not bad but could use some polish

Rating: 6/10 (15 July 2008)

The idea of Hancock is a fun one. A superhero, disillusioned and lonely, takes to a life of boozing and petty squabbling with the natives (i.e. us), becoming less and less popular even as he saves lives. Will Smith is always a good choice for summer fare; he has a strong charisma and boyish charm that makes you want to like him. And I'm a fan of Jason Bateman and the ever gorgeous Charlize Theron. But unfortunately, even with all that star power 'Hancock' didn't completely jell for me.
I really enjoyed the first half of the movie, but it started to fall apart for me during the second half. Without giving anything away, a bit of a love triangle forms in the middle of the movie. It is eventually resolved - sort of - but for me summer movies usually mean larger than life heroes and clearly delineated good guys and bad guys. Uncomfortable moral quandaries just serve to distract me from the fun. Add to that the lack of any really good villains - most of the bad guys are merely buffoonish - and I was left feeling that I could have enjoyed the movie a lot more with some slight script changes.
Finally, after a climactic revelation in the middle of the film, the movie felt a little lacking in direction. No big "saving the world" moments, just a kind of "eh" feeling. Still, all in all I didn't feel ripped off afterwords, so I sort-of recommend 'Hancock' for a decent if unspectacular Friday or Saturday night movie.