HANCOCK (Peter Berg, 2008) **1/2

Rating: 5/10 (24 January 2010)

I had decided to dedicate the start of this year mostly to the viewing of foreign-language films but, since my father rented this atypical superhero flick, I took the opportunity of a break from the relative seriousness and watch something that was not too demanding. The premise in itself – of a reckless and uncouth alien whose superhuman abilities prove singularly alienating – is not half bad, but it is let down by the unreal CGI effects and the equally fake machismo displayed throughout by star Will Smith. Mind you, the results are entertaining enough – but, again, the baffling emphasis on vulgarity negates the film at least part of its intended audience! The twist involving the character of Charlize Theron (wasted here) was kind of unnecessary, too, especially since it inserts an incongruous dose of sobriety (vis-a'-vis her subsequent conflicted relationship with the conveniently amnesiac Smith and oblivious hubby Jason Bateman) – eventually giving way to outright and unwarranted sentimentality, only to be dispelled soon after by the obligatory 'happy' ending. While I admit to not expecting much from it in the first place, I did enjoy the film on the wholebut, at the end of the day, it is all pretty bland and not sufficiently quirky to live in the memory.