Netflix originals can differ, you either get something amazing like HUSH or you can get absolute shite, but most of the times films land in the realm of OKAY. Bright is one of these films.

Following the story of two cops in a world where humans and fantasy creatures live side by side, Bright is the tale of racial tensions between humans and orcs and the only Orc police officer ever in the middle. Oh and there is a race of magic wielding people looking to destroy the world that will test the partnership between Will Smith’s Daryl Ward and Joel Edgerton’s Jakoby.

Bright mixes your typical buddy cop premise with a dark fantasy setting well, I like the world building the film gives. Racial issues between the humans and fantasy creatures mirrors real life racial divides between different races in modern days. What the film lacks is that big time big film feel. I could have seen this in cinemas but I think it would have flopped like films such as Valerian. Will Smith was good in a slightly phoned in way. This is no Bad Boys and this partnership isn’t as tight as it should be, especially at the films conclusion. The action was okay, Will Smith is best in these kind of roles where action is key so this gives the film a plus.

Joel Edgerton is my standout in the film. His portrayal of an Orc who has always dream of being a police officer is funnily similar to the plight of Hopps in Zootopia while his struggle with being hated by his own kind and the force he has always wanted to be apart of is the more emotional aspects that keeps the film going for me.

Is this a classic? No and I don’t think the film is trying to be. Bright is totally a popcorn summer action film which didn’t make it to cinemas. If a follow up was to come up I would totally watch it and even with the slight negativity my review may give the film does have enough action and Will Smith comedy to enjoy as a whole.

Ian Simons Says….give it a watch!

Most people have heard of ‘The Purge’ by now, the home invasion horror which envisions a future for America where one day a year is dedicated to allowing its citizens let out their frustrations by legalising all crime during this period. Then it spawned a couple more films and now we have the prequel, ‘The First Purge’ which is exactly what the name suggests – and we get to see how it all began.

Firstly, I should mention that I’ve only seen the first film of the franchise, so I didn’t go and watch the film with much of an idea of what to expect or have anything to compare it to in my head. I didn’t have a particularly strong opinion one way or the other of ‘The Purge’, but I was interested to see what would be done with the concept of it with America’s current political state being a constant cause for concern. It’s no secret that Trump’s presidency has been controversial and one way that opposition has been shown towards him is through art. ‘The First Purge’ is definitely an example of this, and it’s so blunt about it that I’m surprised they didn’t have Childish Gambino’s ‘This is America’ playing during the end credits or have a Donald Trump look-alike as the villain.

Even if the film does completely lack subtlety, it’s nice to see a mainstream film that takes a look at things from the perspective of minority groups. Most of the main cast are African-American including the protagonist, Nya (Lex Scott Davis), who is a passionate activist fighting against the purge experiment. The main problem is that it seems to take itself too seriously overall, even if it does have comedic relief from Nya’s neighbour Dolores (Mugga) who is the best part about it. Can I just have a cut of this film where it’s all from her perspective please?

Overall, it’s difficult to decide how I feel about ‘The First Purge’. It has some interesting aspects with its political backdrop but it’s so obvious about it that it can take you out of the film. There are some lines of dialogue from the antagonists that are flat and boring, but Davis’ performance is grounded and she’s easy to empathise with. I also like the twist, which in a way paints an optimistic picture of humanity. There’s also some good fight sequences to appreciate, especially one between Dmitri (Y’lan Noel) and some mercenaries in a stairway that was choreographed really well. The film definitely has flaws but there’s enough to like about it to make it an entertaining time.