Bright (I) (2017) User Reviews

Strange and awesome.

[brentn · 7/10 · 14 February 2021]

Otherworldly and full of action which is why Will Smith took the part. Joel Edgerton is barely recognizable and the story is sort of predictable but it doesn't take away from the presentation. This is Street Kings for Will Smith. Noomi was a cool villain even though there is more than one. The gentrification was a nice touch since there is magic and sorcery involved it makes sense that there would be different classes of people/species and that it would be very prevalent. The action was relentless and bloody and Smith was a little more level headed and not as over the top as he is in Bad Boys or MIB. It seemed darker than his usual movies which is a good move on his part. Overall I enjoyed this and since a sequel has been announced, I guess I wasn't the only one. Solid action movie and recommend.

Surprisingly good

[Calicodreamin · 7/10 · 14 September 2019]

I went into this with an open mind, I didn't know what it was about. But I was pleasantly surprised. The acting is good, the plot is straightforward, and the action is well done. The cinematography and make-up are really well done. I quite enjoyed the pairing of Smith and Edgerton. Really well done.

good ,entertaining , original

[ali_jawad · 7/10 · 14 January 2018]

Hi everyone , this is my first review on IMDb ever , so I will keep it to the point.

I saw a lot of negative reviews for this film but I decided to ignore them and watch it and decide for my self , I actually really enjoyed it , loved the idea, mixing fantasy with our modern age, if you enjoy films and want something original , fantasy , drama , action and comedy then watch this film.

Looks Like a Pilot of a TV Series

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 27 December 2017]

In Los Angeles, humans live with orcs and elves in a world where fantasy creatures do exist. LAPD police officer Dayl Ward (Will Smith) is the first human cop having the orc police officer Nick Jakoby (Joel Edgerton) as partner. When Ward is shot by an orc and Jakoby does not capture the shooter, he questions whether Jakoby lets the fellow orc escape. During a patrol, Ward and Jakoby arrest a man that tells that there is a prophecy and Ward is blessed. Meanwhile, Internal Affairs press Ward to find the truth about the escape of the shooter so that they can fire Jakoby. The magic department of the FBI interrogates the man that belongs to the terrorist Shield of Light group and they learn that they are preparing the return of the Dark Lord that will destroy the world. Ward and Jakoby are summoned to attend a disturbance and they stumble upon a Shield of Light safehouse where they arrest the elf Tikka (Lucy Fry) and her magic wand. Soon they learn that Tikka is hunted down by the evil and powerful elf Leilah (Noomi Rapace) and her gang and they need to protect Tikka and the wand; otherwise the world will be destroyed. What will they do?

"Bright" is an action film that looks like a pilot of a TV series. The screenplay begins too rushed in a world of orcs and elves living with humans without explanation. But as soon as the viewer understands the big picture of this fascinating Los Angeles and the character motives, the film becomes very attractive with great potential of a sequel (or a series). My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Bright"

I liked the new story line!

[0U · 22 February 2020]

To everyone who had not seen this show yet you don't know what you have missed!!!! This review is for everyone who has already seen this movie!!! If you have already watched this movie on Netflix you have to watch it again!!! It is totally different!!! Well same movie but they have changed all kinds of scenes!!!! All the little side dialogue scenes have completely different dialogue from the regional showing of this movie on Netflix !!! It's like a completely alternate telling of the same story but with more detail of the telling of the story ! If you've watched this movie already watch it again!!! It's like watching it for the first time they made it totally redone and more enjoyable and completely open to a sequel! I would be truly disappointed if there is never a sequel to the show !!!!!

Bright: Great ideas, poorly executed

[Platypuschow · 6/10 · 8 December 2018]

So Bright was met with highly mixed reviews and I can entirely see why.

Bright tells a story in a world full of multiple races, man stands alongside orcs, elves and if you pay attention you can see others. Focusing on two police officers and a plot involving a magic wand and the chaos it brings.

The cast are great, though Joel Edgerton is unrecognisable in his orc makeup and until afterwards I didn't know that was Noomi Rapace either!

The effects are great both practical and cgi, the soundtrack is solid and the movie ticks most boxes. The box it most adamantly ticks is the one for originality, it's a fantastic concept and I question whether it would have made more sense to do this as a television series instead.

Sadly it's alarmingly flawed, the story they chose was really quite generic, it felt very rushed in places and absolutely nothing about this world and its history was explained which I find to be a bad call.

Bright had unlimited potential but only came out as a slightly above average quality movie. My hope is that it becomes a franchise, whether a sequel or a series this is one of those concepts that should be grabbed with both hands because it reeks of money.

