a mediocre summer blockbuster

Rating: 6/10 (12 August 2012)

Will Smith stars in a comedy super hero action movie as John Hancock a not so stereotypical superhero. Hancock is a gifted middle aged man who has been disowned by the public because of the destruction he creates when trying to do something right, costing the city millions. Then Hancock runs in to Jason Batemans character (Ray) who wants to try and change the public's impression of him. Everything seems to be going all right until Hancock meets a woman who has super powers like him and is the key to unlocking what happened in his past.
The story is not well thought out and feels that it has been written in a very short amount of time. I think the writers found it hard keeping the idea of a non-stereotypical super hero and because of this the film is only 92 minutes. By the end of the film the story falls flat and so they fill the end up with CGI fight scenes which are actually well-made and quite convincing. To make the story better I think they should have developed Charilze Theron character more. One other problem I found with the story is there is no well fleshed out villain in the story which can leave the audience a bit confused.
"Hancock" is directed by actor/director Peter Berg who has directed films such as "Welcome to the Jungle" and "The Kingdom." Peter Berg uses a big variety of camera angles that work well with the shot situation. During the whole the film the only shot transition used is fade; I think the editor does this to create effect. He does this because he doesn't want the movie to come across too fun and silly he wants to show the audience that the film is also serious.
In "Hancock" all the original music composed is by one man John Powell which has produces music in films such as "Shrek" and the "Bourne series". The original music in this film works well and effectively throughout the film. It helps to show the audience what the film is all about and what the main theme is. The movie also contains songs from different artists the majority of them are RnB songs which reflect Will Smiths character (Hancock) and shows the tone of the movie. Some examples of these songs are "move" by Ludicrous and "colours" by Ice T.
The film is backed up by an all star cast which includes "I Am legend's" Will Smith, Charlize Theron and Jason Bateman they all give good performances. Jason Bateman, who is the character that connects Smith and Theron characters together, is great as usual and likable. Will Smith performance is as good as ever, he nails the drunken superhero very well whilst delivering some funny comedic lines. Particular good scenes for Will Smith is near the end were Hancock becomes all emotional because he remembers what happened in his past. During this scene Will Smith gives his best performance during the whole movie.
Even though "Hancock" has a rating of 12A I wouldn't recommend this film for children under the age of 12 because it contains some bad language and violent scenes which could scare some children. I think this movie will appeal to teenagers and young adults the most because they would enjoy the type of comedy in this film and the great action and fight scenes. Older adults may enjoy this two but I feel that adults were not the intended viewer and I don't think that some of the comedy will appeal to them.
All in all "Hancock" is an average film; it's not an amazing nor awful. It is a film that I feel doesn't live up to the good story premise although It was an interesting look at a super hero movie compared with all the "Supermans" and "Batmans" we are given today, in a sense it is more realistic. I like the way that you can see what life is actually like as a superhero. This movie contains many funny moments, good acting and outstanding special effects. I think that this film would be worth renting but i don't think it's worth seeing at the cinema; it's nothing to rush out to see unless you're a die-hard Will Smith fan.
I give this film 2.5/5 stars.