Bright

Stupid is as stupid does, flat characters, mythology inadvertently ridiculous and not laying the foundations for an interesting and functioning world, not even remotely. A fussy mish-mash Boo over which even Czech fairy tale characters would turn up their nose. But at the same time, it soon picks up a frantic pace, one action after another, and it's a solid, straightforward, explosive, silly good second-rate movie. (2017-12-23)

Bright is a bizarre, entertaining genre hybrid that surprisingly manages to maintain a little dignity. The social issues of minorities, class-based society and racism addressed in the first half are presented decently, and Edgerton’s orc character is the movie’s best feature. In the second half, we get to see demons, a magic wand everybody wants and the threat of enslavement of the world by a potentially coming dark overlord. And, of course, some kung fu, torture and gunfights. Futuristic sci-fi, social drama and crazy fantasy with a hint of buddy cop comedy. I wouldn’t say that it’s a pity Ayer kept it only slightly above average, but rather a miracle. (2019-05-15)

“We're not in a prophecy, okay? We're in a stolen Toyota." This enjoyable action crime comedy is set in a fantasy alternate reality and it's actually a good thing that the fantasy doesn't draw attention to itself that much, and it's still mostly about the story. Although I'm not saying that I wouldn't want to see the mounted police of centaurs in action or that I don't care more about the dragon circling over the city. But so what? Will Smith is excellent and I liked watching him again in the most proven acting position, and Ayer's direction is brisk and there's no time for any boredom. Admittedly, I'd like to explore that whole world, but on the other hand, it didn't seem unutilized to me like, say, in R.I.P.D. - luckily, it was much closer to Men in Black and Hellboy. (2019-03-09)

David Ayer sometimes makes me happy sometimes not, here it's about halfway through. This mix of fantasy in our world is certainly interesting, but not exploited enough. Story-wise it's very flat, Ayer doesn't know how to work with suspense much, at least he has Will Smith and an unrecognizable Joel Edgerton. The action is very decent, the elven trio perform some nice acrobatic stunts and it's pretty brutal too, but I couldn't enjoy the film to the full, there was something here that distracted me and I can't figure out which one it was. Anyway, decent work for Netflix. 65%. (2017-12-28)

Detective films by Ayer are quite specific; he has a distinctive style that offers viewers a look at the darker sides of big cities, often in a way that can be chilling. Bright follows a similar system, except here you'll encounter not just humans (what a surprise), but also orcs, elves, and even a police centaur (that was the most impressive part for me; that detail was flawless). It's true that the introduction of this fantasy world is meticulous, wherein I liked the social hierarchy where each race holds a certain position on the ladder. Amidst this mix, a magical wand appears that can grant any wish, sparking a battle over it. That summarizes the film. Now, seriously, Will Smith can still deliver a decent quip, but Edgerton, disguised as an orc, somewhat overshadowed his colleague with his performance. Their collaboration and the dialogues between them were flawless. Noomi Rapace as the murderous elf was outstanding. However, I found the script a bit lacking, sometimes not working at full capacity, resulting in something that was hard to grasp. I also don't fully understand the budget; sometimes you get why it's $90 million, but often it feels like an expensive film with a TV aftertaste. Overall, it held together, the characters were well presented, and I could imagine a sequel because this world has huge potential. I give it 75%. (2018-01-03)