Director of new Will Smith movie claps back at critics

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Director of new Will Smith movie 'Bright' claps back at critics

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WATCH 'Bright' stars Will Smith and Joel Edgerton call the new fantasy film 'bizarre' and 'twisted'

The director of the new movie "Bright" isn't letting a bunch of bad reviews get him down.

Director David Ayer, who also made "Suicide Squad" with Smith, responded to one critic who called the Netflix original film "the single worst movie of 2017."

"This is going on my fridge," Ayer tweeted at David Ehrlich, the senior film critic for IndieWire. "Highest compliment is a strong reaction either way. This is a f—— 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."

BRIGHT, Netflix’s first mega-budget feature, is the single worst movie of 2017: https://t.co/TygJQQ3Dxw pic.twitter.com/lcBpymWaCs
— david ehrlich (@davidehrlich) December 21, 2017

Ehrlich, who had declared "Bright" even worse than "The Emoji Movie," tweeted back.

"You’re a good man, Mr. Ayer. I’ll be waiting with fresh eyes for whatever comes next," he wrote.

you’re a good man, mr. Ayer. i'll be waiting with fresh eyes for whatever comes next.
— david ehrlich (@davidehrlich) December 21, 2017

Ayer responded, "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."

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

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The entire exchange brought out some trolls but many others applauded the cordial conversation between the filmmaker and the film critic.

Ehrlich himself wrote, "This kind of decency takes a lot of backbone (and he’s 100% right that a strong reaction is better than none at all)."

this kind of decency takes a lot of backbone (and he’s 100% right that a strong reaction is better than none at all).
also, i love how david ayer of all people feels the need to self-censor his language on twitter. pic.twitter.com/OrZuQjHtE9
— david ehrlich (@davidehrlich) December 21, 2017

"Bright" stars Will Smith as a detective and Joel Edgerton as his orc partner in a fantasy Los Angeles filled with humans, orcs and magical elves. It's reportedly Netflix's most expensive original film to date.

PHOTO: Will Smith is a scene from Bright. — Will Smith is a scene from "Bright."

Critics have called the film "cringeworthy," "generic" and "a chore." Despite the mostly negative reviews, Bloomberg reported that the streaming service has already ordered up a sequel.

Ayer is no stranger to negative reviews or responding to them. When critics widely panned his last film, "Suicide Squad," he tweeted, "I know it’s a controversial film, I really tried to make something different, with a look and feel of its own. I took inspiration from the insanity of the original comics. Making a movie is a journey, not a straight line. I learned so much."