Very nice try but should have been better.

The Good:

Great social commentary

Impressive visuals

A lot of potential

The Bad:

Story was a tad cliched

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

If you play stupid games you win stupid prizes

Triangle formation on public roads makes perfect sense

Underdeveloped

[view_and_review · 6/10 · 30 December 2017]

In a present day world of orcs, fairies, elves and humans a new form of bigotry exists in which orcs are the object of all kinds of discrimination while elves enjoy exclusivity--as in they have all the exclusive stuff. I wouldn't call it racism towards the orcs because that would imply that orcs are a race when in fact they are an entirely different species (I doubt a human and and orc can procreated together (ugh!)). In any case, Officer Daryl Ward (Will Smith) is the unfortunate recipient of an orc partner, Nick Jakoby (Joel Edgerton), on a force in which no other orcs exist nor are they welcome. The two of them have to work together to overcome the bitterness between each other as well as the vitriol that comes from others on the force. They also have to figure out how to protect the world from a dangerous magic wand.

My problem with the movie is the incredible lack of back story. There is some exposition throughout the movie but it is woefully lacking. This isn't the future, this is the present and there are orcs and elves everywhere. Why? And even their mission is a bit nebulous. They have to save a magic wand from getting into the wrong hands. There are so many questions I have from just that alone.

The action was OK and visually the movie was nice as well, it was just underdeveloped as a story and Daryl Ward and Nick Jakoby were underdeveloped as characters.

As subtle as the most un-subtle thing in a very un-subtel world

[iantrader · 5/10 · 26 December 2017]

This seems to have divided opinion. Is that the mark of a good movie or a terrible one?

You can look at it two ways - as a fantasy cop-buddy movie, and/or as a racial/social allegory. The allegory is laid on with a trowel. You don't need your subtlety glasses and if you ever thought allegory was too subtle for you, this will absolutely prove you wrong.

The fantasy aspect is a little strange. An interesting premise but given the scenario, how come we end up with a world exactly like ours? So dedicated fantasy fans are off to a poor start. Much, much suspension of disbelief required.

As for cliches - they must have scoured the internet to see how many they could squeeze into one movie!

Having said all that, if you can accept all those cliches and shortcomings and just go with the flow, it won't be the worst movie you ever see. Probably.

But it definitely won't be in your Top Ten.

BOY, did the critics get this one wrong! WATCH and ENJOY!!

[dfoxxc · 8/10 · 22 December 2017]

I honestly don't get what the critics wanted from this movie! Especially that one guy who called this the "worst movie of 2017". REALLY? That's a huge lie...what about The Emoji Movie or The Snowman, or Al Pacino's movie, The Hangman??? Anyway, if you're expecting Suicide Squad...STOP. It's nothing like Suicide Squad, in terms of the acting, the action, the emotional/serious moments and the overall quality. It's much, much better than that movie, for anyone who was comparing to that movie. Now, It's not Hacksaw Ridge or The Godfather type quality, it's a typical buddy-cop set-up in a twisted, yet fun, fantasy environment. Think Lethal Weapon/Training Day/End of Watch meets Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit. Sounds weird, but you'll be pleasantly surprised.The chemistry between Will and Joel is great, the action is great and pretty much anytime Will and Joel have serious moments those are basically some of the most memorable ones out of the whole movie. There are very minor flaws, but it doesn't take away from the enjoyment of the movie. I thoroughly enjoyed Bright and I think audiences will too, I mean, go ahead and google the audience reviews. It's a Netflix movie, if people can enjoy bad movies and shows on Netflix, then people will definitely like this one. It's clearly a "people's movie", not a "critic's movie". WATCH IT and ENJOY!

Lost potential

[nancyldraper · 6/10 · 25 June 2019]

Lots of potential but the execution just got out of control. The dialogue could have been a lot more crisp but instead it was diluted by letting the characters riff out. The mood was uneven not able to balance wise cracks and action. It had the big budget bang but this could have been so much better with more incisive writing and mor streamlined direction. I give this film a 6 (fair) out of 10. {Fantasy Action}

It's alright.

[gabriel_sanchez · 5/10 · 6 January 2018]

Far from perfect. Actually, it's just OK. Bright (2017) left me with that "superhero" movie taste. It sure seems like one.

No real plot development. Everything is explained fast and as soon as it shows up. "Oh, there's THIS! THIS is something-something! Oh, damn, bad guys, shoot! Oh, wow, a WHATEVER! This is from a far away time and blah blah blah! Oh, damn, bad guys again, run!" and it's that until the end.

