One of the best and most surprising movies I have seen in a while

Rating: 9/10 (10 July 2008)

Hancock is a movie about how an arrogant, selfish man with no past slowly becomes a better man and more of an altruistic superhero that learns of his past. He does this with the help of a public-relations spokesperson, Ray Embrey. Fortunately, the movie has more than a "growth of character" story  it includes the prison break of some prisoners Hancock put away or humiliated that aren't too happy with him, who wind up as the main villains of the film. As a plus, Mary Embry, Ray's wife, has a secret up her sleeve, which the audience doesn't learn about until about halfway through the movie
It all started out with my best friend having a crush on Will Smith. She asked a group of my friends to go see this new movie called *Hancock*, which I had seen the trailer for. And I figured that the incredibly sexy Charlize Theron was in it, so the only downside was that  from what I had seen  the movie didn't seem to have much of a plot.
After sitting through ninety-three glorious minutes, I am proud to say I was wrong in my assumption that the movie wouldn't have a plot, and that I am glad I saw this movie. This movie is easily one of the best movies I have seen in a while.
Okay, let's take it from the top. I'll admit, I wasn't too much of a Will Smith fan. I didn't dislike him  and I have seen I, Robot; the Men in Black movies; Wild, Wild West; I Am Legend; and Hitch. I'd say it was more of a neutral feeling towards him, one of those actors you don't mind watching but won't go out of the way to see. Will Smith in this movie completely surprised me by being able to play not only the sarcastic, self-centered a-hole he was supposed to portray, but being able to shift with ease into a likable and admirable superhero in the short span of an hour and thirty-three minutes. The audience learns to hate Hancock in the beginning, but quickly falls in love with the character, which goes through such a drastic change in just one movie.
The highlight for me was Charlize Theron, who looks so gorgeous and stunning in the movie that I can't quite put it into words. Being a large Kate Beckinsale fan, I find it hard to concede when I see another wonderful actress on screen that isn't Kate. I was a fan of Theron from Aeon Flux and a few other films, and was already aware of her beauty, complete with her incredible ability to act, as well. This film, however, bumped her up my list of favorite actresses to the second slot. Like Will Smith, she was able to pull of the role without much of an effort. She handled the physical part and delivering her lines of her character incredibly well. She was very capable of selling herself as Mary Embrey. Theron and Smith had an amazing and rare chemistry.
In fact, all the characters had good chemistry. The partnership of Hancock and Ray Embrey (played fantastically by Jason Bateman) was another a very believable pair. The pairing of Ray and Mary also created a decent couple. All the reactions and actions of the characters were understandable and realistic (as realistic as they could be).
Another great aspect of the movie is the plot twist. (**Spoiler coming up, people!**) In the beginning of the movie, Mary (Charlize Theron's character) gives off a vibe that she knows Hancock somehow, especially from the negative comments she continuously makes about Hancock and his actions. With roughly 40 minutes left in the movie, it is revealed that she is actually Hancock's soul mate and that they are "gods" (or "angels") created about 3000 years ago. (**End of spoilers**)
The rest of the movie is filled with nicely done action scenes, some heart-felt dialogue, and a terrific conclusion. Unlike a lot of movies that leave something to be desired, or wrap everything up in a rushed manner, Hancock concludes in a way that leaves you satisfied that you saw the movie and happy for all the main characters. (Yes, unlike I Am Legend, this movie has a happy ending)
The only complaint I heard from this movie out of all my friends (there were six of us) was that they don't explain everything at the beginning. I don't see the problem, since the writers explain everything later in the film without ruining the action flow and without leaving plot holes (none that I can find at the moment, anyway). They do this (and do it very well) in order to keep the audience interested in Hancock and Mary's backgrounds. As I said before, the plot and action do not interfere with one another at all, so the only thing I can say in reference to the complaint about an explanation too late in the movie is to chalk it up to my friend's small attention span.
So, for those of you that either believe the critics or were ready to pass this movie off as another mindless, action-packed film, DON'T. The movie has a perfect mixture of plot, character development, and action stuffed into a ninety-three minute movie. I'm giving it a 9/10, only because this movie was too short. :)