Bright (2017)

I got to the point where I don't care anymore about what critics say. I want to be the one who decides whether a movie is crap or isn't. On Bright, well, I'm with critics and I wonder how it's possible Netflix makes such good films as I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore, Gerald's Game and Okja and something as bad as Bright. 

In Los Angeles, in a future where fantasy creatures live side by side with humans, human cop Daryl Ward (Will Smith) is forced to work orc police officer Nick Jakoby (Joel Edgerton). When he gets shot by an orc and Jakoby fails to capture him, Ward questions whether Jakoby let the orc escape on purpose. As Internal Affairs investigate this, the magic department of the FBI learns that the Dark Lord is coming back and will soon destroy the world. It will be up to Ward and Jakoby to save the world.

I don't know whether this is an original idea or not, but the concept of having orcs, elves, fairies and all kind of fantasy creatures living amongst humans in modern day America is great and very intriguing. The problem is the way it was executed. It takes the plot about 30 minutes to get going (not much happens until then) and when it finally does, it unfolds in the most predictable and clichéd way possible, jumping from one plot point to another without much logic, only to get the film going and the story feels very forced. Not to mention how boring it is. There were moments when I struggled to keep my eyes open. Yes, I was falling asleep. 

Another problem with Bright is that the story is supposed to make a social commentary on racism and discrimination and police violence, but the film fails to really highlight any of these issues as it gets caught up in the whole fantasy adventure and handles such important social issues in a very shallow way. 

Netflix

Another problem is the characters. While I felt very sorry for Nick Jakoby as he was being bullied by everyone, his own race included, for being an orc and a cop - apparently orcs are supposed to be evil, so there you go, another 'fresh' don't-judge-a-book-by-its-cover message -, the characters are nothing more than shallow caricatures with barely some development and very bland motivations. Which is why I really have to praise Joel Edgerton for being able to do such a good job in here. But I think we can all agree that he is a great actor so I'm not that surprised. Also, he and Smith have a good chemistry. Smith, on the other hand, is nothing but Will Smith playing Will Smith. Only this time it looks like he's doing a parody of himself and he's dreadful. 

The humour doesn't work either. While I chuckled a couple of times at some of Egerton's lines, most of the jokes are delivered so poorly, I don't even know how to explain that. And Bright also falls flat on the action as the sequences are just fine. The special effects are good though and the soundtrack is too good for this.