Will Smith's Bright Is More Than Just Alien Nation With Orcs

WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for director David Ayer’s Bright, now streaming on Netflix.

David Ayer's Bright definitely feels like a kindred spirit to Alien Nation, the classic 1988 sci-fi flick pairing a human cop with an alien partner. However, this new urban fantasy/crime film partners a human cop, Daryl Ward (played by Will Smith), with a rookie orc, Nick Jakoby (played by Joel Edgerton). Eventually, they work through personal differences to help Tikka, a rebellious elf, protect a special wand from her fellow elves, an evil group called the Inferni, while navigating the criminal terrain of Los Angeles.

While critics may not have liked the Netflix film -- its Rotten Tomatoes rating is 30 percent after all -- the fan rating is over 90%. This illustrates that Ayer and writer Max Landis (Chronicle, American Ultra) have crafted something audiences are enjoying. Given how quickly a sequel was ordered, Netflix was clearly confident Bright would prove to be a hit.

That said, while the similarities are undeniable, the film is more than just Alien Nation for a new generation. Bright goes deeper, reflecting a lot more of the world as we know it today. Apart from its biggest differences -- high-octane action sequences and a fantasy/sci-fi narrative that's way bigger in scope -- let's look at how layered Bright actually is, and why this comparison is blown out the water.

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Bright focuses heavily on sociopolitical tensions, starting with classism. The pristine-looking elves are the elite upper-class, with humans just behind them on the pyramid. Lastly, the orcs (seen as metaphors for Hispanics and African Americans) are portrayed as the minorities at the bottom. This is what Ayer uses to craft the film's racial dynamic: elves living in a pseudo-utopia, humans getting by as the middle-class, and orcs relegated to lives of poverty and crime.

Alien Nation did focus on segregation and societal divide, but even after expanding its story over a 22-episode TV series, it barely scratched the surface. Bright, on the other hand, immediately dives deep into the subject matter, drawing references to the current political climate in America while addressing the global issue of racism. Ayer's narrative really sinks its teeth into these issues, preaching racial harmony by having an elf join with both a human and an orc to save the day.

We're not taking credit away from Alien Nation. The franchise did make other statements, such as its stance on gender issues (the alien males carried the babies, not the females). Bright, though, is more immediately relevant and truly reflects the discrimination and hate plaguing us today. Ayer shows that hatred isn't just between cops, criminals and otherworldly species -- it's also within their communities, as seen with Jakoby being shunned as a sell-out by fellow orcs. This allows the director to really unpack how he views society's regression, with everyone merely looking out for themselves.

It's As Dark And Violent As Urban Fantasies Get

Alien Nation never got as bloody as Bright. A lot of that has to do with Ayer's dark filmmaking style, as seen with his films like Suicide Squad. Alien Nation was more about speeches and metaphors, and even when things escalated, it still felt somewhat light. Bright, in embedding a deep sense of realism into its spine, sees a clear-cut opening in the genre of urban/fantasy/sci-fi and violently exploits it. After all, its main "competition" are what whimsical shows like Grimm, Once Upon A Time and The Magicians.

No disrespect intended, but these shows, just like Alien Nation, aren't as raw, gritty or gory as Bright, a fact Ayer uses to help push his messages home. His excessive use of profanity, gunfights, beatdowns and, well, the overall conversation, combine to mimic the grime and bloodshed permeating real world urban sprawls. You don't honestly want a story about cops being hunted by an apocalyptic sect for a weapon of mass destruction to pull any punches, do you?

What makes Bright even more appealing is that it draws from a range of movies and video games, from Lord of the Rings, The Fifth Element, Shadowrun and Warcraft. This prevents it from feeling one-dimensional and builds its unique look and feel, as opposed to Alien Nation, which had the bland essence of standard network television.

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Alien Nation, as fun as it was, was a bit cheesy, and this is where Bright fully differentiates itself. When you strip away its fantasy elements, Bright goes to the extreme as a drama that comments on the transgressions of institutions like the Los Angeles Police Department. Smith and Edgerton's characters have brilliant chemistry together as they struggle with corrupt cops and gangs, with the biggest parallel being the Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke-led Training Day (which Ayer wrote in 2001 and, ironically, which he lifts a plot twist from when a young orc refuses to kill Jakoby for saving him).

Ayer once more paints his protagonists as soldiers more than cops, which harkens back to other stories he worked on such as Harsh Times, Street Kings, End of Watch and the war-drama Fury. It's not just about police heroics, though, but about police brutality. Ward, at one point, beats a pesky fairy to death, exclaiming "Fairy lives matter don't matter today" -- which plays on the Black Lives Matter movement and how trivial many view it as. It's such a relatable present-day issue, magnified early on by Ward showing Jakoby cops beating down his fellow orcs, warning him to tow the line -- even if it means abusing his own species.

This reiterates that Bright is less about idealism. It's more practical and focuses on the cops' flaws. Sure, Jakoby wants to be a hero, but the often-unlikeable Ward just wants to survive and go home with his pension to his family. This leads to intriguing moral dilemmas throughout and something which Alien Nation never really explored -- and that's that ignoring the greater good may actually be the best choice for cops to make in the line of duty, all in the interest of self-preservation.

Directed by David Ayer from a script by Max Landis, Bright is streaming now on Netflix.