Review: Hancock (2007)

Rating: 4/10 (27 September 2008)

Hancock
Will Smith is the king of the fourth of July weekend, which has led to him receiving the nickname Mr. July. Will Smith's first fourth of July weekend movie was Independence Day. After its success other movies like Men In Black 1 and 2 and Wild Wild West were also released on July 4th. So, is Hancock a worthy addition to Smith's Fourth of July movies, or is it another July 4th failure like Transformers?
Hancock(Smith) is one of only two superheroes left in the world. He is hated by the public because he leaves millions of dollars in damage after stopping a crime. After he saves the life of Ray Embrey(Bateman), they enter a partnership to help fix Hancock's image with the public. They send Hancock to prison so the public can miss him. After the crime rate soars, Hancock leaves prison a changed man. He cleans up the crime, but starts to enter a risky relationship with Mary Embrey(Theron). He will then learn about his past and his possibilities for the future.
Hancock's characters start off promising, but don't go anywhere after the first act. Hancock is a very unique led obviously, as the movie bears his name. After the first act though, he's done changing and becomes Mr.Perfect. Ray Embrey is a man trying to change the world, but is currently failing. I think a lot of us can sympathize with the guy. Mary Embrey is the one of the worst developed characters and she hurt the movie the most. Her character doesn't go anywhere and there is nothing special about her. The same goes for her child. Hancock has terrible, last second villains. They barely ever speak, and worst of all, they're just regular people with guns.
Hancock's plot had promise, but the execution was terrible. The structure is the worst that I've seen in a long time. The first act tries to do too much, while the second and third act is stretched to make the movie long enough. The movie also switches genres from a light hearted action/comedy to a serious drama. The first act, the action/comedy, was fun to watch and made it look as though this was going to be one of the best movies of the summer. The second act came though, and it switched to being a drama. There is a nice twist, but it isn't well made enough to be called good drama, and wasn't very entertaining. Hancock has a terrible ending. The climax is an easily won battle in a hospital, but that isn't the worst. The resonance at the end was stupid and one of the most illogical things ever seen on film. Hancock puts a heart on the moon for Ray and Mary. Did he use the blood of humans to paint it, since buying paint would cost at least two billion dollars? Did he enslave NASA workers to paint it, since if only he did it, it would take at least five years? Are Ray and Mary really that stupid they need someone to tell them there's a big heart on the moon?
Hancock has a very bland setting. The city apparently has a very high crime rate, but it seems as though everything is going just dandy. Batman has Gotham City. Spider-Man has New York City. Hancock has just another run of your mill city. The prison was a very boring place and it wasn't even a very scary one. The hospital was a terrible setting for the ending.
Hancock has bad directing, mainly because of the action scenes. They are filmed very poorly because the director moves the camera around very fast to try and create an atmosphere, but it does the exact opposite. He never creates an effective atmosphere, and never uses the right shots to maximize the setting's potential, if there's any. Hancock has OK cinematography. It doesn't take away from the film, but not as good as Iron Man or The Dark Knight(basing it off the trailer). Hancock has bad music. The action music barely adds anything to the movie, and the dramatic music is overdone and takes you out of the story.
Hancock actually has good acting. Will Smith is always a good lead, and he doesn't mess up. He has good chemistry with the other actors and always brings his own style to the role. Will Smith is also great with body language, which is he has shown in Pursuit of Happiness, I Am Legend, and Hancock. Jason Bateman does a good job with his role and was the perfect person to play the part. Charlize Theron is the weakest of the three actors, but she's still OK.
So, Hancock isn't as good as Men in Black or Independence Day, but it's better than Wild Wild West.
BAKED FRESH FILM BOTTOM LINE 4/10
Pros: Acting First Act Nice Twist
Cons: Character Development Structure Switches genres Action scenes filmed poorly/ rest of directing Music Setting
Rating Information PG-13 1. Sci-fi Action and Violence a. Hancock fighting crime 2. Language a. One F-Bomb and other cursing
Cast
Will Smith - John Hancock
Jason Bateman - Ray Embrey
Charlize Theron - Mary Embrey
Directed by: Peter Berg
Review Written by: Kenny Stice