Way better than I expected--thanks, critics!
 |
| Ayer, David, dir. Bright. Netflix: Dec. 2017. |
It could simply be because I watched it on New Year’s Eve after
one three eggnog martinis (liberally spiked with the delightful pumpkin spice flavor
of Kahlua!), and because of lowered expectations due to all the hate floating
around about it, but Bright was
actually fun! Were all the critics who despised it really watching
the same film as me? And if so, I’ve got the perfect remedy: eggnog martinis!
First of all, it’s great to see urban fantasy—any urban
fantasy—get such a huge-profile debut. The vitriol over the film can be
usefully subdivided into two categories: diehard urban fantasy snowflake-fans
up in arms over this or that inauthentic aspect of the film’s depiction (or
appropriation) of the genre, or clueless lamestream media hack reviewers who
have no idea what urban fantasy is or should be, pretentious fops who use terms
like “pictures” or “films” and shun hoi polloi vernacular like “movies” religiously.
As a self-proclaimed middle of the roader, I fail to see why
we have to listen to either of these categories of ‘experts’ and can instead
sit down to appreciate Bright’s many
good points (and trust me, they only get better with some eggnogtinis!). For
instance, this is a movie which actually addresses racial tensions! Is its
attempt to tackle racism (by replacing socially disadvantaged groups with
entirely different species) heavy-handed? You bet it is! But at this point, at
a time when most people in the developed world receive pre-selected
news/‘information’ based upon various algorithms’ predictions of what we
already believe, just having such a high-profile film project address such a
sensitive issue at all is a win of sorts.
But also—have you actually seen the movie, or are you just
spewing hate a priori? You might be surprised by how empirically entertaining
the finished film turned out to be. Sure, parts of it are hokey, like the (to
me) gratuitous scene of Will Smith’s character beating a mischievous fairy or
sprite or whatever to death in his front lawn, to the jeering cheers of his cop-hating
neighbors. And yeah, it would have been a better film if it had been made more tongue-in-cheek instead of being billed as a straight-up urban buddy cop action extravaganza. Yet even so, when Bright is good, it's downright watchable!
The special effects are
generally thrilling, and the human performances are pretty good too (though I
confess to being a bit disappointed in Naomi Rapace’s turn as villain, as she
couldn’t quite sell the necessary menace, that indefinable yet palpable air of lethality). Smith delivers here in a manner fans
haven’t seen much in this period of his career--you know, just a few years after he thought it would be a
good idea to appear in After Earth. So here’s the final word: what exactly
is supposed to be so bad about the movie? Am I missing something? Did I have
eggnogtini googles on when I saw this? I’m sure you’ll let me know in the
comments below J
 |
| Smith rediscovers his acting chops, aided by the massive drop in expectations following the turd-fest After Earth! |
Objective Assessment: 6/10
Bonuses: +1 for sizzling special effects in an urban fantasy
movie, +1 for addressing racism, even in this rather goofy way
Penalties: -1 for the heartless scene showing the murder of
a fairy and the taking-themselves-way-too-seriously-vibe
Nerd coefficient: 7/10 “An enjoyable experience, but not
without its flaws”
[Incidentally, 7/10 is a totally respectable score here at
Nerds of a Feather—see here for details.]
This message is brought to you by Zhaoyun, purveyor of urban
fantasy in all its forms and reviewer for Nerds of a Feather since 2013.
