Eh -- not that bad, really.

Rating: 7/10 (5 July 2008)

The only thing I expected out of Hancock was summer entertainment, and that is basically what I got.
And I enjoyed it, everything about it. What you have is a very troubled hero that thinks no one cares about him as a person, that he is alone in his quest and everything he does is taken for granted in this money effected world. I found the latter very interesting - and the one thing that was pretty evident in this film. A superhero who's feats of super-heroism always carried a price tag rather than a humanity tag - until a public relations pro steps in to try to change that.
Will Smith, Charlize Theron and Jason Bateman are all wonderful with what they have - and yes, I do agree at points you wish the script and story would have flushed developments out further. And the nemeses for Hancock? Could have been better when you consider what we find Hancock out to be, and have done. But ya gotta wonder - is that avenue on hold for a second installment? There's a thought - and probably an impending reality, where we will have a second installment that will be infinitely better than the first for the material IS there to work with and have not been fully explored.
I can also admit that I was a little kid when the term "summer blockbuster" began for Hollywood and Hancock reminds me of a summer blockbuster of way back then - CGI? What CGI?!? Blue screen, miniature models, imagination, lights and the wizardry of design and skill of special effects in make up and a GOOD story that is told well - yeah, those were the days. With Hancock, you DO have a "good story" that never gets its full due but while watching Hancock, I did get that "back in the day summer fare" nostalgic feeling...if only for a moment here and a moment there.
It would be unfair to say the film is completely uneven - it has its moments and when it clicks, good ones at that. But not enough to give it it's complete identity. What this has done is make me curious to see a "Hancock 2" -- errr -- with a completely different production, post production & direction crew and a newly committed writing team to take a stab at it.