Not that it's bad and all that. It's just passable. It's just OK. Surely not a recommendation in a friends group.

The critics were wrong...

[brycelipscomb · 9/10 · 22 December 2017]

After reading about how poorly this movie was made and how much of a flop it was, I wasn't very surprised to find that it was much better than the reviews were admitting to. While the world is vast and leaves some questions unanswered, that by no means makes the movie hard to follow or less enjoyable to watch. The action was fantastic, the characters were portrayed very well, and the humor was spread throughout to break the tension. I could see how much older viewers who aren't accustomed to a fantasy setting might have a hard time to follow, but if you're like me and prefer the fantasy genre you will most likely enjoy watching this movie.

Would have been better as a show

[pinobarbaritano-44840 · 7/10 · 4 March 2021]

I love the world building and the setting of this movie... the only thing that comes to my mind thats similar is Onward which was released 3 years later by Disney. To explore this world with a series would've been much more exciting... sadly the run time isn't enough for this and the weak story doesn't help with that... GREAT concept but wrong execution :/

Bad Script

[michellemccarran · 3/10 · 22 December 2017]

This could have been amazing. Instead we get a mashup of movies we've seen before (Alien Nation, Training Day, etc.) that results in a disordered, shallow mess. The world is never fully explained, the characters are not fleshed out, the dialogue is cliched. Will Smith looks like he's phoning it in, and I don't blame him. There were some nice action sequences and the special effects, particularly involving the wand, were effective. That was the movie's only saving grace.

I hear they've already greenlit a sequel. If so, please, Netflix, for the love of God, find a better screenwriter.

Fine example of why you should ignore ratings

[lil_moe · 14 November 2021]

I've been deliberately avoiding watching this movie for 4 years because of the bad reviews but tonight my wife and I decided we were in the mood for an average movie to pass the time and boy oh boy were we surprised.

The movie is way better than ratings and reviews would lead you to think. Mr. Smith did better in other shows and he is a bit of a camera hog but overall the movie was extremely enjoyable and engaging.

I certainly recommend this movie to any viewer who is in the mood for an over-the-edge action superhero/alien flick.

Hilarious

[masonsaul · 6/10 · 7 September 2023]

Bright has a central idea rife with potential and whilst it definitely doesn't live up to that idea it remains fun and hilariously misguided. The central class conflict has an astonishing lack of subtlety but it only adds to how funny the whole thing is, intentional or not (definitely mostly unintentional).

This film is so incredibly lucky to have a leading man as talented as Will Smith mostly carrying the thing, his usual bottomless charm is complimented by a heavy amount of cynicism plus he's able to make some of the worst lines land pretty well.

The other part that holds this together is Joel Edgerton. Hidden behind some really impressive makeup he still brings so much humanity whilst also having strong chemistry with Smith. Their rapport is probably the only part of the film that is meant to be funny and actually is.

David Ayer's direction is more Suicide Squad than End of Watch which means there's a lot of conflicting stylistic choices, some of which are just so funny (a slow motion Will Smith shootout is a real highlight) and of course, plenty of needle drops (once again probably too many).

OK netflix movie

[horaciorocha · 7/10 · 14 September 2019]

I found it entertaining, not a masterpiece but original treatment of orcs and elves. Could have been done a little better, better story but the backbone was OK.

Never as good as its brilliant title sequence but generally fun

[cherold · 7/10 · 28 July 2018]

Bright has an amazing title sequence, using graffiti and posters to sketch out a contemporary Los Angeles where fairies and elves are real and Orcs are an oppressed race dealing with humans who fear and hate them. It's a densely packed sequence that promises something really cool.

The early part of the movie does a nice job of world building. Will Smith is a human cop forced to partner with the first Orc cop, who is hated by the entire department. Unlike our world where race is a constructed artifice, here race is very specific, and humans are all one. So Will is a mildly racist human who never experienced the anti-black racism of the real world.

We also get to see Will murder a fairy, which is basically a flying rat in humanoid form.

In this world magic exists, and certain individuals known as "brights" are able to wield magic wands, which will destroy anyone else who touches them. Will and Orc come across a scene of magical slaughter and find a young elf woman who has a wand. The lure of magic is strong, and the movie becomes a hectic run from magic-desiring cops and thugs, as well as the wand's original fairy owner, whose gang is an unstoppable force of murderous gymnasts.

