Bright: Bringin' Urban Fantasy to the (Small) Screen in a Big Way ("Movie Monday")

“Movie Monday”…
For me, one of the best movie trends from the ‘80s and ‘90s was the rash of “buddy-cop” films. (Think your “Beverly Hills Cops”, “Lethal Weapons”, and“Die Hards”.)

What made those movies, in particular, so much fun—and better than others in the same genre—is that they knew what they were about, then executed it. The macho butting-of-heads early on between partners who had somehow gotten stuck working together? Yep. Exciting action (fights and chases) scenes? Check. Interesting stories (that weren’t so complicated you needed to take notes to keep track)? Roger that. Humorous banter aplenty? Absolutely. And finally, a sense that these two characters actually grew to kind of like (or at least, tolerate) each other--became buds--by the time the credits rolled? Definitely.

When I sat down to watch “Bright” (a Netflix Original movie) last month, it wasn’t with high hopes. The trailer looked lame, frankly—a muddled mess that didn’t seem to know what it was trying to be. Plus, it features Will Smith. Now, I like Mr. Smith just fine… his movies, though? All over the place, if I'm ranking them from good-popcorn-flicks-to-awful-heaps-of-dumbness. So, I held out for a night when there wasn’t something (anything) more enticing, beckoning before hitting the "play" button on this one… and actually ended up being sucked right in. 

“Bright” falls into the classic “buddy cop” mold… but with an infusion of something different. See, this isn’t just another standard cop movie; “Bright” veers off into the totally- unexpected realm of urban fantasy… complete with Fae creatures (elves, orcs, and fairies), magic, and myths and legends. (The name, by the way, refers to those who are particularly adept at difficult magics; those rare and special individuals are known as "brights". Yes, really. Just roll with it.)

The buddies-to-be are played by the aforementioned Smith (as Daryl Ward)—your standard smart-mouthed, seen-everything human cop with the Los Angeles Police Department, and Joel Edgerton (as Nick Jakoby)—the polite, meek orc partner (First-and-Only-Orc in the LAPD, yo!), whom their superiors have thrust upon Ward to work a case. 

That case blows up in their faces before you can even swallow your next mouthful of popcorn (of course), and soon the pair are on the run—with a runaway elf that seemingly everyone is chasing (carrying, as she is, a magical wand that basically has the power to do Anything You Want It To, and is thus, some sort of Urban Fantasy Holy Grail), in tow—from various angry gangs (sporting serious attitudes, fierce tattoos, and big weaponry); to a contingent of so-not-amused elves, sporting even worse 'tudes and bigger, badder weapons (particularly Leilah [the magnetic Noomi Rapace], who can do some Serious Magic); to pretty much the rest of the LAPD (who all think Ward and Jakoby have gone off the rails on some sort of rampage, and need to be corralled at all costs). (They sorta have, in all fairness, but that's also down to the fact that the LAPD is corrupt and evil. Like, of course, right?)

What follows are some exceedingly well-executed (even restrained, at times) chase scenes and fight sequences—with soupçons of magic interspersed throughout—beautifully shot in locations all around L.A. (Is it popcorn fare? Absolutely. Again, I reiterate: this is a Smith vehicle.) 

The best thing is, everything about this film looks pretty amazing. (Not quite blockbuster-on-the-big-screen caliber, but really top-notch for something designed to stream on your TV.) The effects are, by and large, impressive. And the makeup (on the orcs and the elves) is breathtaking.

Intriguing though it is to look at, “Bright” also plays out as a heavy-handed morality tale, and that's where it loses ground with me. In this alternate-reality version of our nearly-now future, elves are the royalty of the world—the beautiful people, the wealthiest-of-the-wealthy, the ones with all the power—while humans (all of ‘em) serve as sort of the middle class, and orcs fall at the very bottom of the pecking order. Seeing an elf, a human, and an orc join forces and come out the other side (in one form or another) is, undoubtedly, meant to give us all a little hope for a better tomorrow in our reality. (Is it on-the-nose? Most definitely... but, do I really need to say it? Will Smith, 'n all that.)

I’m hoping Netflix decides to turn “Bright” into a series, because it's definitely an interesting diversion.  

~GlamKitty

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