I was mildly excited for this movie, it seemed like a creative concept for a story, and even in the previews Jodie Foster's amazing acting stood out. I also have a soft spot for Sterling K. Brown (I was introduced to him through Army Wives) so I was excited to see him. I was intrigued to see how the concept of a secret hospital for criminals would play out.
The story follows Sterling K. Brown as a thief who works jobs with his brother. When they both get injured on a job, they make their way to Hotel Artemis where Jodie Foster is a nurse who provides state of the art medical care. The movie is set in 2028, and medical technology is sufficiently advanced that robots do surgery and 3D printers create new livers. The hotel has ostensibly existed and been run by the nurse since 2006, though I do wonder how a single nurse provided medical care before all the technological advancements. This particular day (a Wednesday the movie reminds us about 27 times) is complicated by a riot brought on by the privatization of clean water.
The dystopian future feels a little too much like a real possibility, which was unnerving. The acting was excellent, but I felt the character development and story development fell short. There wasn't enough that made me feel really connected to the characters, and the romance/love story felt like an afterthought that tried too hard to become a main plot point. I think I would have preferred to see how this place operated on a day to day basis, not just see how it all falls apart after 22 years. There was also some blood and gore that had me covering my eyes in disgust.
If you like action movies with futuristic elements you'll probably enjoy this one (though I recommend Upgrade far more!). It wasn't bad necessarily, but it just wasn't as good as it could have been with such stellar actors on board!