Humans and Elves and Orcs Oh My!
While Netflix has made quite a number of original TV Shows and movies, Bright is easily the biggest movie they've made. This is the kind of movie that you wouldn't have blinked at if it had showed up in your local movie theater but is exclusive to the streaming service. Did the gamble pay off? Well...depends on what you want.
The story takes place in an alternate universe. The movie doesn't specify when it exactly takes place but it seems like it is modern Los Angeles but with a number of mythical creatures/races being around with the most prominent the Elves, Humans, and Orcs. The beginning credits does a wonderful job of showing what you need to know through LA Street Art with some clear allegories to today's race relations with the Elves being the rich one percenters and the Orcs being the poor ghetto dwellers.
Daryl Ward (Will Smith) is a human cop who is not very happy that he got to be partnered with the first Orc Cop Nick Jakoby (Joel Edgerton). The first half hour or so is just establishing the world and their relationship together until the fireworks begin as the pair runs into the elf Tikka (Lucy Fry) who has in their possession a magic wand (which is described pretty accurately by one character as a nuclear weapon that grants wishes). It's basically the magic item that everyone wants but no one should have due to how powerful it is. The bad guys want it to summon the Ultimate Evil, the (maybe?) good guy Feds want it to seal it away, the gangs in the area want it to gain control of everything, the orcs in the area want it for...I'm not sure what they wanted it for but it probably wasn't good; basically everyone wants this wand that our two cops and one civilian have and are chasing them throughout the film.
This is one of the toughest reviews I've written as the movie is very entertaining but I don't know if I could call it a good movie. The movie is all over the place with what it wants to do. For one, Ward is not happy at all about being partnered with Jakoby and lets everyone know how much he hates the assignment and how he wants to get rid of him. He then talks to his daughter about how all the races are equal and there is nothing wrong with the races but freaks out on Jakoby for coming to his house and talks about how much he hates being stuck with an Orc. It's like they wanted Ward to be a bad guy (or maybe antihero) who learns the error of his ways but they don't embrace that at all as he protects Jakoby and is very buddy-buddy with the Orc. The abilities of the bad guys also jump around as in one scene, the bad elves tear apart multiple opponents at once but have a ton of trouble taking out the two normal street cops. Essentially, whether it is the story, the characters, or the actions in the movie; everything is just crazy inconsistent. The movie could also have used a little bit of trimming with just under a two hour runtime as I was ready for it to be over with about twenty minutes before it ended.
With all that said though, it is a very entertaining movie. While the inconsistencies bugged me, Ward and Jakoby's relationship in the beginning is very fun to watch as the two actors have great chemistry with one another. These two clearly care about each other and have fun with one another. The action, though again it is annoying how the abilities of the bad guys is so inconsistent, is very entertaining. There are quite a few gun and fist fights, all of which are entertaining and exciting as a lot of different groups go after our two cops and go after each other trying to get to our two cops. The action could stand to be clearer (the movie's camera work is similar to the directors prior movie "End of Watch" with the shaky cam vibe) but it is plenty clear enough that you know who is fighting who and what is going on. The unique setting really helps as well as the fights can have a lot of interesting and unique styles with the mystical creatures in play.
Overall, the movie isn't a great movie but it is a fun movie. This is a popcorn blockbuster that was put on by Netflix that could have appeared in the summer blockbuster season and would have belonged. The movie could have been a lot better quality wise but the movie is entertaining and ultimately, that might be the most important thing.
7/10; It's not a great movie but it is an entertaining movie. If you want a fun way to burn two hours that doesn't make you think too much, you could do worse.
Last Review: Get Out [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.974630-tippy2k2-tells-you-what-to-think-Get-Out]
While Netflix has made quite a number of original TV Shows and movies, Bright is easily the biggest movie they've made. This is the kind of movie that you wouldn't have blinked at if it had showed up in your local movie theater but is exclusive to the streaming service. Did the gamble pay off? Well...depends on what you want.
The story takes place in an alternate universe. The movie doesn't specify when it exactly takes place but it seems like it is modern Los Angeles but with a number of mythical creatures/races being around with the most prominent the Elves, Humans, and Orcs. The beginning credits does a wonderful job of showing what you need to know through LA Street Art with some clear allegories to today's race relations with the Elves being the rich one percenters and the Orcs being the poor ghetto dwellers.
Daryl Ward (Will Smith) is a human cop who is not very happy that he got to be partnered with the first Orc Cop Nick Jakoby (Joel Edgerton). The first half hour or so is just establishing the world and their relationship together until the fireworks begin as the pair runs into the elf Tikka (Lucy Fry) who has in their possession a magic wand (which is described pretty accurately by one character as a nuclear weapon that grants wishes). It's basically the magic item that everyone wants but no one should have due to how powerful it is. The bad guys want it to summon the Ultimate Evil, the (maybe?) good guy Feds want it to seal it away, the gangs in the area want it to gain control of everything, the orcs in the area want it for...I'm not sure what they wanted it for but it probably wasn't good; basically everyone wants this wand that our two cops and one civilian have and are chasing them throughout the film.
This is one of the toughest reviews I've written as the movie is very entertaining but I don't know if I could call it a good movie. The movie is all over the place with what it wants to do. For one, Ward is not happy at all about being partnered with Jakoby and lets everyone know how much he hates the assignment and how he wants to get rid of him. He then talks to his daughter about how all the races are equal and there is nothing wrong with the races but freaks out on Jakoby for coming to his house and talks about how much he hates being stuck with an Orc. It's like they wanted Ward to be a bad guy (or maybe antihero) who learns the error of his ways but they don't embrace that at all as he protects Jakoby and is very buddy-buddy with the Orc. The abilities of the bad guys also jump around as in one scene, the bad elves tear apart multiple opponents at once but have a ton of trouble taking out the two normal street cops. Essentially, whether it is the story, the characters, or the actions in the movie; everything is just crazy inconsistent. The movie could also have used a little bit of trimming with just under a two hour runtime as I was ready for it to be over with about twenty minutes before it ended.
With all that said though, it is a very entertaining movie. While the inconsistencies bugged me, Ward and Jakoby's relationship in the beginning is very fun to watch as the two actors have great chemistry with one another. These two clearly care about each other and have fun with one another. The action, though again it is annoying how the abilities of the bad guys is so inconsistent, is very entertaining. There are quite a few gun and fist fights, all of which are entertaining and exciting as a lot of different groups go after our two cops and go after each other trying to get to our two cops. The action could stand to be clearer (the movie's camera work is similar to the directors prior movie "End of Watch" with the shaky cam vibe) but it is plenty clear enough that you know who is fighting who and what is going on. The unique setting really helps as well as the fights can have a lot of interesting and unique styles with the mystical creatures in play.
Overall, the movie isn't a great movie but it is a fun movie. This is a popcorn blockbuster that was put on by Netflix that could have appeared in the summer blockbuster season and would have belonged. The movie could have been a lot better quality wise but the movie is entertaining and ultimately, that might be the most important thing.
7/10; It's not a great movie but it is an entertaining movie. If you want a fun way to burn two hours that doesn't make you think too much, you could do worse.
Last Review: Get Out [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.974630-tippy2k2-tells-you-what-to-think-Get-Out]
