Hancock
Movie Review
"Hancock"
Review by Eric D. Snider
Grade: B
Rating: PG-13
Released: Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Directed by:
Cast:
Combining Will Smith -- Mr. July, the Biggest Movie Star in the World -- with the highly lucrative superhero genre is a no-brainer. The only question about "Hancock" is what took them so long?
Hancock is no ordinary superhero, though, and the movie is unusual, to say the least. It starts as a comedy, becomes an action vehicle, then winds up as a relationship drama. It doesn't execute these tonal shifts without some problems -- director Peter Berg maintains his usual intense, shaky-camera style even in light-hearted scenes with jaunty background music -- but the movie is consistently enjoyable nonetheless.
Audiences are already abundantly familiar with superheroes and their origin stories, and we've even seen a few instances (as in "The Incredibles") of people with super powers having to grapple with everyday nuisances like lawsuits and liability. So "Hancock" skips a lot of the formalities and starts with what would normally be Act II, where the hero has already had his moment in the sun and is now suffering setbacks.
John Hancock (Smith) has your basic super powers -- he can fly, he's really strong, bullets bounce off him -- but he's let himself go. He's drunk and reckless. When he saves people from villains or accidents, it's generally accompanied by millions of dollars in property damage. He's grown apathetic. In short, he's an a-hole (that particular epithet, without the censoring, is leveled against him regularly), and the people of Los Angeles have turned against him.
But one day he saves an idealistic public relations man from an oncoming train. The guy is named Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman), and he sees an opportunity to make the world a better place (Ray is big on that) by tapping into Hancock's potential. All the man needs is an image makeover, a few public apologies, and better interpersonal skills and he'll be hailed as a superman again. Hancock gets past his initial reluctance, realizing he's lonely, angry, and needs help, and he and Ray team up. Ray's wife, Mary (Charlize Theron), doesn't want the destructive oaf hanging around the house, but their little boy (Jae Head) loves the idea. What kid doesn't like a superhero, no matter how ill-behaved he is?
So for a while the film is about the rehabilitation of Hancock, and that's fun. Jason Bateman deploys his fussy dry wit as a foil for Will Smith's grumpy charm, and the two -- aided by a sharp script from Vy Vincent Ngo and "X-Files" veteran Vince Gilligan -- make a fine comic pair.
You could easily make a film about a washed-up superhero who finds redemption, end with him regaining favor with the public, and call it a day. But the two-movies-in-one "Hancock" takes it further, with a great twist halfway through that sends the story in new, unexpected directions.
I admire Berg and Co. for making a superhero movie that's different from the norm. Whether each specific deviation from the formula works or not is almost beside the point, as is the fact that the story, for all its twists and turns, is ultimately rather thin. What I like is that most of the film is zippy, funny, and fascinatingly strange -- all qualities that are often lacking in some of the more bloated action blockbusters. "Hancock" ain't exactly non-bloated -- its budget was around $150 million -- but it manages to stay light on its feet anyway.
Grade: B
Rated PG-13, a lot of profanity, one F-bomb, lots of destruction and violence but nothing very graphic
1 hr., 32 min.
Copyright © Eric D. Snider.
This work may not be transmitted via the Internet, nor reproduced in any other way, without written consent from Eric D. Snider.
This item has 12 comments
July 2, 2008 at 3:51 am
Yes! I'm glad to hear that it's worth seeing. I was really thinking it could go either way.
July 2, 2008 at 5:36 pm
It was really a great movie, not very shocking though being as how Will Smith is only the greatest and biggest movie star of all time. :)
July 5, 2008 at 2:33 am
I'm glad this film got your approval, it looked good from the preview, but it's nice to know somebody who's opinion I value thought somewhat highly of it. I'm a little saddened by the shaky camera however, why we can't just completely get rid of that filming style, I'll never know.
July 5, 2008 at 6:02 pm
Don't forget that it actually had acting, too. Fine, nuanced acting that foreshadowed the aforementioned great twist if you paid attention (as opposed to hitting us over the head with it a la "My mother's name was Marion"). How many blockbusters can say that?
July 5, 2008 at 9:22 pm
Glad you liked this. One of the few good reviews of this movie. Hometown paper and USA Today both hated it (I try not to read reviews before seeing a film, but I saw the headlines) and I don't get why. Most critics seem to say it doesn't "hang together," but I disagree, I thought it really worked all the way through, there are even parts that at kind of moving, although I won't say what they are for fear of spoilage. One of the better summer movies so far.
July 8, 2008 at 5:22 pm
Yea, Hancock is a good movie! Just saw it... WOW, there were nice effects.
July 10, 2008 at 3:08 am
I just saw it tonight, and I completely agree with Eric. It was a good movie, but those plot shifts were a little strange and most certainly could have been handled better. The story could have easily been made into two movies - with the superhero redemption plot for one and the past history/relationship story for the second. Both were equally good, but when crammed together into this one movie, it just seemed so rushed, leaving me wanting more ... but not exactly in a good way, because a sequel wouldn't exactly do for me what splitting the story into two would have done. (If that makes sense to anybody.) But the movie was still good, if a little jumpy and rushed, with great characters and awesome effects.
July 13, 2008 at 5:43 am
After having heard this for the 5th time, I feel like I should say something. Shia LaBeoufs(sp) character said his mother's name was "MARY" not "Marion". Mary! So it's not like it's served up on a silver platter. Besides, everyone who cares knew Karen Allen was going to be in the newest :"Indy" movie anyway long before it came out!
This pointless rant brought to you by me.
July 13, 2008 at 8:29 pm
Thanks for the review of Hancock. I thought is was a great movie, its 'off-beaten path' approach to a super hero made it quite appealing!
July 17, 2008 at 2:46 am
Hey Jeff - I suggest you maybe scroll up and check out what review you're actually posting on, and then move your pointless (though correct) rant to the proper page. :)
December 16, 2008 at 11:44 pm
OK, I know this is late, but...
Hey Krystal-I suggest you maybe scroll up and check out comment #4--the comment to which Jeff was actually responding--and realize Jeff's comment wasn't pointless and was on the proper page.
August 29, 2009 at 2:01 pm
I really tried to get into "Hancock," since I generally like silly movies, but the part where Will Smith is in prison and shoves the one guy's head into the other guy's butt made me automatically dislike it from there on out. Although Jason Bateman did give a great performance.