Alecc B. on "Hancock"

Will Smith is back! And he's taking over the July 4th weekend again! Smith has found much success over this holiday weekend, and he looks to continue that trend this year with Hancock. 

In a summer full of familiar comic book heroes such as Iron Man, Hulk, and Batman, Hancock looks to stand out as the superhero story that wasn't told first in a comic book. This is in fact an original screenplay that has been floating around Hollywood for the past decade, originally titled Tonight, He Comes. Go ahead...laugh.

I'm not sure how much has changed about the story beyond the title, but I will say that the premise is more interesting than what ended up on the big screen.

PLOT

Hancock is not your average superhero. He drinks, his language is foul, and he really doesn't care about anyone but himself. It seems like he fights crime out of boredom, but there is more to Hancock that most people don't see. That is until he saves the life of a publicist who aims to pay back Hancock by giving him an image makeover so he can be more people friendly.

ACTING

Will Smith is an entertaining actor to watch. He's rarely boring and here, as Hancock, he gets to cut loose a little with a character that's very care-free. Smith delivers in the comedic scenes and holds his own during some of the more dramatic scenes later on in the film. Jason Bateman plays Ray, the publicist that aims to change Hancock's life. Bateman steals most of the scenes he is in. His timing is perfect and it's great to see him in bigger films like this. Charlize Theron shows up as Ray's wife Mary and once again proves to be a distracting presence on-screen. Dammit this woman is gorgeous! Yes, she's a great actress too, but let's not deny the beauty on display. Theron's character doesn't really have much to do until the second half of the film, and she does what she can with what she's given. Jae Head plays Ray and Mary's son, Aaron. His scenes are minimal so he doesn't get a chance to be the "annoying kid". Eddie Marsan, David Mattey, and Maetrix Fitten play the so-called villains. I say "so-called" because their characters and acting were not all that and a bag of poh-tay-toe chips.

WRITING & DIRECTING

As mentioned above, the premise for Hancock is great. Imagine a superhero with the gifts of Superman but not his manners. This is a hero who feels cursed more than anything. There are many different routes you could have went with that idea, and screenwriters Vincent Ngo and Vince Gilligan decided to go two routes. 

The first half of the film works great with the comedic element. The cast has plenty to chew on during those funny scenes and they all look kind of lost when the film enters the second half. That's because Hancock switches gears, turning into an almost entirely different film. Now, I don't mind when filmmakers throw you a curve ball, but you need to execute that change well. The fact that the film is only 92 minutes hurts it. I think a longer film would have allowed that transition to be much smoother and not look and feel as sloppy as it does. 

This is probably the weakest film to come from director Peter Berg, who directed last year's fantastic The Kingdom. Hancock's action scenes are shot well and the scenes in between are clean, but it looks like there was a lot of studio tampering involved. I also heard that the film had to go to the cutting room a few times to achieve a PG-13 rating. Maybe we'll see an unrated version on DVD.

While not a terrible film, Hancock leaves you a little unfulfilled. It's one of those times where the best scenes were in the trailer.

Overall Review: ** stars

Best Lines:

Smith: Well, you should sue McDonald's, because they fucked you up.

Smith: I've been drinking bitch!

(BELOW IS QUITE POSSIBLY THE BEST LINE THIS WHOLE YEAR. I WILL GIVE THIS MOVIE THAT CREDIT.)

Smith: I will break my foot off in yo ass woman.