Hilarious, kick-ass and awesome

Rating: 9/10 (7 July 2008)

Here's an original superhero movie not based on a comic book, previous material or a remake of another superhero movie. This is just the story of a man with super strength, flying capabilities and seemingly invincibility. Yet there's a twist. He is not disguised, he doesn't pretend to be something that he's not and as much as he wants to help out, his drunken, unkind ways of dealing with the public cause people to dislike him instead of lionize him. In short, Hancock is the antithesis to every other superhero out there. This is part of the charm of the film.
Admittedly, there is two very distinct parts of the film. You have the comedic first half and the dramatic second half. I did like the first half better but the second half is almost as good and Smith and Theron do some of their best work ever.
I think the reason this is getting negative feedback is because the first half is so good that when it changes gears, people don't expect it to do a paradigm switch so quickly. But there was only so much you could do in the first 45 minutes and they do it beautifully. After all, one of the complaints of Superman is that he is Superman. What can really harm him? Where as Batman or Spiderman, at least they are fallible. So in Hancock, we need to believe there is a kryptonite for him, or else he too would end up being an impervious to pain, two dimensional character. In the film, not only is his krytonite introduced beautifully, but he is also an alcoholic and an unpleasant person. I don't think anyone ever thought of doing a superhero like this. I don't think you can count Superman III, seeing as it is a sequel. This is an original idea, and it is one that is executed with passion and fun.
The best parts of the film are watching Hancock trying to reform himself. He has to remind himself to tell mortals that they are doing a good job. The first scene after he is out of prison is breathtaking. It has comedic brilliance, action and it is written perfectly. Not only is he here to save the bank from being blown up and robbed, he is here to repair his public persona. There is a real confliction with him and he is doing his best (like Terminator in T-2) to help out, but not hurt anyone in the process.
I enjoyed Hancock immensely and I hope this is the beginning of a new franchise for Simth.
9/10