Hotel Artemis

Released: June 8, 2018
Director: Drew Pearce
Writer: Drew Pearce
Cinematographer: Chung-hoon Chung
Starring: Jodie Foster, Sterling K Brown, Sofia Boutella, Jeff Goldblum, Charlie Day, Dave Bautista
Bechdel Test: Passes
Worth Seeing, Though Not Necessarily On the Big Screen

I fucking love Sofia Boutella so seeing this was a no-brainer for me from the very beginning. When I saw the rest of the cast of course I needed to see it in a theatre. And when I heard it was Cyber Punk (consider it Cyber Punk lite) I basically rushed out to see it. It's definitely not the best movie to grace the screen lately but it's certainly the most original I've seen in ages. Actually, this may be the first original movie I've seen all year in that all the other's I've seen have been sequels, or based off of something, or remade from something else. Nothing wrong with that, but having something fresh is and was an absolute treat.

Hotel Artemis is doubly good because it is a quick film. The speed does leave some waisted potential but it also doesn't dwell on anything long enough to ruin it. Surprisingly, even with the speed, the cast of the characters and the plot are balanced well, even if the audience never really emotionally connects with any of them. Jodie Foster, unsurprisingly, is stunning in the role and steals the spotlight the entire time she is on screen. Sterling K Brown is also fantastic (again, no surprise) and reminds everyone that he can act his ass off. All the supporting actors also pull their weight, though seeing Zachary Quinto playing a whiny child was more than a little strange and off-putting.

Visually the movie is quite good and while The Artemis itself is easy to fall in love with it did feel paper thin the entire time. Truthfully, setting it in the near future didn't do anything for the plot except texture it and allow for some pretty awesome set design, which is something to be appreciated. The soundtrack, too, was on point.

Going in I thought the movie would have more stylized violence so it was disappointing that it really wasn't that bloody. I did like the water-riots that were happening outside the Artemis and I applaud the film makers for translating anxiety well onto the screen. The ending was something I worried about while watching it, but it pays off and the whole story is well-rounded. All-in-all it really is worth it to check into the Artemis.