To put it more simply, Bright is a mismatched/buddy cop movie (with a twist) involving a night of mayhem. It's predictable, shallow, and has some fun action sequences and light, somewhat amusing banter.

The critics hated this movie, but I'd say it's pretty standard as buddy-cop movies go. Lethal Weapon and 48 hours, big hits the critics like better than Bright, seem equally dopey. Honestly, I enjoyed it more than either of those "classics."

But I can't help but wish the movie had followed the path set by its title sequence, with more attention paid to the racism of a society that has actual races.

Also, why are all the thugs black? I mean, it's a world where presumably humans see themselves as one race, so why would poor neighborhoods have so few white people in them? It suggests that the premise wasn't really carefully thought out.

Anyway, Bright is fine. It's not the end of the world if you miss it, but it's got some fun stuff in it.

I was hoping for more...

[lunalovitt · 3/10 · 23 December 2017]

I had such high hopes for this movie, but at the end of the day my hopes were too high. I loved the idea of it all, but when I actually sat down to watch it I found myself wanting to stop less than half way through because it was just... boring. I feel like a lot of the culture and world could have been built up and better explained. It doesn't have to be spoon fed to the audience, but really... It would have been nice to have some lore other than some spray tags in the opening credits. I think the hints of the world created by the writers was incredibly fascinating, but all of it was wasted.

The concept was really neat and I was excited for it, but it was poorly executed. A lot of the scene changes and jump in plot was messy and didn't make sense other than to force a continuation of the story. There was some political commentary stuff. Not a ton, but the big points are kind of shoved in your face when they pop up. The jokes could have been delivered a lot better as well. I was hoping for some comedy, given the trailer, but in the end it just wasn't... A lot of characters were wasted. Some of them would have been really cool to just learn more about, but instead more screen time was split between less interesting characters that really only show up for two scenes and then die later.

Now that's not to say there weren't good points. The visuals were nice. As nice as visuals of people getting their guts blown out with a shotgun can be, I mean. And some of the music was good as well. There were some editing choices that seemed... odd to me, but I'll let them slide in this instance.

All in all? LotR meets Zootopia meets any buddy cop film ever made with neat visuals. For all its budget, I wish more time had been spent on reviewing the material from the point of view of an audience member so that some mistakes could have been avoided.

Hollywood hates Netflix

[kevinoneil-99062 · 10/10 · 25 March 2018]

This is a horribly interesting thing. I found Bright to be pretty damn enjoyable. It's a kind of run all night movie where the characters go against everyone and rightfully so with how the movie sets up the stage and the world it is set in. I find this movie deserves a 8/10 but will give a 10/10 because of the weird hate revolving around it. What was bad? The acting was great. The story was great. The characters great. Also being able to make a world with different rules and make the characters so relateable was amazing. The stage the music the mostly everything was great about this film. So how was it so bad? There is a very strange hate for this film and we should all take notice that Netflix is doing something to piss Hollywood off. Maybe making original stories and not another Jason Bourne/Transformers/Pos movie is what makes critics angry these days. 29 from Metacritic? There is more to the story here.

Bottom line if you want a fun action filled movie with great setting, atmosphere and characters then give this a watch.

Was exceedingly better than I expected

[MrX867 · 7/10 · 3 August 2022]

This is one of those films that I actually think critics were way too harsh on. Reviews made me go into this expecting something terrible but I was pleasantly satisfied.

I thought the movie's premise was pretty interesting, the thought of orcs and elves living modern day lives and having regular jobs in this movie fascinated me and this is what made it a fun watch for me. It actually felt like watching a random one-shot comic as a movie. Joel Edgerton did a phenomenal job and his character was the most interesting one in my opinion. The action in the film was very enjoyable, and it had some pretty good suspenseful moments.

That being said, I can see why some folks do not like this movie, I found a good chunk of the dialogue between the main duo to be rather awkward, like SW prequel trilogy awkward and I must admit some of the humor was a bit hit or miss. Despite the fact that I loved the premise of it I must also admit that it could have focused way more on world building by showing off a whole lot more different species than what we actually focused on or giving us a bit more on the setting's backstory.

Nowhere near perfect but I still think it is definitely worth a watch, it's a pretty standard buddy cop film in my opinion.

Interesting ideas wasted in an uninteresting movie

[tm-juli · 4/10 · 22 December 2017]

I have strong feelings when it comes to 'Suicide Squad', which I absolutely hate, due to its embarassing tone changes between the first twenty minutes and the rest of the flick. I would have liked to see David Ayer's original cut. But after 'Bright' I'm pretty sure, 'Suicide Squad' wouldn't be better in its proper form.

