It is pretty hard to do Spoilers for this film, as the title "Bad Times at the El Royale" is pretty self-explanatory. A apparently legendary hotel, the El Royale, on Lake Tahoe serves as the location -- and memorably serves as kind of a character in the film -- for some really Bad Times. That is kind of it.
Except that the characters who come to stay at the El Royale evolve from thinly drawn stereotypes (in the First Reel) into ones with real depth, who, most importantly, all have Secrets of some kind they bring to the hotel. It helps that the film is perfectly cast, from Cyntha Erivo's solid turn as an aspiring songstress, to Jeff Bridges' sly take on a Catholic Priest who is clearly not -- from the opening -- what he says he is. There are others (such as John Hamm's apparent oily vacuum cleaner salesman) but Chris Hemsworth really steals the show here as the Jim Jones-esque cult leader.
As has been noted, the story, acting and photography are all top notch. What really makes "Bad Times" more than just another Tarantino knock-off is how skillfully Goddard builds to the Tarantino-esque (or Peckinpah-esque) closing act. It would be spoiling things to say what happens, but I think Goddard earns the rather violent denouement, and even the hopeful ending frame.
Good stuff.
