Hancock (2008) **1/2

Rating: 6/10 (4 July 2008)

I have to hand it to Will Smith... after having little use for him early on I've come to enjoy seeing him on the screen in his most recent films, even if none of them really blew me away. The guy has become an appealing actor to watch. That said, I was disappointed with HANCOCK because it started out with such promise but then took a complete turn in the wrong direction somewhere 'round the midway point and ruined for me what was shaping up to be a good film.
Hancock (Smith) is a drunken hobo who, we learn right from the beginning, has been somehow endowed with special superhero-like abilities. He is invincible, cannot be harmed in any way, and spends his time flying and leaping into all sorts of local catastrophes to help people and set things straight. Yet for all his seemingly virtuous intentions, he is a cynical personality with a clumsy knack for not knowing his own strength and destroying streets and property in the casual manner in which he works his good deeds. As a result, rather than being loved and appreciated, he is vilified and condemned by the citizens of California and all of the news media. But there is hope when an aspiring ad man and his wife (Jason Bateman and the beautiful Charlize Theron) see the potential in helping Hancock better utilize his powers and gain the approval of the world.
Without ruining anything for those who haven't seen the movie, the plot begins to thicken around this point and not for the better, in my opinion. What began as a touching and funny sentiment starts to mutate into something else entirely and, what's even more detrimental, there arise too many unnecessary explanations addressing Hancock's exceptional abilities which then leaves nothing to the wonderment of your imagination. These detours cripple the chance for HANCOCK to be something special. **1/2 out of ****