Netflix is making a big gamble with the release of their newest original film, Bright. Bright, directed by David Ayer (Suicide Squad) stars Will Smith and Joel Edgerton as police officers in post-apocalyptic Los Angeles who do...something. What that something is isn't quite clear, but the reviews of the movie are taking no prisoners alive. They are scathing. As of press time, the film has a 25% score on Rotten Tomatoes. And film critic David Erlich at Indiewire wrote the most brutal takedown of Bright, reading, in part:
"There’s boring, there’s bad, and then there’s Bright, a movie so profoundly awful that Republicans will probably try to pass it into law over Christmas break... At least The Emoji Movie owned up to the fact that it was just putting shit on screen." Ouch!
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Ayer, in either irony, anger, bemusement, or all of the above, responded to Erlich's review on Twitter. "This is going on my fridge," he wrote, choosing to accept this bad review as a badge of honor."Highest compliment is a strong reaction either way. This is a f*cking epic review. It’s a big fun movie. You can sure string words together Mr. Erlich. I’d love to read any script you’ve written."
We're not sure if Ayer was being facetious when he suggested that he'd read "any script" by Erlich, but their back-and-forth seemed professionally amicable, despite their differences. "you’re a good man, mr. Ayer. i'll be waiting with fresh eyes for whatever comes next," responded Erlich, to which Ayer then replied, "I really appreciate that. Every movie is a labor of love for me. I’ve never chased the audience, and I know my work can be polarizing. I’ve lived a crazy love [sic] and I guess my movies reflect that."
See? Maybe it's the Christmas spirit, but this is proof that artists and critics really can get along, even if they disagree. We're not going to take sides on Bright just yet, but we will note that we tried to watch The Emoji Movie with our four year-old cousin, and even she said "Okay, can we change this to Moana?" We wonder what she'll think of Bright.
This is going on my fridge. Highest compliment is a strong reaction either way. This is a f*cking epic review. It’s a big fun movie. You can sure string words together Mr. Erlich. I’d love to read any script you’ve written.
— David Ayer (@DavidAyerMovies) December 21, 2017
I really appreciate that. Every movie is a labor of love for me. I’ve never chased the audience, and I know my work can be polarizing. I’ve lived a crazy love and I guess my movies reflect that. https://t.co/YZBp2DwKlO
— David Ayer (@DavidAyerMovies) December 21, 2017