Good Movie, But. . .

Rating: 6/10 (26 July 2008)

"Hancock" elevates itself above the usual summer fare right off the bat with an unusual plot. Imagine a man with superpowers who then decides to become a superhero, but his rotten attitude and penchant for causing more damage to his city than good has the citizens of Los Angeles begging him to go somewhere else. It's an interesting twist on the superhero story. Will Smith plays the titular man as a surly, heavy-drinking, foul-mouthed, unpleasant citizen of L.A. As usual, he is very good, probably the thing I enjoyed most about the movie. He adds several requisite layers to Hancock but manages to make them feel fresh. Coming in a close second to what I enjoyed most was Jason Bateman as a PR exec who wants to make over Hancock's image. Bateman's comedic timing and earnestness compliment's Smith wonderfully. The effects are good and there are several moments that are quite funny. However, the film does have its flaws. The first gripe for me would be that the director, Peter Berg, seems to be an avid fan of the extreme close-up. When two people are talking he often zooms so close in on their faces that you cannot even see their hairline. I found it distracting. I also thought that Charlize Theron was miscast. I like her a lot and I think she's a great actress, but she lacked the comedic timing needed for her part as Jason Bateman's wife who is very skeptical that Hancock can change. She plays one scene in particular, a kitchen confrontation with Hancock, very straight and dour which is a jarring contrast to Smith's light comedy. Next, the story. The premise is unusual and quite good, but it looses steam less than halfway through the movie. The movie is quite short, only an hour and a half, so at least in that respect there isn't much left once the plot starts giving out. It takes an unbelievable turn in the third act that I just didn't buy. I think the screenwriters found it difficult to stretch a simplistic idea to a feature length. Also, the lack of a central villain hurt as well. Pitting Hancock repeatedly against petty criminals just did not work as well as if they had given him a main nemesis.
"Hancock" is good and quite entertaining, there are several reasons to see it. Is it a perfect movie? No, but it has enough redeeming qualities to make it the perfect summer escape.