BRIGHT is another cop thriller from the hit-or-miss director David Ayer, and yet another spin on his ever-popular END OF WATCH. This takes the concept of the patrolling cop duo and mixes it with some LORD OF THE RINGS-style fantasy in which orcs and elves live in the real world and mix with the humans of the cast. There are elements of ENEMY MINE and DISTRICT 9 in the story of Will Smith's and his orc partner Joel Edgerton's attempts to save an elf girl and her magic wand from coming into the possession of a vengeful dark elf killer. I really can't stand some of Ayer's movies - END OF WATCH being one of them - but others, like SABOTAGE and FURY, I've really enjoyed. BRIGHT falls somewhere between the two camps in terms of quality. It's predictable but watchable, familiar but engaging at the same time. An ageless Will Smith has more natural charisma than I remember, while Edgerton does well hidden in the orc suit. Other seasoned performers like Noomi Rapace and Edgar Ramirez don't disappoint. As ever, the action sequences are the highlight here, with Ayer adept at delivering blistering thrills so that the viewer's attention is held from beginning to end.
Review of Bright
