Original Ideas Stranded by Chaotic Script

Rating: 6/10 (7 July 2008)

"Hancock" may be many things, but it's certainly not a traditional superhero movie. That's either a good thing or a bad thing depending on your point of view.
I appreciated the many original ideas swirling around the perimeter of this movie, but it's a shame that no one idea ever fully takes hold. The script feels like the product of a brainstorming session before anyone has had a chance to make sense of the notes. And not only is the script somewhat of a mess, but the tone veers all over the place as well. The movie gives the impression of having been directed by several different people.
About an hour into "Hancock," the script throws in a surprise twist that director Peter Berg handles deftly, and the movie, that had already been ticking along pretty enjoyably, gets an extra jolt of energy and fun. But that sense of fun drains immediately from the film as the entire tone turns nasty, unpleasant and extremely violent. Bad guys come from nowhere, plot developments don't make a lot of sense and back story is apparently made up as the film moves along. The movie itself is only 90 minutes, so I don't know why the filmmakers felt compelled to rush through to an ending without tying things together in a way that made sense, but on the other hand, I'm glad it wasn't any longer because I was tired of the arbitrariness of the whole thing.
It's hard to talk about what could have been without revealing the plot twist, but let's just say that the film could have gone in any number of interesting directions that it chooses to ignore. Due to what it reveals about one of the major characters, the script could have given Hancock either an ally or a compelling villain, but it does neither, and all of the actors -- charismatic as they are -- feel somewhat stranded. Jason Bateman alone keeps things buoyant for as long as he can on the strengths of his goofy charm and comic timing.
Grade: B-