they claim to be. When truths are revealed, this twisted story will have everyone at each other’s throats.
In order to protect the sanctity of Goddard’s secretive plot, I’m only going over the broad strokes of this film, starting with its actors. In no particular order of importance, the cast includes Jeff Bridges, Dakota Johnson, Chris Hemsworth, Cynthia Erivo, Jon Hamm, Cailee Spaeny, Lewis Pullman and Nick Offerman. Some of these actors will have more pivotal parts than others. That being said, everyone was pretty good in capturing what was intended for each of their unique traits and give something different and unique for audiences to cling to. Again not to spoil things, but I’d like to point out that Chris Hemsworth gives a crazy good performance. We’ve gotten so used to seeing him over the last couple of years as Marvel Studios’ Thor, that we’ve kind of forgotten what else he can do. Bad Times at the El Royale is the very definition of an ensemble cast.
Drew Goddard wore all of the hats here by serving as the film’s producer, writer and director. Nothing happened without his approval. The only way this type of movie was going to work in Goddard’s eyes was if he himself attacked it from all angles. Part of the challenge when handling so many facets of a huge production is that you’re so involved and invested that sometimes it’s hard to be objective and critical of oneself. I think that’s what happens in a small way with Bad Times at the El Royale. Goddard is so focused on telling these characters’ stories while keeping everything so mysterious that he loses the audience’s attention part way through the plot. With a running time of over 140 minutes, things become exhausting in parts.
Bad Times at the El Royale has a strong beginning and maybe an even stronger conclusion. But what’s left in the middle portion is spectacularly average. The display of what you’ll visually see is stylish and beautiful including the backdrops and its authenticity. Also, the great music gives this a very enjoyable feel. The tension and mystery ends up being hit or miss mostly due to all that is going on. It’s tough to focus enough to become fully hooked. In the end, I feel that this was too grand of a gesture and needed to simplified and shortened just a bit. Too much of a good thing isn’t always a good thing. Still though, this does make for an adequately entertaining night out.
