Cop movies come and go all the time, but never have we seen one like we will with BRIGHT. Set in the world we know now, but filled with mythical creatures like Orcs and elves, the movie puts a whole new spin on the buddy cop flick by pairing Will Smith’s human Officer Ward and Joel Edgerton’s Orc Officer Jakoby. The duo learns to come together when a magical wand surfaces, causing all of Los Angeles to come after them. Having to deal with magical forces and street gangs make dealing with their obvious differences not so big an issue, and the two make an unlikely team. The new trailer showcases all the fantasy-driven action but ensures there will be plenty of buddy-cop banter you have come to expect from director David Ayer.
This film is one I've been unsure of for some, but recent footage has turned me around, and it's shaping up to be quite an entertaining ride. All too often cop movies play out like standard fare, but it's going to be impossible for this to have the same kind of feel by giving our leads a larger, more magical sandbox to play in. But for anyone who thinks that all may be a little much, the rapport between Smith and Edgerton leaves plenty of room for drama and levity, and like END OF WATCH, I believe much of the movie will depend on the duo's chemistry. But if this world has the SHREK movies, does this mean they have LORD OF THE RINGS? Just throwing that out there.
BRIGHT hits Netflix on December 22.