WOOT So, who else watched Bright on Netflix?

Overall, I enjoyed it, but I do agree that it definitely needed some polish...and some world-building!

Okay, a bunch of weird graffiti flashed in the beginning is not world-building. We probably need better names than "The Dark Lord" and just "The Prophecy" or "Magical Task Force". At least call it...M-Task or...something? I don't know. The names were pretty bad. I really wanted to know a bit more than "2000 years ago, the Dark Lord was BAD". Just...a little more? Something?

Like I know the director did Suicide Squad so he thinks he's really clever and edgey, but I definitely agree it was rather heavy-handed in some spots.

I did have fun watching it and I really like the idea, but the execution needed some work. Like...read me the prophecy we keep hearing them babble about? Tell me a little about the damn turf wars other than "They're at war". Tell me why the orcs are this way? What in the heck does Blooded even MEAN? Obviously something big but like...does it mean killed someone? Or...did something honorable? Or...what? Explain to me why the elves are UBER powerful with all the money? At least more than "well, they're ELVES"? What the heck were the Inferni and the Shield of Light? Other than "the bad guys" and...I guess the good guys? Who the heck were the Nine Armies? Why were the orcs bad...no wait good...no wait bad...no wait they totally helped kill the Dark Lord? Didn't they say they served him? How the hell is he going to get brought back?

And more. I'm not one to like a lot of telling, not showing. But give me at least a little telling so I know what is going on?

That said, the idea of the orc clans was cool. Loved the centaur cop. I wanted to hear more about the Shield of Light and hear about this Prophecy? Is Ward an actual Bright? Or is he something else because he's supposedly part of the Prophecy? What the heck were the magic pool and why was Tikka sick? Like I definitely was interested in watching and knowing stuff! So there's that at least. I also thought the Ward and Nick banter wasn't totally bad. A bit heavy-handed in some parts, but there was some good stuff too.

So I'd probably give it a 6-7 out of 10 myself. Not the most amazing movie, but at least it had a cool setting and good potential. It definitely knocked a few points off for some really pointless social commentary and comparisons though, and the lack of telling when telling needed to be done. Oh, and the lack of even attempting any damn names.

 

Netflix has already ordered a sequel.

 

Good questions but I have a bigger one. If shrek is part of that world is it their version of black face?

 

Well, they're orcs, not ogres. This is a good question though!

 

Oh god I’m watching it now and I can’t help but giggle like a schoolgirl every time they say magic wand*. THANKS A LOT FORUM!

*

Spoiler

especially in the beginning when they say “if you have three magic wands you can resurrect the Dark Lord”

I’m sitting here thinking to myself, uhhh... doesn’t that usually only require one?!

 

Yup. It was WAY on the nose and pretty in your face with the social commentary.

That said, it wasn’t an objectively bad movie. It could’ve been better but it also could’ve been way, way worse. I give it one and a half thumbs up.

 

It's hilarious, more so with how straight they're playing it

Honestly I was expecting something really bad, a reviewer I was following on youtube commented on it. apparently the critics are dubbing it the worst movie of the year... which is an exaggeration, it needs polish and a fantasy name generator but it wasn't that bad. more so since it's a made for TV movie.

Also didn't the emoji movie come out this year? How was that de-throned LOL

 

Oh man, I watched the CinemaSins take on the emoji movie and was just like “...wat.”

 

Baby steps. It was very much good enough for what it was, and (in my head) its only TRUE purpose was to get people on board. Magic and Tech intertwined is FINE with most of us, but we are writers and readers who devour this (and related) genre. Bright is a promo for what the rest of us can do if you give us a chance to play in your head, a commercial for better and broader. I am very, very happy that people enjoy it, because that means they are ready for MORE.

And MORE is what we specialize in.

Also, I am very, very, very glad Netflix didn't plunk down a fortune and buy up the Shadowrun rights. Bright should show whoever (is it Microsoft, now?) holds the rights that there's a great deal of interest in that IP. Just don't f**k it up, or I will find you...

 

Bright struck me more as a modern fairy tale than a cyberpunk fantasy.

 

To me it was more of a buddy cop movie with an augmented reality background.

Makes me wonder if WoW is the replay of the holocaust in that world? Call of duty is the civil war? I don't know, the more I think about it the dumber it seems.

Still, points for trying something different.

 

More of an alternate history fantasy, except taken as a “what if” scenario instead. It’s like those thought exercises we do when considering what the world would be like today if pivotal moments in history had gone a different way.

 

These scenario re-imagine the world to reflect that one change.

This movie however kept the world exactly as is and replaced groups of people with fantasy races for the sake of social commentary.

I'll give everyone one guess to who the Orcs replaced and one for the elves... I swear the later weren't thought out well, every scene with them came straight out final fantasy.

It needed better world building which is why I understand the hate it's getting, still can't be too hard on it. It tried something and it's clear there is an audience for it judging by the response on Rotten tomatoes. fingers crossed the trends keeps going, getting bored of super heroes to be honest.

 

Hav en't seen it yet, but, I was already expecting the social commentary. They don't seem to be able to make much of anything anymore without shoving the cause of the moment ham handedly into your face. Well writ stuff doesn't need to have a huge sign going, "This is Social Commentary and you should think this way!". When the writing is good, it can shine without needing all the subtlety of an elephant in an international orange tutu.

 

Ah but think about it. Such a commentary will make all the dung beetles of the world dance for joy.

 

I mean to be fair, social commentary's been in movies for as long as there's been movies. Only during a very censored and homogenized period in time was it seen that movies were devoid of sociopolitical commentary. And more often than not save for the earlier days of film, it's been left-of-centre commentary.

 

Not totally. It's been a bit of a mixed bag. It just feels like in the past pack of years the SJW commentary has been pushing out things like story and characterization. The most subtle hand I've seen in a bit was The Orville and even that was like being hit with a cinder block. Between that and the commercials we don't have cable and just stream what we want to watch.

 

Ok but can I have a good story and memorable characters with that?

That is what film is in the end, a visual medium that provides entertainment and escapism. The problem isn't that it contains social commentary, it's that it does nothing with it.

The movie (get out) is ALL social commentary, it'll all in your face about it. But it's smart about the whole thing, it's a movie that has something to say and before anything it got you to care about the main character and see things through his eyes. Bright just yelled at you.

It's why I hated that movie, it was like someone saying "RASICIM IS BAD, MINORITIES ARE GETTING THE SHAFT" over and over... then re-enforcing all the negative stereotypes and racial profiling. Like in Get Out the MC has an arc, he goes from a passive observer to taking matters into his own hands. All the negatives attached to African Americans he uses to his advantage while using things that symbolizes the upper crust against them. No talking just using and moving on, that's smart.

What happened in bright? The Orcs bowed on their knees to show respect the first time, the second time they showed up in the last shot climax, lowered their heads while lifting an arm to salute the officer then back to the fog they faded.

I'm not even going to start on the stereotyping of the druglords that happened in that movie or how "orcs" like loud music that others consider threatening.

For a movie that's been screaming at me about racial profiling, it sure did go out of it's way to prove those profiling's right. weak!