Bad Times at the El Royale
Twentieth Century Fox | Release Date: October 12, 2018 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
60
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 43 Critic Reviews
Positive:
23
Mixed:
16
Negative:
4
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Film ThreatBobby LePireOct 20, 2018
Bad Times At The El Royale is creepy and mysterious in all the right ways. The tension builds as the non-sequential story allows the pieces to fall into place in mesmerizing fashion. Read full review
83
UproxxVince ManciniOct 1, 2018
That Goddard is so conversant with pop cinema tropes is both his greatest strength and his weakness. Read full review
83
The PlaylistJessica KiangSep 29, 2018
With Bad Times at the El Royale Goddard’s comparatively leisurely pace may disappoint the more impatient, splatter-hungry genre-hounds in his fanbase, but for the rest of us, he has made impressive, enjoyable and gorgeous-to-look-at work of his “difficult second album” by defying expectations in a different way: broadening his scope, deepening his craft and letting the Bad Times roll. Read full review
83
ConsequenceDan CaffreySep 29, 2018
Though not as unpredictable as the preceding two hours (and nowhere close to the dizzying final act of Cabin In the Woods), the resolution is still a lot of fun, straight out of a thrilling dime-store novel you’d keep by your bedside table. Read full review
83
IGNJim VejvodaSep 27, 2018
Bad Times at the El Royale may overstay its welcome a bit, and it never realizes the potential of its villain, but it’s still an engrossing, well-made crime flick bolstered by several fine performances from its ensemble cast. Read full review
83
IndieWireDavid EhrlichSep 27, 2018
The more that Goddard upends our assumptions about who’s good, who’s bad, and who’s going to live through the night, the more we realize that we’re rooting for all of these fucked-up people to get right with the world. It’s massively didactic, but in a way that encourages us to dwell on how we feel about these characters, and how malleable those feelings are. Read full review
81
TheWrapWilliam BibbianiSep 27, 2018
Bad Times at the El Royale is vibrant motion picture, in a way few films are nowadays. One might even call it indulgent, although “decadent” is probably more accurate. Read full review
80
EmpireAlex GodfreyOct 1, 2018
A beautifully staged film with everything in its place, this is both an affectionate homage and a timely commentary, falling only slightly short of its own ambition. Classy pulp fiction. Read full review
80
Total FilmJames MottramSep 27, 2018
If the film isn’t quite as inventive as the game-changing horror that was Cabin in the Woods (which boasted Joss Whedon as co-scripter), it’s infused with affection and craft. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperOct 12, 2018
Sometimes it’s a creepy thriller. Sometimes it’s a gripping and heartbreaking story of a man losing his memory. Sometimes it’s drive-in movie about a charismatic and thoroughly reprehensible cult leader. And then, from time to time, it’s for all intents and purposes a musical. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyLeah GreenblattOct 10, 2018
It’s British stage actress Erivo who feels like the real star. Her steely charisma and gorgeous powerhouse of a voice (Goddard takes every plausible opportunity to let her loose on a classic 1960s songbook; can you blame him?) is what gives the movie not just a different kind of heroine, but a heart. Read full review
75
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanOct 9, 2018
Not all of its surprises are pleasant ones, but there is a certain satisfaction in experiencing a yarn that is so obstinately un-anticipatable. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubKatie RifeSep 29, 2018
Unlike the director’s debut feature The Cabin In The Woods, Bad Times At The El Royale isn’t a deconstruction of the neo-noir genre so much as a structurally ambitious example of same. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesJustin ChangOct 10, 2018
Truth be told, I don’t much mind the version of Bad Times at the El Royale we have before us. Even if, with its multi-chapter narrative and time-skipping plotlines, its mix of verbal longwindedness and abrupt violence, the movie initially seems to warn of a terminal case of Tarantino-itis: an El Royale with cheese. Read full review
70
Arizona RepublicRandy CordovaOct 10, 2018
There is a staginess to the action that creates a certain distance between the film and viewers (an opening sequence almost feels like like you're watching a play). That's another Tarantino-style touch. However, you never feel too disconnected, thanks to the good work from the cast. Read full review
70
Screen DailyTim GriersonSep 27, 2018
There’s ample amusement in the twists, betrayals and revelations that unspool. But Bad Times never really transcends the inherent limitations of its setup; it’s fun, but fleeting. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleMatthew MonagleOct 3, 2018
If you’re looking for a thrilling whodunit, there’s nothing in this film that hasn’t been done – and done better – a dozen times before. Read full review
65
The AtlanticDavid SimsOct 11, 2018
I have to applaud Goddard’s ambition, even when it overreaches. Yes, Bad Times at the El Royale is bloated and might’ve functioned better as a punchy bit of neo-noir. But it’s rare for a genre film to feel so sweeping and inventive. Read full review
63
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliOct 13, 2018
Bad Times at the El Royale has problems beyond its inability to stick the ending but that’s the one that ultimately sinks it. Read full review
63
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsOct 11, 2018
Like Tarantino, Goddard is a clever structuralist. He attracts strong actors, and lets them stretch out and try things, and gives them juicy dialogue. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeMark FeeneyOct 11, 2018
A line gets crossed. It isn’t the one between California and Nevada. It’s the one from “Bad” to worse. Read full review
63
Philadelphia Daily NewsNick VadalaOct 10, 2018
Goddard provides ample space for his star-studded cast to play, often to great effect, thanks mostly to lesser-known stars like Erivo and Pullman. The production design is similarly engrossing, with the El Royale's endless corridors and secrets making it as much a character in the movie as any of its human players. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineDerek SmithOct 1, 2018
The film begins as a cheeky retro chamber drama before morphing into an often expectation-busting blend of noir and pitch-black comedy. Read full review
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