Movie Review: Hancock

Hey all,

Went to see Hancock over the holiday weekend and I have to say I was a little disappointed. Hancock stars Will Smith as John Hancock, an amnesiac who awoke in a hospital with superpowers. With powers similar to Superman, such as flight, super strength, and invulnerability, Hancock is alone in the world. Such as so he has turned to drinking and has become lonely and despondent. Still driven by a need to help people, he usually helps them in a way that causes wanton destruction and is pretty reviled by most of the city of Los Angeles.

That all changes when he saves Jason Bateman's life, an ad executive who believes in Hancock and wants to change the public perception of him. In an attempt to prove to LA how much they need him, Hancock agrees to enter rehab and go to prison for the damages he caused the city. Bateman assures Hancock that in a few weeks the city will be clambering for his return to combat the growing crime left in his absence. The big twist is how Hancock will relate when he discovers that he isn't the only one of his kind, and that he may be losing his powers.

There is a lot I should like about Hancock, and while it's not a bad movie, it leaves so much on the table. In basic terms, this is about a drunk asshole version of Superman, and I never felt like they capitalized on that. What happens when the Man of Tomorrow just doesn't care? Introducing a counter point to his powers to seemed kind of fruitless in the end as well. I don't want to drop any spoilers, but the confrontation at the end isn't so much a fight as it is a choice. I really would have rather seen them explore the ideas of a drunken hero with unlimited powers, and what consequences that has. Or what a person with the abilities that Hancock has does in a prison that can only contain him if he lets it?

The love interest in Charlize Theron angle should have been played up more. The triangle that forms between Theron, Bateman, and Will Smith's character doesn't get fleshed out enough. I would have really liked to see some drama in that department.

To be fair, Hancock is a summer popcorn flick, the kind Will Smith is his best at. It's fun and funny and you can spend a lot worse ways at the theatre. I would still recommend Iron Man or the Incredible Hulk for your super hero fix before this, but it's not a bad movie. It's like I said, I wish they just would have plunged a little deeper.

End of Line.
Gerrad!