Review of Bright (2017) by Tim W — 02 Jan 2018

Bright is one of the best and most original movies of 2017!.

In a decade filled with reboots, remakes and Hollywood constantly pumping out superhero movies, Netflix's Bright brings us a new and fresh take on a the buddy cop film, which has not has been long discarded. And critics hate it!

The increasing divide between audiences and critics is definitely apparent with bright. The Hollywood critics seem to now hate anything original, or so different that they can't wrap their head around. Originality and well written, easy to follow plots seem to be frowned upon. It's as if every film these days must be a constant laugh festival, filled with awkward humour, complex plots, and characters that are two dimensional to push whatever identity politics is in at the moment.

Bright does the exact opposite of the current Hollywood trends. And it is welcomed!.

Back to the days of a simple buddy cop film, where 2 unlikely partners are forced to work together to serve both their interests. Meet Daryl Ward, will Smiths character who is an average Joe beat cop that isn't popular or liked by everyone, but just trying take it one day at a time and support his family until retirement (someone most people can relate to). Then there's Nick Jacoby, will Smiths partner played by Australian actor Joel Edgerton, who is an Orc who isn't the sharpest guy on the block, or the most capable, but wants to be a good guy, do the right thing for himself and his own kind by making a difference by upholding the values of the law (again not Mr perfect but has his heart and head in the right place).

The film does a great job within the first 15 min of introducing you to the setting, the time, the characters and issues within the world. It kept me fascinated the who time wanting to learn more (and it's clear that sequels are in mind here). Then the plot kicks in when they get the call to a disturbance in a bad neighbourhood. A gun fight breaks out upon attendance leading them to investigate the scene, upon which they find the macguffin (object and plot device) of the film. They have it, and everybody wants it, even if it means tearing apart the whole city to get it.

From there the film follows our heroes fight for survival as they try to do the right thing at the cost of their lives, all the while being chased by gangs, and the owners of the macguffin and the FBI. Typical police movie plot. But it's the execution, characters and world that set it apart. Yet this also seems to be the reason people either love it or hate it.

The film could have easily been a standard cop flick without the fantasy elements, but that would defeat the purpose of the film, escapism. The problem is it's such an out their idea that many have the trouble wrapping their heads around it. If you don't like fantasy then it's definitely not for you. But if you like cop films and fantasy, then you'll love it. The acting is solid, the effects solid for the budget, the costumes are great, the soundtrack while not the most memorable thing about the film, supports the look of and feel of it to the letter!. And the script is what is, a damn good cop flick with great action and high stakes drama. While there were moments where it was predictable, it didn't make me roll my eyes or hate it. Because those moments are exactly how you would want it to go in a cop flick. You end up liking the the main duo pretty quickly even though throughout the entire film they aren't exactly best of friends. But that doesn't matter, there partners! And that's kind of more important in this case.

Sure, Bright is a flawed film in areas. But it's a fun film! Sometimes cinema seems to have forgotten lately. We don't need a thought provoking peice shoved down our Throats every 5 min to see the writers or directors point of view or theme that they are trying to convey. Sometimes we just need a good escape from reality and into what movies are supposed to be first and foremost and above art....entertainment!.

Bright won't win any awards, but those films suck these days anyway. Bright gets it right! It wanted to give us a story of what happens after the medieval war, what happens when a fantasy culture isn't hidden away behind closed doors of regular folks. It gave us lord of the rings 2000 years later when your neighbour is an Orc, magic is real and your boss could be an elf. And that's pretty damn fun!