Hancock

Rating: Null/10 (3 April 2009)

A hugely enjoyable superhero movie offering a unique take on the genre, not only through having the hero be an alcoholic, homeless, antisocial liability but also because of the unexpected level of emotional depth it reaches.
Jason Bateman is wonderful as the mild-mannered, good-hearted PR man who takes Hancock under his wing and helps him turn his life around. Charlize Theron makes less of a first impression but really comes into her own when the major plot twist is revealed.
The script isn't frequently laugh-out-loud funny but it's consistently amusing and one scene involving two prisoners threatening Hancock is an absolute classic and worth the price of admission alone. Hancock's Kryptonite comes in an unusual form and whereas these things often end up somewhat gimmicky - the green stuff is a case in point - in Hancock not only is it a neat idea but it actually serves the story.
Producer Michael Mann's stamp is all over it, and it's shot in a gritty, realistic style that is at first jarring but as the plot unfolds and the tone establishes itself becomes perfectly fitting.
It suffers maybe from a weak villain who's introduced too late and the rotten CGI in a movie with this budget is unforgivable, but those are about the only serious things it has going against it.
The trailers and TV spots made this look thoroughly obnoxious but renting it despite my better judgement I found it to be not only a lot of fun but one of the most emotionally mature superhero movies out there, and probably the most moving of the ones I've seen.