Those who have watched my video reviews on YouTube (in particular, my review for American Ultra) may remember my comment on one of the best ways to describe a movie. Which is proclaiming it to be an amalgamation of other films that share plot points, themes, aesthetics, and character types with the movie in question. Example: James Cameron's Avatar can best be described as Dances with Wolves meets Fern Gully: The Last Rainforest with a little bit of Halo for good measure. With that in mind, the best way I can describe Netflix's new and most expensive original movie, Bright, is that it is Zootopia meets Training Day with a heavy dose of Lord of the Rings, and it is just as crazy as that sounds. To be clear, I mean that in the best possible way.
The story takes place in an alternate universe, where it is technically modern-day Los Angeles, but it's a world where magic exists and is populated by humans, elves, orcs, and other kinds of fantasy creatures found in Dungeons and Dragons and the like. Our heroes are two cops, Officer Ward (Will Smith) and Officer Jakoby (Joel Edgerton) who is the first Orcish officer on the force. This creates tension with Ward, as well as the entire police force because Orcs are not well regarded as a people. They are seen as evil and untrustworthy and only loyal to each other. However, Jakoby is kind of the black sheep of his race, as he is not just a genuinely good-natured person, but has wanted to be a cop ever since he was little. But I digress.
Anyway, while on patrol, the two officers respond to a domestic disturbance in a pretty shady part of town. After a quick firefight, they raid the house to discover a murder scene with the only survivor being a young elvish girl named Tikka (Lucy Fry) who is also in possession of a magic wand. Word gets out and suddenly everyone in town, from some gangsters to some crooked cops, want to get their hands on the wand to utilize its unlimited power. Our heroes then take it upon themselves, somewhat reluctantly, to protect Tikka and the wand, not only from the threats as mentioned earlier but from another and a more terrifying threat that wants to use the wand to bring back a robust evil known as The Dark Lord. Now, the two heroes must survive the night, and hopefully, learn to trust each other.
This film is actually a delightful surprise. In that, it has so many unusual pairings of thematic and genre-oriented elements that you would think wouldn't really work when fused together, and the movie actually succeeds in pulling it off. I think what really makes it work is how well grounded the story and characters are. Despite them sharing a more realistic environment with such fantastical elements, everyone involved in the production treats it all with conviction and commitment, making it all more tangible. Also, the real audience pull is, surprisingly, Officer Jakoby. As he is the most sympathetic character in the whole story. Not unlike Judy Hopps from Zootopia, they both face diversity issues, are regarded as not deserving a badge, and have to struggle with earning their partners trust. With the main character being so sympathetic and relatable, it is impossible not to get so immersed in the story.
This film was written by Max Landis, the son of the late director John Landis, and incidentally, the writer of the movie mentioned above, American Ultra. I've heard that he is not really the best person to get along with, but I have to say that I love this guy's writing and philosophy & opinions about screenwriting. He has a YouTube channel where he shares his experience as a screenwriter and offers advice and insight as to how to become a better writer. I will leave a link to one of my favorite videos of his below so you may see what I mean.
The script is layered with texture. There are lots of details and subplots that, at first, don't seem to have a purpose, but manage to flow well into relevance throughout the runtime. While most of the supporting characters can come off as a little two dimensional, the script has the good sense to not spend too much time with them. As they are really less like characters and more physical embodiments of the various obsticles and goals for the protagonists. Typically I would demand more than that from the supporting characters, but in this case, I find it easy to forgive. As the primary focus is the relationship between the two officers, and by extension, the relationship of the two races.
The film was directed by David Ayer, who seems like a strange choice at first, but he actually handles this story pretty well. David Ayer is best with gritty, macho action dramas, usually about cops. As a director, he can be pretty hit or miss. Sometimes his style works, like with his previous films End of Watch and Fury. But other times, it just goes too far and falls flat on its face, like with Sabotage and Suicide Squad. Fortunately, he manages to find his balance with this film and delivers.
Usually, this is where I would tell you if it's worth seeing in theaters or not, but that won't work here since this is strictly a Netflix release. If this film is getting a theatrical release, I am not aware of it. So, instead, please allow me to conclude this review with this note. I can't say that this is an entirely great film, but I can say that it is an intriguing and fascinating one that is very much worth checking out. If you're looking for something unusual yet familiar, queue up Netflix and give this one a look.
Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm, thank you for reading.
Link:
Max Landis talks about storytelling
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