Orcs, fairies, humans... 'Bright' is a fantasy film with a message.
'Bright' is a Netflix original film set in a world where mystical creatures live alongside humans. Soon, a human cop (Will Smith) is forced to work with an Orc (Joel Edgerton) to find a weapon everyone is prepared to kill for. While the first half of the film remains interesting and intriguing, truly drawing the viewer into its dystopian fantasy realm, it quickly becomes ridiculous. From bad stunts to an action overload, 'Bright' is the perfect example of a great idea that's been poorly executed.
The film attempts to blend fantasy and social commentary (in the way of an extended metaphor) with the hard-hitting cop drama genre, only to fail on epic proportions. There is just too much going on for one film. We're thinking it may have worked better as a television show - something Netflix is well-equipped to do.
However, considering this was the first big budget Hollywood film to come from Netflix, it could have been worse. The characters are in fact likeable. Nick Jacoby's (Edgerton) sheepish demeanor coupled with Ward's (Smith) cocky degradation gives viewers satisfaction when - yep, you guessed it - the conflicting characters bond over time.
It is by no means a perfect film though, with character development and the overall development of the world leaving much unanswered in its attempt to set up so much more. The answers given were almost throwaway lines, as we’re forced back into the seemingly more important action sequences.
That said, the special effects are exciting for fans of the action/fantasy genres, and do tend to engage rather quickly from the film's start to its conclusion.Perhaps the sequel (ordered before this film's initial release) will offer more satisfaction in the way of pace and plot. Whether this is something you'd like to watch or not, your expectations are something to be mindful of. If you avoid rave reviews, you are likely to enjoy this film as a once-off.
