The Netflix original movie "bright" starring Will Smith was released on Dec. 22 and I raced to take a look at what the critics had to say. Unfortunately for this movie lover, the reviews weren't as good as I was expecting. I wasn't able to even find a single review with good things to say.

Still, even with all the negative remarks, I figured it was worth a shot to watch it and come up with my own opinion. So I opened up Netflix, pressed play, and watched with an open mind.

What can you expect?

At first glance, it seemed to be a world of fantasy set in modern-day Los Angeles, although it doesn't make it clear in the first few minutes.

All you see is Will Smith's character (a cop) leaning against a patrol car and later a shot of his partner, a big blue guy played by Joel Edgerton, buying burritos. As the film continues it becomes clear that there is a giant class difference between the different races. Joel Edgerton's character is actually an Orc named Nick Jakoby, and in this cinematic universe, a member of a violent race. The two are forced to partner together and end up finding themselves on a quest. They set out to stop the Dark Lord from resurrecting and protecting an Elf girl named Tikka, played by Lucy Fry, and a magical wand from Elf terrorist. Of course, there are a lot of other factors that come into play, but I don't want to go too far into the details for fear of spoiling the movie for those who are looking forward to watching it.

So instead, I am going to try my best to give my honest opinion with a pro and con set of mind. I can only hope that after you read this you decide to watch the movie yourself with an open mind and make your own judgments.

The good things about 'Bright'

Overall, let me start off by saying I did enjoy the movie. Not as a film critic, a movie buff, or even a fantasy fan.

As a generic, everyday consumer of media on the internet and television, I didn't expect much going into it and in that matter was not disappointed. I ended the movie with an entertained feeling and even teared up a bit on one part. If a movie can make me feel anything other than boredom, it has done its job in my book. I do suggest if you watch it, to go in with zero expectations and I am sure you'll enjoy yourself as I did.

The plot had flow, the dialogue made me giggle here and there, and I even saw some comparisons to real life that felt relatable. There are a couple of lines that pointed out the comparisons of the fictional races in the movie and the real-life issues of racism in this country today.

The camera work, when showing the city as a whole, was very pleasing to the eye, as well as the graffiti art made for the relevance of the storyline. The joke about the Alamo that the Mexican sheriff said also had me laughing as it was something I have heard before, being a Mexican-American myself and living in Texas. The entire time I watched the movie I didn't pause to question why I was wasting my time. Honestly, I hardly had any bad thoughts about the movie at all until I had finished and actually took the time to process and dissect what it was that I had just witnessed.

The bad side of this Netflix original

While I like the idea of a fantasy movie set in modern times, I found myself oddly reminded of the plot to "Zootopia" while watching this. The fact it centered two crime fighters, one not trusting the other because of the violent history of their people, and the search for something that is making everyone else crazy to get it, this film seemed to close to the Disney animated movie. The main difference is that "Bright" is rated TVMA for nudity and language. It seemed to be trying way too hard to be edgy and because of that mistake ended up turning off many of its audience members. It did also have a couple of continuity issues and not to mention was confusing when introducing new characters.

The thing with the Orc's bloodline and teeth also made no sense in my opinion. It seemed like maybe it was added just to give the Nick Jakoby character a story arc.

The ugly truth when getting technical

The number one thing I found most unsettling though is the fact that they spent $90 Million making this movie and the production ended up being pretty mediocre. The effects were both amazing in some parts and just plain retched in others. While the Elf Race had a decent makeup and special effects team for their looks and stunts, the Orcs seemed to look like watermelons and completely too similar. It was almost impossible to tell them apart and even harder to tell what they were feeling through their expressionless faces.

Maybe that was the point and I missed it, but honestly, it just left me feeling disappointed. It was as if the entire budget went into casting Will Smith and they had to scrape up whatever they could find for the rest of the movie.

Watch it for yourself

If you scroll through the internet you are most likely going to find a ton of criticism and opinions telling you not to waste your time, but I am here to tell you to give it a chance. Yes, even I had bad things to say about the movie, but I also think it is worth checking out and seeing for yourself. If I am being honest, when taking into consideration Netflix other movies, it really could have been worse (I'm looking at you "Death Note"). So grab your significant other, eat some popcorn, and spend the next two hours on your couch or bed watching this movie that, for the most part, really is relatively enjoyable. Will it change the world and win hundreds of awards? Most likely not. But it will entertain you, and isn't that really what movies are for?
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