Is it a bird, is it a plane, no it's another bad representation

Rating: 1/10 (4 April 2009)

This is not a *good* film review, it's my thoughts and it won't get me a job at Empire magazine.
There are not too many Black super hero icons out there, unless of course you count Blade.
The warning lights came on (as they do with what I consider to be bad films) in the first scene with Will Smith and a boy. Now, I'm not knocking Will Smiths performance, he does a great job in every role he portrays. It's the situation and subsequent events made me shake my head.
Hancock is a black man who has super powers. He is a bum with a drinking problem and the first thing we see him do is take off into the air and fly around the city with an open liquor bottle from which he is partaking whilst flying (don't try this at home kids) neat liquor.. The 'special effects' look like- I'm not sure what they look like, only I knew this was surely the point of no return. This is before (oh yes let's not forget the rap music) he catches some bad guys in a vehicle and then picks up their vehicle and throws them around a few city blocks whilst damaging public and private property.
So OK, we have a bum black man with an attitude and a habit of keeping city construction workers in business, but it gets better. The script is abominable and this film is not far short of an R with it's in frequent but explicit language.
Now I'm insulted in a way, not because I was offended by this. I was bitterly amused for at least half of the movie. I am offended that they had to make a film that would appeal to a given demographic because of its portrayal of how certain classes of people act, and apparently there is comedy in this.
"Well you should sue McDonalds because they (cuss word) you up." I wonder which demographic actually laughed at this? There is a plot in Hancock and in fact a significance. People *can* change it would seem. Hancock saves the life of a public figure who decides to change his image and do give him better appeal where the public (who think he is an asshole) are concerned. Yes of course, we shall use the word asshole because it's perfectly acceptable for kids to use it, as indeed they do. It's OK honey they will hear worse at school. Oh don't give me that look, I'm on this soap box for a reason.
Well Hancock agrees to go to jail to clean up his act and turn himself around. During this time he flies out of the compound to grab a basketball and then after some hesitation flies back in. Oh boy do they have him locked up good and proper.
I didn't start laughing at this until Nancy Grace appeared on TV. It was only then that I could no longer hold my composure.
In truth Hancock does have some redeeming qualities, the credits are fun to watch. Oh seriously? Oh OK. There is a genuine story arc whereby we are introduced to Charleze Theron who is another of 'his' kind. They have some kind of relationship but I wanted the film to be over so I didn't really pay a great deal off attention. OK cynicism aside we do see a very human side to Hancock and an effort to reform. His character is both reprehensible and endearing and he does clean up his heroic act. It's just not strong enough when we consider the full equation. All of this is at the expense of certain factions of people who are trying very hard to prove that they are more than how much of society perceives them.
Well, at least now they have a super hero flick to show the world it's simply not true.