Netflix has today confirmed that they will be making a sequel to the Will Smith/Joel Edgerton movie ‘Bright’ and also revealed why. Despite some unnecessarily harsh reviews by critics, the film is the highest viewed Netflix movie ever on the service in its first week of release, and one of the biggest originals (including sequels/additional seasons) Netflix has ever launched. It was also the number one movie on Netflix in every country (190+ countries) since its release, with more people viewing the film internationally than domestically.
If you haven’t caught it yet, ‘Bright’ is an action-thriller directed by David Ayer (‘Suicide Squad’, ‘End of Watch’, writer of ‘Training Day’) set in an alternate present-day where ‘Lord Of The Rings’ type fantasy creatures exist alongside humans. The movie follows two cops from very different backgrounds (Ward, a human played by Will Smith, and Jakoby, an orc played by Joel Edgerton) who embark on a routine patrol night that will ultimately alter the future as their world knows it. Battling both their own personal differences as well as an onslaught of enemies, they must work together to protect a thought-to-be-forgotten relic, which in the wrong hands could destroy everything. It’s basically ‘End of Watch’ crossed with ‘The Hobbit’.
I caught up with the film over the Christmas break, and sure, it wasn’t perfect, but it certainly wasn’t what some ridiculous reviewers called “the worst movie of the year.” It was fun, had some great action, and the fantasy element worked well. I could have stood to see a bit more “world building” to establish the fantasy background a little better, but overall, an enjoyable couple of hours. I’d actually love to have seen it developed into a full tv series, although that would probably rule our Will Smith in the lead. So I’m certainly happy to see more of this world and see where Ayer takes the story in the sequel.
‘Bright’ is currently available to watch right now on Netflix.
