One of my more anticipated movies of the fall is writer/director Drew Goddard's follow-up to his critically acclaimed Cabin in the Woods, Bad Times at the El Royale. The film re-teams Goddard with (a more famous) Chris Hemsworth, but adds in a plethora of top tier talent around Hemsworth who was only glimpsed in that initial teaser with the God of Thunder's role seeming to be much more prominent given what's presented in this new, full theatrical spot. The film is said to follow seven strangers, each with a secret to bury, who meet at a rundown hotel with a dark past. Over the course of a single night, everyone will have a shot at redemption before everything goes to hell. There is a certain energy to the trailer as it introduces more of the plot elements and makes the mystery aspect that much more prominent. While I wasn't as big a fan of Cabin in the Woods (which Goddard co-wrote with Joss Whedon) as the rave reviews might have suggested everyone should be it's clear Goddard has a knack for writing scenarios in which groups of people present themselves as one thing, but tend to have their true personalities arise sooner than later or have secrets exposed about one another that shift the dynamic dramatically and that looks to be where Bad Times at the El Royale will really succeed. Sure, the mystery/thriller aspects will work and hopefully work really well, but mostly in service of the character interactions and what looks to be some dynamite back and forth between a number of different combinations of the characters. Both trailers so far have also used music effectively not only in suggesting what we, the viewer, should be feeling at any given moment, but more importantly in conveying the mood and tone of the images we're seeing and hopefully this is a cue taken from the completed film. The trailer is pretty stellar and sells this thing the way an original, big studio production should be sold these days meaning it covers the wall with intrigue, style, familiar tunes, and a multitude of familiar faces. Speaking of familiar faces, Bad Times at the El Royale also stars Jeff Bridges, Cynthia Erivo, Dakota Johnson, Jon Hamm, Cailee Spaeny, Lewis Pullman, Nick Offerman, and opens on October 12th, 2018.
Synopsis: Seven strangers, each with a secret to bury, meet at Lake Tahoe’s El Royale, a rundown hotel with a dark past. Over the course of one fateful night, everyone will have a last shot at redemption… before everything goes to hell. Jeff Bridges, Chris Hemsworth, Jon Hamm, Dakota Johnson and Cynthia Erivo lead an all-star cast in BAD TIMES AT THE EL ROYALE.
No comments:
Post a Comment