I, like many others saw that a movie was coming out Will Smith in it not too long ago and was curious. The way it was presented to me was that he would be acting in a role similar to Denzel in Training Day and so with limited knowledge of it I still decided to give it a try. The movie, Bright, focuses on a group of creatures known as Orcs who live in a world that does not honor them. The parallels between the treatment of Orcs and other ethnic groups in America by law enforcement will immediately get your attention, but what’s the most interesting is how multilayered the other ethnic groups in that society are coupled with the complexities of the institutions put in place to maintain that structure. In laymen’s terms it’s a dope concept and here are three reasons why you should watch it:
You’ve Watched It Play Out the Last Three Years
Police brutality in America is not a new phenomenon, but because of technology and social media it is now almost impossible to not pay attention to what you see or hear about. The beauty of entertainment is that it allows us to confront these truths safely be it through comedy, music, or movies, so as to prevent the cognitive dissonance. In other words people will be able to empathize with the plight of the Orcs and hopefully be able to connect that with the struggles of other religious groups and nationalities in America in the age of America trying to be great for once.
It’s Magic All Around
The best way I can describe the world that is depicted is the real world meets Harry Potter. There are elves and orcs much like the way there was goblin and giants in Harry Potter and just about any other fantasy based novel. The blend of magical creatures armed with wands fused with the threat of violence of guns itself is an entertaining and curious idea that I have yet to see shown on screen. Basically it makes it ok to have a nerd moment off the magic because there are enough gangsta scenes to make it seem cool for the moment. Just for the moment though.!
Them Numbers
Since its release last Friday, the reviews from people have been mixed with some people saying they couldn’t make it past the first twenty minutes while other praised it for its originality and thoughtfulness. I’m big on not wanting to cloud people’s judgment but I will say that in spite of the Rotten Tomatoes rating of 30%, 89% of the viewers said they liked the picture. Whether you find yourself in the former or latter group, it deserves a look.
Wright World 