Unexpected development

Rating: 8/10 (23 May 2009)

Recap: Hancock is a superhero, but not your ordinary superhero. Alone and deeply troubled he has turned to the bottle and almost left society. His interventions cause more damage than he saves and most people would just see him go away. Until one day he saves the life of Ray, a PR-specialist (while wrecking several other cars and causing a train to derail). Ray decides to try to repair Hancock's relationship with the public, but his decision comes with a lot of unexpected consequences.
Comments: Actually not at all what I expected, and that may be because the trailer (intentionally?) hints at another story entirely. I expected a action-comedy about a superhero gone bad (not evil), and it started out like one. However it didn't develop along that track, but instead took a turn to focus more on Hancock's character. How a superhero might turn out in a real world, if he felt like the only one of his kind.
It still kept the humoristic touch though, but it took a step back. Instead an element of mystery and discovery entered into the mix. Somewhere the movie took a turn from simple action-entertainment to something unknown with a few surprises along the way. It is a different kind of movie, but in my opinion still a very good one.
They have selected a good cast too. Will Smith does the roughed up hero very well, and Jason Bateman the trusting, hopeful and positive Ray. But Charlize Theron steals the game with her performance as Ray's wife. It is the small things, a glance, a tear, a hesitation. Small things that build up the character and give the entire story tension.
So, not at all what I expected. But something else. Still funny, but more complex. Maybe even better than what I hoped for.
8/10