If it had been anyone but Will Smith I might have walked out

Rating: 5/10 (30 July 2008)

It's not very often that I can say I agree with professional critics who usually hate films for the sake of hating them but when it comes to Hancock I'm actually blown away by the amount of people that liked it. This was a Will Smith vehicle that was ONLY held together by Will Smith. If it had not been for him this film would surpassed Waterworld as the stinker of the decade. Only Will Smith could pull off a good performance and keep you watching through a dreadful plot, a barely existent story and a hack job of editing that must have left anything that made this film worthwhile on the cutting room floor. They simply left scenes of Will Smith and the biggest explosions and action scenes but didn't bother to connect them with any substance. The supporting cast is barely existent and all eyes have to be on Will Smith because no one else even makes a blip on the radar. The film is a dark comedy with action and the comedy also lies on the shoulders of Smith and he pulls it off decently playing the alcoholic super hero but even Hancock himself gets such a little story to his character. There was really so much there to delve into and they don't scratch the surface sadly.
So now I've mentioned him a few times...Will Smith. One of the most talented actors in Hollywood and needless to say Box Office gold and then some. Smith is good in his role as Hancock. I feel his stress at trying to find something more to give the audience with this character but the script just doesn't do it. Given a much better script Smith could have made this character stunning. Jason Bateman's character is as dry as a desert and again I don't blame him, I think the script gives them next to nothing to work with. Bateman is great at humor and probably can pull off drama but he just looks like a zombie and bombs every scene. I barely realized Charlize Theron was in the movie as Bateman's wife and a character with a secret past of her own. Theron looks bored much like Bateman and although she gets some action scenes of her own it doesn't much matter. Her and Smith have decent chemistry opposite each other but her relationship with Bateman is a dud right from the first scene. I doubt, as popular rumor states, that there was chemistry between Smith and Theron because it was like watching paint dry on screen.
The action scenes are overblown and try to distract from the fact that there is NO story or plot or character development. This just proves that special effects can't carry a film. Although apparently it can since many seem to enjoy the movie. I wanted so much more...especially from a Will Smith action film having seen him in some really incredible action stories like I Am Legend, I Am Robot, and Independence Day. The film isn't the worst thing I've seen this year but it wouldn't be anything I'd let myself sit through again on purpose. The film is mercifully short, won't disappoint in special effects, a few laughs, and it does feature Will Smith so that is where the 5 points I'm giving it comes from. I suggest watching this with low expectations and maybe you'll come out not feeling so bad but this isn't on par with other films of the summer by any means. 5/10