Hancock Review
by Homer Yen (homeryen88 AT gmail DOT com)July 12th, 2008
"Hancock" Gets Out of Control
by Homer Yen
(c) 2008
If you've seen Will Smith's new movie, "Hancock", then you'll easily remember the parts of the film where the titular, undisciplined superhero takes off or lands. He thrusts into the air leaving behind a crater. He smashes into the ground upon landing, creating a crater. His movements felt so herky-jerky that he makes the Hulk seem like a ballet dancer. The movie also felt too herky-jerky. It lurches between gears so many times that I felt that "Hancock" had a transmission problem. I wasn't sure whether to take this review to the film posting website or to scribble it on the back of an AAMCO comment card (double-A, beep-beep, M C O).
"Hancock", nonetheless, is still a novel idea because it doesn't focus on the super hero. Rather, it focuses on the super amounts of collateral damage that result from the nature of his work. Spiderman puts the bad guys in a sticky web. This makes it easy for the cops to come and get their quarry. However, Hancock leaves them dangling in their getaway car atop the Capitol Records building in downtown Los Angeles.
Hancock has the same powers as Superman minus the cape, the manners, the charm, and the thoughtfulness. Seeing Hancock up close and personal can either elicit feelings of assurance or feelings of impending property damage. Of course, the crater is a given. I can imagine the heads of the Department of Transportation and the Department of Public Works pulling their hair out each time Hancock arrives or leaves.
The interesting twist is that Hancock doesn't seem to really care about his surrounding environment. I'm not even convinced that he cares all that much about the people. A successful rescue without human loss of life seems more like a bonus rather than the goal. This superhero is boozy. This one curses. This one retaliates. And this one takes everything and everyone for granted.
You know how we kind of take things for granted when staying at a four-star hotel? Trash is thrown on the floor, crumbs are left by the bedside table, and towels are haphazardly tossed into the corners of the bathroom. We know the cleaning crew will tidy everything up. Goodness! I can hear my Dad in the back of my head yelling at me when I was 14, living at home, and had left my laundry on the floor: "hey, do you think you live in a hotel?"
"Hancock" is sort-of-funny in two ways. When Hancock applies his brand of heroics, the result is more than just bad guys getting captured. His efforts get overshadowed by huge damage costs, warrants for his arrest due to his wanton disregard, and even the ire of Greenpeace. It's also sort-of-funny when he meets Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman) and his wife, Mary (Charlize Theron). Ray is a wide-eyed and earnest public relations pro who would genuinely like to help Hancock change his image. Actually, in his scenes where he pleads with Hancock to think through his actions, he is surprisingly the best thing about the film. Mary has her own agenda, and the Hancock/Mary kitchen conflict scene is probably the funniest of the film.
Unfortunately, the film is just all over the place. There's a good film in here somewhere. There are nice plot twists as the story moves along. The acting is as good as it can get for a film like this. There are some grand moments that get your adrenaline going. But it's all buried deep beneath needless over-the-top destruction, invariably unconvincing special effects, and uneven pacing.
Grade: C+
S: 1 out of 3
L: 2 out of 3
V: 2 out of 3
Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
