'El Royale' Is Worth Booking a Room

“You shouldn't be here,” so says the bellhop to priest in Bad Times at the El Royale, but that isn't the case for the rest of us. In fact, El Royale is the place to be for those wanting a slow-paced vintage thriller. Drew Goddard’s sophomore outing as director is a cinematic callback to noir set in Nixon’s America. The colors are bright but the intentions are dark and Goddard lets his surprises lead with subtlety.

The film starts out with the introduction of Cynthia Erivo's struggling lounge singer, Darlene Sweet, who arrives at the hotel for a cheap night’s stay. She meets a Jeff Bridges’ suspicious priest and the duo is soon joined by a confident salesman (Jon Hamm) and curt young woman (Dakota Johnson). Nothing is what it seems at the hotel that lies on the state lines of Nevada and California and Darlene might be the only one telling truth at all. More suspicious characters start to arrive and secrets start to fall out of the woodwork while the guns start to shoot and the music starts to play.

Goddard has delivered another original and surprising film, much like his previous cult favorite A Cabin in the Woods.El Royale is a film filled with more secrets and it keeps the audience locked in the rooms and attached to where the tale is going. This is Goddard’s film and he keeps it unique and injects a well-balanced mix of classic noir and 60s charm.

While Bad Times' premise is enticing and captivating, it is still rough around the edges. The audiences are teased with certain points that never come back around. Characters are introduced yet never are given any background or ending. Many of tiny details get lost in the style and charm of the presentation of the film. The pace of the film works well for the first two acts but doesn't change in the third act when it should, making the climactic scene less engaging.

One of Bad Times' best attributes is the star cast. The film is filled with wonderful actors but could have done more with other characters who never got their moment. Both Erivo (about to be seen again in Widows) and Lewis Pullman (Bill’s son), as the bellhop who is crushed and repentant by past actions, are the standouts of the film. Their performances drive the story and provide lovely emotion in the dark story. Chris Hemsworth continues to solidify himself as a great performer, and more than just one of the attractive Chrises, as the calm yet terrifying villain that saunters in halfway through the film.

In what the film lacks in its third act, is made up with the visual aspect of the film. Goddard uses the art of visual storytelling and his long tracking shots are not only stunning but also brings in the viewer further. The 1960s were all about style and that is not lost in the film. The bright colors are contrasted well with dark shadows of the hotel and help to silently tell the story. Goddard doesn't let his hotel guests be separate from their decade as he incorporates the outside world into the story with the help of background information and television sets.

With a singer like Erivo and a decade like the 60s, music plays an important piece in this film and does not disappointment. Both the classic songs and the ones sung by Erivo evoke more mystery and style in a perfect mix. Composer Michael Giacchino provides a subtle yet gorgeous score that hits at the best spots.

Bad Times at the El Royale is not a perfect film. It has its downfalls but the film will still easily standout at the end of the year. Goddard has shown masterful direction with this hotel thriller and the world should check in.