'Bright' is filmed in a grim an dark way, which is cool in the sense, that it's a fantasy world, but with realism. And for David Ayer that means, that Orcs don't represent Orcs, but other real life stereotypes, which is laughable as soon, as you see all these Orcs with hoodies and s*it. But adding to the ghetto-lifestyle, they're still having magical rituals. Do one of both (pls the magic thing) or let it be.

The Elves were pretty f*cking cool. They represented the rich people and elvtown reminded me of the capitol in 'The Hunger Games'-Saga.

The strongest aspects of 'Bright' is the super interesting worldbuilding (at one time you can see a dragon in the background, but it's still the gritty modern city - awesome) and the fantastic costumes and make-up work.

The world building is present in just the perfect portion. Sadly the main pretentious story about racism and police violence (while being the most gun-porn you can be) just falls flat. With another story to introduce the viewer to this wolrd and other characters, it would have worked much better. Will Smith's character is somewhat likeable, but I think just because it's Will Smith looking very Will Smith all the time. Joel Edgerton's orc is pretty awesome, but he also makes dumb decissions. And you are stuck with these two characters, who change their opinion on each other after every scene, but it's a buddy cop movie of some sorts, so they gotta become friends along the way, right?

I think, and that is pure speculation, David Ayer just really loves cops shooting more than necessary and so the interesting story of an orc cop in a modern city with fantastic creatures gets minimized to gun porn with racism and a slight mystical background story.

Joel Edgerton's Orc looks very stunned and not happy about his first murder, but after that he just shoots people left and right, so what is the point of even setting up that 'I don't like to kill'-vibe, when nothing comes with it. At the end there is even an embarassing scene were all the other orcs finally accept him as a cop and it's bad and cringey. So it's supposed "arc" is bulls*it, but we obviously like him, beacause people treat him bad and he's ultimately has a good heart.

For people who think, that an orc-cop movie can only be a comedy: you will be vastly diasappointed and embarassed for the attempts at humour put to screen in 'Bright'. Only after the big end fight there are some good lines and even a little bit of chemistry between the main duo.

So in the end I think the world of 'Bright' has potential, but only if in the hands of another director, who has more heart for the fantasy part of this movie and less for the non-entertaining violence. And maybe with other protagonists, but with the predictable revelation at the end, they will stick with Will Smith an his Orc-friend (?).

Was so much better than I thought it would be

[boggie4758 · 8/10 · 22 December 2017]

I twist on buddy cop movie. Will Smith and the Orc play off each other perfectly. I could see this is how it would be if Middle Earth got pushed into our present day. The acting is good and the make up is excellent. Ok I loved the Orc and laughed at his one liners..If you want to watch something different then this is the movie for you. I liked it a lot.

Cop thriller with a twist

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 23 December 2017]

BRIGHT is another cop thriller from the hit-or-miss director David Ayer, and yet another spin on his ever-popular END OF WATCH. This takes the concept of the patrolling cop duo and mixes it with some LORD OF THE RINGS-style fantasy in which orcs and elves live in the real world and mix with the humans of the cast. There are elements of ENEMY MINE and DISTRICT 9 in the story of Will Smith's and his orc partner Joel Edgerton's attempts to save an elf girl and her magic wand from coming into the possession of a vengeful dark elf killer. I really can't stand some of Ayer's movies - END OF WATCH being one of them - but others, like SABOTAGE and FURY, I've really enjoyed. BRIGHT falls somewhere between the two camps in terms of quality. It's predictable but watchable, familiar but engaging at the same time. An ageless Will Smith has more natural charisma than I remember, while Edgerton does well hidden in the orc suit. Other seasoned performers like Noomi Rapace and Edgar Ramirez don't disappoint. As ever, the action sequences are the highlight here, with Ayer adept at delivering blistering thrills so that the viewer's attention is held from beginning to end.

A steaming pile of orc scat

[rpwfoster · 1/10 · 26 December 2017]

This cost 90 million, it must be money laundering. I pray this is David Ayer's final film, it's actually worse than Suicide Squad. The executive at Netflix who greenlit this must've been on a week long cocaine bender when he did so. Everything about this bland boring movie is generic and lacklustre beyond imagination, it's so bad finishing it is like hitting rock bottom - you'll rethink your life afterwards, that's the sole positive of this movie. It's such a low energy, slow paced movie that looks like budget despite it's extravagant budget.

Avoid at all costs, don't say I didn't warn you.