Review: Will Smith’s Ability to Go for the Unknown Really Shines in ‘Bright’

The concept of humans co-existing with orcs, elves, dwarves, fairies, and other mythical creatures is not new, and folks who grew up watching the likes of “The Lord of the Rings,” “Harry Potter,” and “The Chronicles of Narnia” have seen all of them placed in mythical/fantasy lands fighting either with or alongside humans against some evil forces. But the Will Smith-starring “Bright” has an apparently refreshing vision, which places humans, orcs, and elves living together in modern-day Los Angeles, fighting for their place in a typical discriminatory society. It won’t be wrong to suggest that the movie also hints at the challenge of racism and speciesism, albeit in a disguised and covert manner.

“Bright” does not offer the viewers much time to wonder what’s happening, but rather in a surprisingly short period of time, transitions from “a policeman having a bad day at work” episode to “a fast-paced, larger-than-life, run/chase spree” filled with nasty gunfights involving corrupt cops, Latin-American gangsters, elves who speak Elvish, and even an orc gang—all of who are running after a magic wand with incredible powers that can wreak havoc if fallen into wrong hands. 

The idea of preventing power falling into evil hands, though, has been the central theme of more number of movies than we can possibly count. But what can turn out to be overwhelming for a lot of audiences of “Bright” is the entire exhausting pursuit of the wand taking place over a single night.

Will Smith, as we know him, has dealt with extra-terrestrials in the “Men in Black” series, survived apocalypse in “I Am Legend,” and even thrown a whale several meters into the ocean in “Hancock.” Perhaps it’s his larger-than-life nature that attracts him to such roles. 

Amusingly enough, in many parts of the script in “Bright,” Smith does not shy away from throwing unexpected jokes at odd times, shrinking the gloominess of a tense scene in a jiffy—but that also kicks away the intensity of the scene in many instances for all the wrong reasons. Viewers’ eyes can feast on some clever VFX and CGI used to blend the projection of elves (Tikka and Kandomere in the main leads, played by Lucy Fry and Edgar Ramirez, respectively) and orcs (Nick Jackoby among others, played by Joel Edgerton) with the natural environments very smoothly. Do we remember the last time we saw such flawless imagery? 

Some parts of the plot have been slightly compromised, including an unexpectedly short appearance of Smith’s on-screen wife Sherri Ward (Dawn Olivieri) and daughter Sophia (Scarlet Spencer). In fact, what begins as a family-centered story inside a quiet home later turns out to be an action-packed fantasy thriller passing through streets, ghettos, and bars, which is quite startling. The script also contains a lot of swearing and cursing, but some in Orcish and Elvish from time to time try to balance out all that, to say the least! 

As a final call of judgment, even with its flaws, “Bright” can still secure an unforgettable impression in the viewers’ minds owing to its fast-paced action, punchy lines, beautiful CGI, and last but definitely not the least, a message of social change the world needs desperately.