Bright (2017) Review!!!

Synopsis – Set in a world where mystical creatures live side by side with humans. A human cop is forced to work with an Orc to find a weapon everyone is prepared to kill for.

My Take – By now it must be quite clear that Netflix, with the success of their string of original television shows like House of Cards, Orange is the New Black, Stranger Things, Narcos, along with a few others, has steadily begun to dominate the TV medium as a true prestige power-player, while, on the other hand, their transition as a feature film producer hasn’t gone down to well. Sure, they have found acclaim with films controversial films like Okja and Indies like I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore, yet more often than others, their films usually go away unnoticed. But with this David Ayer directed film, which carries a whopping $90 million budget, the streaming giant has finally made its leap into blockbuster territory. With a high concept pitch of fantastical Middle Earth inspired characters stuck in a buddy cop End of Watch scenario, along with Will Smith‘s undeniable star power leading the charge, the film is packaged as perfect recipe for success. Even though the film has received an overwhelming thumbs-down from critics who have termed the film as a bloated absolute mess with some going as far as calling it the worst film of 2017 (did you guys actually see Geostorm?), yet as soon as the film became available for streaming on December 22nd, the praise started rolling in from its actual target: the audience. Personally, I’ve been looking forward to this film for quite some time. Say what you may about David Ayer (Suicide Squad, Fury), arguably the most controversial but well-established director actively working right now, and writer Max Landis (Chronicle, American Ultra), their films, despite being a couple of misfires, somehow manage to be more on the peculiar side in comparison and after watching this one, I have to admit I actually quite enjoyed it!

The fantasy angle is quite good, the underlying themes were right, and the action is watchable. Sure, the film isn’t perfect, and does carry out some typical Hollywood blockbuster tropes, yet, I think this frantic sci-fi-buddy-cop-fantasy-comedy-thriller deserves points for attempting an impossible genre clash and especially deserves credit for ramming its way through quite enjoyably. Set in an alternate earth where Orcs, Fairies, Elves, and other fantasy based creatures co-exist with humans, the story follows Daryl Ward (Will Smith), a grouchy, sharp-tongued but essentially decent modern-day Los Angeles cop who for diversity reasons has been partnered with Nick Jakoby (Joel Edgerton), the department’s first orc police officer. After a recent near death moment, tension is high between the two, as Ward blames Jakoby for the incident; however, their personal differences are placed on a back burner the moment they stumble upon a murder scene with Tikka (Lucy Fry), a scared Elf at the center of it. Realizing that she possesses a mystical wand, an ancient—but powerful—artifact that can grant wishes, the trio find themselves becoming a target of orc and human gangs, their fellow police officers, the mysterious Magic Task Force led by Kandomere (Édgar Ramírez), an FBI elf, and the wand’s true owner, the murderous Leilah (Noomi Rapace), a renegade elf who belongs to a cult, that seeks to use the magic to raise the Dark Lord, an entity who will put an end to the world as they know it. No matter the cost, no-one can get their hands on the wand. It’s not often you see a film with a truly original premise, or even a truly original combination of other film premises, as a result this film’s high concept would certainly grabs the attention. Yes, this film is no masterpiece, that’s for sure, but here director David Ayer delivers an interesting realm. It’s not like Lord of the Rings, the world of fantasy comes into the reality of the streets of LA. A world with mystical creatures is a world with Magic and a world where everybody from all the races are willing to do very bad things in order to get magic. In this case the magic comes in the form of a wound that only a select few can wield without it blowing them up. From the opening scene, it grabbed me and did not let go until the credits rolled. What I really liked about the film is that it’s completely unpredictability, for which, Max Landis, the primary screenwriter, deserves credit for there wasn’t a moment where I wasn’t looking forward to what they were going to incorporate into the next scene. It also blends in some social commentary about racism, particular in the police department. There’s racism towards Jakoby, but it comes not just from cops but other orcs as well. Jakoby struggles with whether he’s a cop or orc first, and Ward is on the fence of whether or not to trust him. It’s also hinted that Ward was partnered with Jakoby out of spite, and then there’s a back-story about a shooting, Ward’s family is worried about him, internal affairs is on their case, and so on and so on. Also, there are some social elements regarding Orc racism, because they once, in the old times, choose the side of the Dark Lord. But they’re trying to do well, sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t and if we go by Nick’s words – they kind of know they’ve chosen wrong and they’re never going to live that down. Nothing too deep, but film balances all that commentary, action, etc. somewhat passable. Unlike political satires that become too preachy and point fingers, the film quickly sketches out the ethnic boundaries of this alternative metropolis, for example, the Orcs are the underclass – deprived and discriminated against, Elves are the elite, though we only visit their glitzy, exclusive neighborhood briefly and the Humans are somewhere in the middle, doing the ordinary jobs and directing their prejudices at the other species rather than each other (for a change). This gives viewers of different ethnicities a chance to view see the world from someone else’s perspective is the whole point of allegories.

