Story=Simple; Exciting=No; Smith=Still Good;Enternatining=Kind of, yes;

Rating: 6/10 (15 July 2008)

I like to go through a simple checklist of a few simple questions when reviewing movies. The first question being: did it waste my time? For Hancock, the answer is no it did not.
The story of Hancock is very simple overall, though the concept is interesting and there is a small twist which keeps the 2nd half of the movie from dragging and makes the overall movie more interesting. But I must emphasize that the story is extremely simple. The trailer gives it all except for the twist, which I won't post about as that would be a spoiler. Super-powered individual, is a drunk and not very good at it. Along comes PR man who helps him. The twist doesn't make the story any more complicated but it helps fill the hour and a half.
The second question is: did it waste my money? For me, the answer is no. For you, depends...
A lot of you pay an arm and a leg to see a movie. I don't understand why you put up with it, but that's another topic. I do not pay much for movies and I get digital projection, digital knock-your-socks-off surround sound and reserved seating in seats with leg room, ample padding and that recline. In that context this movie did not waste my money.
This movie is entertaining in that sit back, turn your mind off and watch a movie way. It had laughs, limited but nice effects, eye candy and a simple but engaging enough story that I didn't check my watch once. There was no excitement, though, and nothing to set your pulse racing. Some people commented that this movie was lacking a villain. That is a valid point but I am not sure if a villain wouldn't have made it much worse. The charm of this movie was in its well done simplicity and a super bad guy might have tipped it into the bad, run-of-the-mill superhero movie category.
A big part of what makes this movie entertaining is Will Smith. I almost hate to say it, as that guy has grown so arrogant that its a big turn off. However, he does have a way with the comedy and a charm that pulls you into a character. Both of which were key to making this movie entertaining, and he delivered.
The last question is: should you see it?
I would say it depends on if you are in the mood to be lightly entertained and you like Will Smith. If you're looking for a great movie experience, this is not it. If you're looking for a roller coaster ride, this is not it. If you hate Will Smith, you're going to hate this movie. If you've got time/money to kill or going to see this movie drunk or in an altered state, yeah go see it. Otherwise, you will probably enjoy it more at home for the price of a rental or the bandwidth time of your broadband.