A second-rate superhero movie

Rating: 6/10 (8 March 2009)

"Hancock" is yet another entry in the flood of superhero movies that have hit the big screen in recent years. Here, a superhero with questionable methods falls out of favour with the public and enlists the help of a PR professional to repair his image.
This is an interesting premise, though hardly original ("The Incredibles" comes to mind, for one). However, apparently this premise didn't provide quite enough material for an entire film so the film-makers decided to tack on another equally slight storyline. As a result, the film feels like two different films, neither of which is especially compelling.
The cast is pretty decent, though. Will Smith is perhaps Hollywood's most bankable star and while this performance certainly isn't among his most memorable it is ably handled. Charlize Theron turns in a pretty good performance as well while Jason Bateman plays the same sort of character that he always plays.
Peter Berg's direction isn't bad though I'm not a fan of his style, which blends a gritty look with lots of jittery camera-work (see "The Kingdom" for a more pronounced example). The special effects are good enough but certainly nothing to write home about. Score & soundtrack are average and pretty forgettable.
In the end, the movie is somewhat entertaining but the script could have definitely used some work. I'd rather have one fully fleshed out story than two thin stories any day. With this shortcoming, the movie is unlikely to appeal to many outside of the target audience.