Great movie for what it is

Rating: 9/10 (26 January 2009)

I thought about seeing this movie when it first came out in theaters, but I had my doubts. First of all, it's maintained a relatively hum-drum rating on IMDb since that time (not that I count that as a top factor, but it is a warning sign).
Secondly, I am not a fan of "superhero" movies. I've always wanted to like the movies based on comic book heroes, but it's just not me, and I gave up several years back. The Incredibles was probably the only superhero movie I really enjoyed, apart from the great web-swinging scenes in the first Spiderman movie.
Thirdly, I couldn't really tell from the few trailers I managed to see if it might actually be funny - and if not, what was it supposed to be? I think the answer to this question is what leads me to give the rating I'm giving.
I didn't know what to expect from Hancock, and so when the opportunity finally arose, I just watched it.
And I really enjoyed it. Hancock is part thigh-slapping comedy, part action movie, part melodrama, part romance, part absurdly dry observation, with generous slabs of comic book thrown in between.
As one person pointed out, the plot was somewhat predictable in places, and yet we were still left guessing just enough - do you think it will happen this way or that way? And every time there was a new development, it caused us to think back to what we had seen 10 minutes before to ask ourselves if we had really seen it coming.
We laughed, we grinned (wryly), we "ewwwww"ed, and we said "awwwww". We didn't take the movie too seriously - it didn't take itself too seriously. And I think that's the main point. It tells a story, it makes it fun, adds pretty cool special effects, adds elements from a lot of different genres, and winds everything up nicely in the end.
I am a reluctant fan of Will Smith. I didn't really know who he was as his fortunes were rising, and (being an avid rap-hater), I didn't really care. But despite myself, I am almost always impressed. I haven't seen all his movies, but his performances rarely if ever fail to leave me nodding in approval. I wouldn't exactly say this part was a dramatic stretch for him, but he was nicely cast, as were the other two leads.
This is not the greatest movie since sliced bread, it is a nice, fun way to pass the time. Normally I would give it maybe 7 or 8 stars, but because I think it's gotten such a bad rap, I'm giving it a 9 for balance.