Despite, arguably, being the best part of the wildly disappointing “Suicide Squad,” there’s not much to say positively about Will Smith’s line of films recently. From the aforementioned DC film, to the critically decimated “Collateral Beauty” and films with middling reviews such as “Focus” and “Concussion,” Smith has failed to pick the right projects while filmmakers have failed to capture that charismatic essence that made him such a huge star. Upcoming, beyond a “Bad Boys” sequel or two and his casting as the Genie in the live-action remake of “Aladdin,” he has “Bright.”
Netflix’s most expensive film yet, it offers up an exciting premise (on paper) that mixes original science fiction with familiar fantastical elements. Directed by David Ayer (“Suicide Squad”, “Fury”), hopefully this will prove to be a more mutually beneficial team up for actor and director pair. The most troubling aspect so far is the inclusion of Max Landis as the screenwriter, most known for “Victor Frankenstein,” “American Ultra,” complaining about Ray being a “Mary Sue” in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” and ranting on Twitter. To be fair, he also wrote “Chronicle.” Here’s the official synopsis:
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Set in an alternate present-day where humans, orcs, elves, and fairies have been co-existing since the beginning of time. Bright is genre-bending action movie that follows two cops from very different backgrounds. Ward (Will Smith) and Jakoby (Joel Edgerton), embark on a routine patrol night and encounter a darkness that will ultimately alter the future and their world as they know it.
Regardless of the Landis problem, it’s nice to see original science fiction being picked up, especially when we’re surrounded by so many remakes, reboots and sequels. It’s especially interesting to see such a high-budget film be made through the streaming service, especially as their original films continue the uphill battle in terms of appealing to more traditionalists when it comes to how we consume media. Also starring Joel Edgerton, Noomi Rapace, Lucy Fry, Edgar Ramirez, Margaret Cho, and Ike Barinholtz , “Bright” will be released December 2017 through Netflix.