Nerds That Geek Movie Review: 'Bright'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

When one takes the time to think about or talk about Netflix, one thing quickly comes to mind; a bevy of amazing original television shows that we can binge to our heart’s desire. These are the shows that we recommend others watch immediately or that we discuss with our friends for days on end, but there is an inherent problem for Netflix when it comes to this…few of us ever take the time the time to discuss their original motion pictures.
 
Which in its own right is odd, seeing as to how there are plenty of original movies on this service to watch, in fact they’re beginning to feature quite the incredible library when it comes to original films and some of these unique stories feature some of our favorites actors as well. But there is a clear-cut reason as to why we aren’t talking about these movies, a fair chunk of them are simply not good. However, Netflix isn’t keen on churning out mediocre movie after mediocre movie, and they are most certainly trying to up their game, as is evident with their most recent release, Bright.
 
Now this motion picture, is quite the big-time departure for Netflix in just about every single way imaginable. For starters, it features an A-List name when it comes to the cast, with Will Smith headlining as Daryl Ward, and it’s clear that the ninety million dollars that Netflix sunk into the budget paid off in spades because holy cow, this is a visual feast for the ages. But while it is nice to see a big Hollywood name in this film and a budget to rival any studio in the business, there is a million-dollar question hanging over this movie…is it any good? 

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​Well, the answer to that all-important question is…kinda. Because sadly, Bright is hands down a mixed bag. On the plus side, it features a beautiful and believable world filled to the brim with magical wonders and quite frankly, the movie starts out strong with some surprisingly powerful social commentary when it comes to racial relations in America, and this part of the film is downright brilliant. Simply due to the fact that it is poignant and timely and thoughtful in its presentation and sadly, had the story placed a heavier focus on this, I would be raving about this movie through and through.
 
But unfortunately, the second half of the story completely abandons these wonderful concepts to instead transform itself into an action/adventure flick, one involving magic and a fight to save the world and well, this change up is supremely disappointing, since everything found here is contrived, cliché and unoriginal. Case in point, while the film spends some of its time paying homage to the amazing motion picture, Training Day, at one point in the story it flat out lifts an important plot twist from that film and well, it makes the back half of the movie difficult to watch because everything is so derivative.
 
However, all flaws aside, Bright is quite the entertaining film. There are also plenty of humorous moments to work with, the acting is solid and honestly, that fascinating first half makes the entire experience worth your while, it’s just a shame that Max Landis’ script didn’t stick with that magnificent commentary the whole way through. But what matters most about this film, is that it signals a true paradigm shift for Netflix’s original content. This looks like a polished studio film, not a bunch of friends hastily putting together a story to collect a paycheck, as is the case with Adam Sandler’s offerings. If anything, Bright sends quite the signal that Netflix is ready to evolve as a motion picture studio and I’m looking forward to the day when this film will be looked upon fondly as the moment that everything changed for Netflix, and I cannot wait to see what bold offerings await us from this unique service in the future. 

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