The Director Of The $117M Netflix Orc Cop Film Is Responding To Bad Reviews

Netflix made its first foray into the blockbuster movie market this week with the release of the Will Smith action film Bright – in which he and Joel Edgerton play a pair of orc-human buddy cops – but the reviews thus far have been pretty dire.

The film has become such an internet punching bag that the director himself has stepped in to have his say on things, with David Ayer – the man responsible for last year’s Suicide Squad, which also starred Will Smith – responding to critics on Twitter.

Earlier this week, Indie Wire writer David Ehrlich posted a particularly savage take-down, saying that Bright is “so profoundly awful that Republicans will probably try to pass it into law over Christmas break” and that it represents a “new low” for Ayer.

The director wrote back to him, saying:

“This is going on my fridge. Highest compliment is a strong reaction either way. This is a fucking epic review. It’s a big fun movie. You can sure string words together Mr. [Ehrlich]. I’d love to read any script you’ve written.”

Ayer appeared to take the review in good spirits, and Ehrlich responded saying that he’ll be waiting with “fresh eyes” for the director’s next film. Ayer later 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 and I guess my movies reflect that.”

You can see their exchange below:

Bright takes place in a world where fantasy races like elves and centaurs exist alongside modern-day humans, and orcs are an oppressed minority. The film is written by Max Landis, and also stars Noomi RapaceLucy FryEdgar Ramirez and Ike Barinholz.

The whole thing cost $90 million US to make, or around $116.6 million Australian. That’s a pretty eye-watering budget, but it’s still not as much as the rumoured £100 million – roughly $173 million Australian – that Netflix spent on the first season of prestige drama The Crown

The upside of the bad reviews is that they will probably drive people to the film out of sheer boredom and curiosity over the Christmas break, and Netflix, who have already ordered a sequel and who are cagey about releasing viewer numbers, will probably declare it to be a success no matter what.

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