A flawed, weird, funny, and action-packed new look at the superhero movie

Rating: 8/10 (26 November 2008)

I think Superman co-creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster would have a hard time with "Hancock," a movie that is pretty much the anti-thesis to the DC Comics flagship character who first appeared in "Action Comics #1" back in 1938. The rebellious actor-turned-director Peter Berg sees to it that this cinematic creation sits neatly in his own universe and revels in it.
"Hancock" is a fun new look at the superhero. As a comic book reader, I had high expectation for this picture; what begins as a sort of original parody/satire of superheroes evolves into something else halfway through, giving us the feeling that the movie suddenly retreats to formula when things finally seem to be getting really interesting. Funny that a film such as this would be suffering from an identity crisis - it seems to have two scripts here: the superhero movie satire and the superhero movie itself.
Hancock (a surprisingly engaging Will Smith) is a hard-boozing, hard-living modern-day superhero who has fallen out of favor with the public in Los Angeles. His acts of super-heroics - while super-heroic - are often highly destructive and have cost the city millions in damages. Finally, the city has had enough and a warrant is issued for Hancock's arrest.
After saving the life of image consultant Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman), Embrey takes it upon himself to give the boozy, hard-living Hancock an extreme image makeover in the hopes of redeeming this once-widely admired lush and helping him to earn back his superhero mantle.
I already explained that this movie is flawed, due largely to its script - or rather, two scripts, that don't turn out to be some hideous comic book mutant, like it could have been, had this movie completely derailed off the tracks - that seek to take things in two different directions when things seem to be getting fresh, original, and interesting. What keeps the project from really falling apart, in my opinion, is the fresh new look at comic book superheroes and their personal lives, as well as the plot twist two-thirds of the way through.
"Hancock" gives its title character a complex and involving origin story, one that spans centuries, and somehow involves Embrey's pretty wife Mary (Charlize Theron), who certainly harbors some interesting secrets of her own that are very engaging themselves. Of action scenes and special effects, there's no short in "Hancock." This is a summer movie, after all, and it's obvious that a pretty penny went into producing this film's action sequences.
"Hancock" is still an enjoyable action picture, even with its flaws. I still had a lot of fun. I only hope "Hancock" maybe gets his own comic book title soon, or animated series, or at least a sequel that better fleshes out some of the film's more original ideas.
8/10