Sure, it’s got orcs and magic and elves and even mentions of dwarfs, but at its heart it is a buddy adventure film. The film wants you to invest in the friendship/partnership of Ward and Jakoby. The two are polar opposites who hate each other’s guts, are compelled by circumstances to work together. They go through hell together and discover their own true identity through the actions of the other. In the end they realize that even though their time together did not have the power to change the truth of the world, the world does not have the power to change the truth of their time together. I don’t think they’re the strongest characters but by the end I did think they became believable as friends. The action and mystical elements are well done in this film. As a genre, urban fantasy hasn’t been effectively translated to films yet, without a book series (like Harry Potter) to rely upon. While on paper it works really well, but meshing a real-life environment with stuff like orcs, elves and fairies is difficult. What I appreciated the most about the film is that there was a concerted and successful effort to integrate these ideas into contemporary Los Angeles. You have to be open to picturing this world and if you can suspend disbelief, I think you’ll appreciate how interesting this film can be. One of Ayer‘s best qualities as a filmmaker is that he knows how to drop you into gritty and tough environments and build that atmosphere. Here, director David Ayer also does a great job of building a world where elements such as Orcs and Elves living in L.A could’ve felt ridiculous. However they were nicely integrated into the story. Director David Ayer‘s dilapidated urban grimy visual motifs also help to sell the world the characters live in. The film is chock-full of tiny little details and back story that ooze through every scene and ultimately just causes you to want to know more. Having written Training Day and End of Watch along with the DCEU team up film, Suicide Squad, it’s quite obvious that he is fond of macho, hard-hitting action: cartridge-showering shootouts; careering car chases; crunching hand-to-hand combat. Some of it is exhilarating; some of it is borderline incomprehensible owing to mistimed editing and a terminally gloomy palette. As much as I appreciated the obvious ambition, this film is far from perfect. At one moment in the film, there’s an establishing shot of a dragon flying over Los Angeles. It’s gorgeous, exciting, and emblematic of all of the potential in the film, but it never comes back. The biggest flaw for me was that the dialogue in this film sorely needed a punch-up job. The dialogue almost falls completely flat and Smith and Edgerton‘s chemistry suffers for it. As a buddy cop film, the film sorely needed the kind of banter to help move some things along, something that is a complete hit or miss here. The other slip up is that the film is less than subtle in addressing the social commentary it’s going for. I think the film has a lot of good things to say but especially in the beginning, they’re beating you over the head with it. Thankfully, the acting here is solid all the way around. Here, Will Smith is literally sleepwalking through a role he has played umpteen times over the years, as a wise cracking hard ass with a good heart. As always, it’s a delight to watch him. Fitted out with goat’s-eye contact lenses and Spock ears, Joel Edgerton is completely unrecognizable, and manages to underplay his part with surprising deadpan humor which works in the film. In supporting roles, Noomi Rapace, Edgar Ramirez, Lucy Fry, Jay Hernandez, Margaret Cho, Ike Barinholtz and Dawn Oliveri don’t get much to do, but remain likable though. On the whole, ‘Bright’ is a flawed yet entertaining thriller that deserves a watch for its fun, wildly inventive and interesting world.