I was delighted to see this title at the movies and decided to go give it a watch, since it seemd so intriguing.
The thing about Bad Times at the El Royale is the set-up, premise and overall idea had so much potential, but the way it was presented was pretty disappointing.
First of all, the props and interior design felt kind of... off. When I watched El Royale, I just didn't feel like I would have known it was the 60's . I only knew it because they told me it was. The costumes, props, and sets were so uninspired and didn't make me feel like the movie was taking place in 1967 at all. It was like they just mashed together some clothes and props to give it a "vintage" vibe, not even paying attention to the details of that specific era. Second thing; Dakota Johnson and several other casting choices were poorly made in my opinion. Dakota Johnson's acting was pretty flat, boring and she just seemed really out of place the entire film. Her presence, acting, and the clothes she wore made it feel like I was watching a movie taking place in 2018 and she didn't add anything of substance to movie at all.
Other than that, the cinematography was way too glossy and polished, and robbed the movie from the old-timey atmosphere and feelings they could have otherwise portrayed.
The execution of the story was also a little weird. The first half of the movie was dragging on and on, without anything really happening, it was just an hour of nothing significant or important taking place, which I assumed was some sort of build-up for something great, but that great thing never really... happened and the movie just dragged on and on with various messily executed events occurring that weren't really that interesting to watch at all. Sadly, this was a waste of a great idea and premise, hopefully we can see movies with interesting settings like this in the future carried out in a more satisfying and interesting manner.
First of all, the props and interior design felt kind of... off. When I watched El Royale, I just didn't feel like I would have known it was the 60's . I only knew it because they told me it was. The costumes, props, and sets were so uninspired and didn't make me feel like the movie was taking place in 1967 at all. It was like they just mashed together some clothes and props to give it a "vintage" vibe, not even paying attention to the details of that specific era. Second thing; Dakota Johnson and several other casting choices were poorly made in my opinion. Dakota Johnson's acting was pretty flat, boring and she just seemed really out of place the entire film. Her presence, acting, and the clothes she wore made it feel like I was watching a movie taking place in 2018 and she didn't add anything of substance to movie at all.
Other than that, the cinematography was way too glossy and polished, and robbed the movie from the old-timey atmosphere and feelings they could have otherwise portrayed.
The execution of the story was also a little weird. The first half of the movie was dragging on and on, without anything really happening, it was just an hour of nothing significant or important taking place, which I assumed was some sort of build-up for something great, but that great thing never really... happened and the movie just dragged on and on with various messily executed events occurring that weren't really that interesting to watch at all. Sadly, this was a waste of a great idea and premise, hopefully we can see movies with interesting settings like this in the future carried out in a more satisfying and interesting manner.
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