Bright - Movie Review

In a modern world society where Orcs, Elves and Humans live side by side, is Nick Jakoby trying to break his orcish heritage and be the first Orc working as a policeman. Nick who has been shunted from the orcish society for being a cop also has to find his way and fight racism and hatred everywhere he goes, even in his job. His partner, Daryl Ward, who was shot with a shotgun by an Orc in a robbery gone wrong, returns to work angry at Nick. The two of them have to work out their personal problems while they save the world from a secret organisation who wants to bring back the dark lord.
That is the plot of this modern world fantasy movie. It was bold and refreshing to have a movie like this where the fantasy world is not hidden for the normal humans or medieval. Many movies and series that combines fantasy and the modern society often hides the fantasy world for the common people and only a selected few can see and experience it. But in this movie the fantasy world is the modern world, filled with guns, drugs, gangs, criminality and everything you could find in USA. It was like watching the love child of The Fifth Element and Warcraft in a realistic setting.
Initially I expected a lot from this movie. It was a new and fresh way to tackle racial issues and depict the problems that can be experienced in the lower social groups and minority cultures in USA. Just like the X-men did back in the back in the days, it felt like this movie could address racism and prejudice. But about twenty to thirty minutes into the movie it turns more Harry Potter and less American History X. It could have been a beautiful movie about an Orc leaving his family and the world he new to be the first Orc policeman against all odds, having to deal with racism, hatred and fear. But it turns to a mediocre movie about a Human and an Orc fighting a gang war to keep people away from a magical weapon than could bring back some kind of God who will destroy the world. The movie only just scratches the surface of its potential and it feels like they used more time on the visual and the costumes, than they used on the story.
It seems like people generally have an positive opinion about this movie but I will only give it two stars out of five. It had a good start and is visually okay but the story drops hard and it could have been so much more.