A superhero with a difference

Rating: 7/10 (6 November 2014)

John Hancock isn't like other people; he is immortal, has super strength and cannot die he is a superhero. He isn't like other superheroes either; he has no super villain arch nemesis and thanks to the damage he causes every time he catches a bad guy or saves somebody in danger he isn't even popular. One day he saves the life of less than successful PR man Ray Embrey and Ray decides that he could help Hancock by providing some good PR. To this end Hancock stops refusing to accept responsibility for his actions and goes to jail. Here he waits for the inevitable call from the authorities asking for help; the crime rises and eventually he is called to foil a bank robbery. After a celebratory dinner with Ray and his wife Mary we learn more about our protagonist, including the fact that he isn't the only one of his kind and like most other superheroes he has a weakness one he doesn't know about.
This is a decent enough film; Will Smith puts in a fine performance as Hancock; possibly the scrungiest superhero to date at least until he cleans up his act and Jason Bateman is likable as Ray. I liked the fact that Hancock was dealing with ordinary low grade criminals rather than super villains and criminal masterminds and the fact that he was unpopular was fun too; even if the idea of Superheroes being too much trouble because of the damage they cause was done previously in 'The Incredibles'. The humour is a little crude but it was impossible not to laugh when he followed through on a threat to shove one cons head up another's backside! Most of the fun was to be had in the first half; the big reveal concerning the second superhero seems a coincidence too far and the ending was too twee. Overall though this was an entertaining way to pass an hour and a half and it is fun despite its flaws.