Dirty, stinky, smelly, crotchety, unshaven, hung over and sleepy are adjectives one might use to describe a bum, or in this case, the superbum “Hancock.”Will Smith’s new film, “Hancock,” has him portraying a character of the same name. Audiences find Smith playing the role of the swearing, drunken, grouchy, carefree anti-hero trying to find a sense of self-identity. For most of the movie, Hancock searches for his identity because he believes he is the only person on earth to poses superhuman abilities.
Flying, super strength, unbreakable skin one would think with all the skills he has, he’d use them responsibly. Instead, the motion picture opens with Hancock hung over and a little boy prodding him to go stop some criminals who are being chased by the police wreaking havoc on the highway.
Hancock zips off to save the day carrying a bottle of liquor with him. The drunken hero causes $9 million worth of damage to the city in his effort to protect Los Angeles. Citizens become upset with Hancock and demand that he pays for his actions. And pay for it he does – by spending time in prison.
His public relations advisor, Ray (Jason Bateman) tells Hancock going to prison would get rid of the bad image Hancock has created. Once out of prison, Hancock meets Ray’s wife, Mary (Charlize Theron) and child, Aaron (Jae head) then realizes that perhaps the superhero makeover will help him discover who he is and perhaps find love.
Despite the snippets people have seen, this is not a comical film. There are a few humorous parts, but it’s an action film. Director PeterBerg’s decision to make the movie serious dimmed the charm and comedic nature audiences have come to expect of Smith flick.
The story isn’t too hard to follow and there’s only one big surprise in the story. Although it’s predictable and in places underdeveloped, Smith and Theron play well opposite each other. They enrich each others performances by giving a small emotional connection that make them seem like somewhat real people.
Another aspect ticket holders may like is the special effects. It’s not groundbreaking technology, but the effects do give it a superhero feel. Man can fly and get hit by a train and audiences might be impressed. Perhaps there were too many special effects. In an effort to make it seem like you, the viewer, were really in the film, the camera would do a 360 around the character and shake when there were explosions. Some may find this annoying.
All-in-all, this movie is an enjoyable film to watch. “Hancock” is part of the latest wave of superhero flicks to come out this year and is the only picture not to be a comic before arriving on the big screen. Kudos to screenwriters Vy Vincent Ngo and Vince Gilligan for originality. The real problem with this movie is that it seemed rushed at the end. There’s a bad guy who seemed thrown in the picture and is underdeveloped which causes confusion when it comes to the finale earning this film a C.
