Bright

[Dr. Ivor Yeti]

Modern LAPD cop-drama, but with orcs and elves and men (dwarves were mentioned, but not shown).

The logical endpoint for LotR, if you think about it.

Also, pretty obviously a pilot. I hope they follow through. I was entertained.

[Greg]

It should have just gone for a straight ten episode run, but didn't. Although Wil Smith is contractually obligated to do Bright 2.

But it wasn't that good. Lots of talking and talking and talking and heavy handed reflections of race relations in our world.

It's from the guy who wrote the Denzel Washington film 'Training Day' which led to my head exploding when they both have one of the exact same scenes. Exact same scene. Oy Vey.

I would watch another one. Hopefully that one will be a lot tighter story wise and maybe they will find a joke or two.

[Drunk Monk]

Your reviews kinda put me off of this.  

But this teaser/announcement kinda makes me want to see this now.

[Drunk Monk]

I went back for this because Veronica Ngo plays on it the inferi. It’s a bit role, a heavy without lines, and the action choreo is mediocre at best so it’s a waste of her talents.

The start of this felt very blm. We’ve seen the faerie world/minority metaphor in Carnival Row although this was more of an echo of Alien Nation. At first, the abuse of the Orcs at the hands of the cops felt prophetic and there’s even a line ‘fairy lives matter’ but that idea is abandoned with the wand and the Dark Lord (srsly? Another Dark Lord?) I wanted the world to be more fully actualized - there’s mention of dwarves, and scenes with centaurs and dragons. Are there mermaids? I like mermaids. 

Will is Will like always. It’s a buddy flick and I concur about the excessive banter because it’s just not good repartee, the essential ingredient of any buddy flick. Naomi steals the show as the evil elf villainess. Still luv her from the Millennium Trilogy, so much so she can be forgiven for Prometheus. Needed a lot more Veronica to be satisfactory. It’s all about Veronica for me now.

There’s sword brandishing but no sword fight. WTH? Not particularly DOOM recommended. I stand with the previous reviews in deeming this kinda meh, although I might watch the contractually obligated sequel.

[Drunk Monk]

I'm going to add that it perturbs me that the character named Ching was corrupt and played by Margaret Cho.

[Drunk Monk]

WARNING - THE TRAILER ABOVE INCLUDES SPOILERS. That’s so dumb.

Wow. This was spectacular. It’s an anime redux, set during the Meiji restoration and it’s top notch anime fusing CGI with rotoscope and u-kiyo sensibilities. 

It’s an imaginative spin on the original. Instead of orc and cop it’s orc and Ronin. There’s the elf bright and the wand and the dark lord resurrection schtick and a great Easter egg throwback with the demon wall, but this goes a different direction ultimately. And no Wil Smith. Instead it’s voice acted by Simu Liu in the English dub (which I didn’t watch and didn’t know until I searched for the trailer). 

It’s sanguineous samurai sword slashing. That’s right. Sword fights. Lots of them. And anime sword fights are bloody. And tentacles too! This film has everything. Well, no Bollywood dance number but I’ll let that slide given it’s eye-popping color scheme. No Veronica Ngo either but she was underused in the original anyway. What got me was the animation style which was just scene after scene of eye candy. But y’all know I’m a sucker for good visual anime. 

D00M recommended.