Bright (2017 Netflix Film)

The urban fantasy sub genre is an interesting area considering the potential it could have for fellow fans of the main genre and how the magical lore is incorporated into the worlds surroundings. While the majority of works associated with the topic lie within TV shows, there are a few selections that cover this field such as the Harry Potter series and both of the Hellboy installments. It's worth mentioning because throughout 2017 there has been some anticipation for a new project, Bright, starring Will Smith in a leading role, director David Ayer (Suicide Squad), writer Max Landis (Blues Brothers 2000, Chronicle), an interesting urban fantasy premise, and a $90 million budget (a first for a Netflix original, though to be honest that's only to pay some of the talent there such as Will Smith, Joel Edgerton). When it was released, it was bashed by critics to the point of being called "one of the worst films of 2017". While working on my Top 10 Worst Films of 2017 list, I decided to watch Bright to see how it would hold up against my own picks on that roster. After watching it, it's understandable what the issues are but, compared to what I've seen that year, it's a harmless but interesting watch.

Plot: The story takes place in a world where humans and fantasy creatures live together, in which we find a human cop and his orc partner have a rough long night after finding a wand wanted my opposing forces. As a whole, it acts as a typical procedural seen many times in the past but what helps this stand out is the lore behind the environment that reveals itself piece by piece. Considering the works David Ayer has done (Training Day, Suicide Squad), it's apparent at times where certain elements from his filmography are borrowed from such as plot points or type of environment. This doesn't necessarily hurt anything about the plot but it does add some predictability to it. Despite the expected turns it takes, there are some legitimately good moments of character interaction surrounding some of the backstory, some surprising visuals, and some decent action expected from a Netflix Original.

There are writing issues around these typical cliches such as protagonists who don't get along and opposing gangs/crooked cops becoming obstacles. It does get heavy handed with social commentary on racism but most of that is in the first act and afterwards it doesn't become bothersome. The dialogue also gets overzealous in how many times a certain swear word and it can get rather annoying over time. One of its weaknesses is how the story loses its steam around the third act as the writing gets a little inconsistent and it becomes rushed in resolving the conflict. However, for all of the script issues, the strength of Brights narrative relies on the characters and the world building.

World Building: As previously mentioned, one of the most interesting elements about Bright is it's environment. The first act essentially gets a chunk of the exposition out of the way by exploring LA through certain neighborhoods and hierarchy between the humans and creatures. The main groups featured here are the orcs and the elves (with a few others briefly shown) while talking about historical context to get some sense of the tension between humans and the former. In addition to this, something to appreciate would be the creature designs such as these green-ish blue coloring of the orcs skins along with some of their sharp teeth and elves unique makeup with some nice outfits. So the potential of learning more about this realm is hindered a bit as a this can only display so much with the runtime but for what it is (a Netflix film), it showed the bare essentials that were relevant enough toward the conflict (despite the script issues).

Characters: The individuals to focus on are Darryl Ward (Will Smith) and Nick Jakoby (Joel Edgerton). Darryl is a human LAPD officer having trust issues with Nick following an incident, who endeavors to survive their ordeal. Will does a great job in bringing in the good old classic version of himself best suited for a standard action movie as he manages to be comedic when necessary and serious the rest of the time. Nick is an orc LAPD officer facing discrimination by both humans and orcs for being a cop while working to regain Darryl's reliance on him after a past mistake. Joel gives a great performance as one of the best individuals here whose depth and determination to overcome adversity is fascinating and sympathetic to watch.

Honorable mentions go to Leilah (Noomi Rapace) and Dorghu (Brad William Henke). For her antagonist role, Noomi manages to perform as an intimidating presence in through her facial impressions, her vicious demeanor, and some good makeup work (despite her limit screen time). Brad gives a good respectable portrayal for his leadership role of one of the orcs chain (even if its just one or two scenes he's in. Overall the actors provide solid acting chops in how serious they are taking their parts as they manage to add more watchability to this urban fantasy.

Overall Consensus: Bright relies on the strengths of its characters, solid performances, and mythology of environment for a unique urban fantasy experience, despite script problems. ⭑⭑⭑1/2*  Runtime: 1 hour 58 minutes R
*=Bright is being scored as a Netflix film. If this was a theatrical release, then the scoring would be harsher.

Reasons to watch it: You like any of the aforementioned actors. You like urban fantasy environments. You enjoy watching Netflix movies. You want to judge this on your own to see how much of the critical reception is justified. You like seeing orcs, elves, and other mythical creatures in media. You are comfortable with gun fights or bloody deaths. You don't mind a certain swear word being overused. You don't mind the predictable procedural crime formula.

Reasons to avoid it: You dislike any of the aforementioned actors. You dislike fantasy films. You aren't a fan of Netflix movies. You are uncomfortable with gun fights or bloody deaths. You might be annoyed with an over-reliance on a commonly used swear word in the dialog. You dislike the predictable procedural crime formula.

Coming up next: 2018 has begun on a good start as January Leftovers took on one of the critically bashed films from the previous year, Bright, that turned out to be enjoyed by audiences (basically the reverse of Star Wars The Last Jedi). There's one more entry from 2017 coming up next before the releases of 2018 arrive here. Tune in next time as Screening Spectacles will be following high school teenagers who find themselves taking control as celebrity avatars in a video game in the sequel to a Robin Williams classic, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle!!!