Suspense
A true suspense film that made me grip my seat more than I though I would
Original Movie
The film is an original narrative from director Drew Goddard
Standout
Is it weird if I think this might be Chris Hemsworth best performance?
Cinematography
Many scenes are intelligently shot, using close ups head shots to dispel truths from lies
Rotten Tomatoes 71% Cinemascore: B-
We may not have a Tarantino film until next summer but at least we have Bad Times at the El Royale from one of my favorite script writers Drew Goddard. Goddard's original film, brings a half dozen misfits to one place for a good old fashion mystery/ battle royal film. There are plenty of shady characters to get behind, whether your fancy is a priest who isn't actually a priest (Bridges), or a trigger happy bad-ass who kidnapped her own sister (Johnson), El Royale keeps it fresh enough throughout its daunting two and a half hour run time.
Well I'm in the camp that El Royale is ultimately a good time at the movies I can't pinpoint where exactly its weaknesses lie. It has weaknesses, this is a far from perfect film, but the chemistry between its standout characters and the plot that propels them has me pointing fingers between the direction and the script (which was written by the director so Goddard gets the blame either way). There are clear thematic and narrative points introduced throughout the film that get dropped as the narrative chugs along. Story beats happen, they just do. The end result is that rather all of El Royale's assets coming together in the end to tell one overarching plot, the narrative slithers from point to point. This is by nature a very Tarantino thing to do but it's always in the service of the characters or theme. Here its feels very disconnected. The film is a thumbs up from me overall but I curious to see how I feel about this one several months later.
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