Bright

“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. (03/09/2019)

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. (05/15/2019)

Hats off, it takes guts to shoot a film like this one. While Will Smith is a great choice for this role, this world was so crazy that it took me a while to accept that elves, ogres and god-knows-what exist in our real world. Somehow, for me, the Middle Ages would be a better fit for that than our time. However, I have to pay tribute to the creators. To shoot a film like this and not fall among the B-listed is a real challenge. (05/20/2019)

Everything is fine about the idea. Urban fantasy, social metaphor, Nigga/Orc buddy chemistry ... even Ayer's directing decision to put it in a realistic tone a la Patrola is good. However, the execution is this case is not very good. After a promising quarter of an hour, it turns into an absurd show of clichés and dysfunctional props without any rhythm or satisfactory tension, which Will saves with his one-liners. The action is cumbersome and makes you yawn. The story is reminiscent of the worst from Underworld. Edgar Ramirez is probably the most absurd face since Travolta and Whitaker had whiskers in Battlefield Earth. There is little mythology to be seen, and what ended up in the film, feels retarded. I don't want to call it a blockbuster because of a few parlor tricks and the A cast. Golden Spectral. (12/23/2017)

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. (12/22/2017)

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%. (12/27/2017)

After the rather confused Suicide Squad, Ayer is back on form. The blend of cop action movie and Warcraft fantasy works surprisingly smoothly. Smith reels of snappy lines like in Bad Boys and blood flows by the gallon. Strong on detail and great fun. (12/28/2017)

If it wasn't for the supernatural world full of magic, Bright would be just a generic film about cops fighting criminal gangs that also deals with racial issues. It's a pity that they didn't make exploit more the magical potential that hovered over this project. In terms of action and suspense, the film works, but on the other hand there are a lot of flat jokes that fizzle out as soon as they are uttered. The visuals are nice, and the soundtrack perfectly underscored the dirty streets setting, but I still felt that more could have been made of it. (03/20/2020)

Action-packed adventure from the world of humans, elves, and trolls, which is definitely not boring, but also does not leave a more tangible and significant trace. Joel Edgerton and all the trolls are magical, we could imagine many groups under them. Elves, on the other hand, were not so cute despite their customs. And I have some reservations about the screenplay, there could have been more extracted from the subject... (01/07/2022)

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%. (01/02/2018)

On the one hand, I thought this was original as hell, but on the other hand, the creators definitely didn't manage to get the most out of the world they present here. How the character of Jacoby is going to end up is clear from the start, Will Smith does what he always does, and Noomi is woefully underused. The potential here was much greater. (03/02/2018)

That "multiracial" world is definitely interesting and would certainly offer decent possibilities for building some wider universe in the future. Visually it's very high-level, simply kind of a slightly above standard Ayer film. It's just that script-wise it's so terribly simple and routine that all you really enjoy for the entire two hours is the setting (which is great and original) and the occasional wisecrack here and there. I can't say I was bored with it, because it's really good to watch. But the fact remains that a sober (strict) assessment will yield a visually attractive yet otherwise in almost all respects superficial and flat spectacle for the undiscerning viewer. (01/23/2019)