Hancock

Plot synopsis:
John Hancock (Will Smith) is an alcoholic man with superhero powers, including flight, invulnerability, and super-strength. Though he uses his powers to stop criminals in his current residence of Los Angeles, his activity inadvertently causes millions of dollars in property damage due to his constant intoxication. As a result, he is routinely jeered at the crime scenes. Hancock also ignores court subpoenas from the city of Los Angeles to address the property damage he has caused.
When public relations specialist Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman) departs from an unsuccessful meeting pitching his All-Heart logo for corporations who are extraordinarily charitable, he becomes trapped on railroad tracks with an incoming freight train. Hancock saves Ray's life but he causes the train to derail and nearly injures another driver. Hancock is jeered by other drivers for causing more damage but Ray steps in and publicly thanks Hancock for saving his life. Ray invites him home for dinner with his wife, Mary (Charlize Theron), and their son, Aaron, during which Ray offers to improve Hancock's public image. Hancock goes back home to ponder the offer and returns to his house the next day and grudgingly accepts. Ray convinces the alcoholic superhero to agree to be jailed for outstanding warrants so they can show Los Angeles how much the city really needs Hancock. Hancock tries to resist the urge to break out of jail using his powers and refuses to talk during a prison group therapy but frequent visits by Ray and his family encouraged him to be patient. When crime rates rise after Hancock's incarceration, the superhero is contacted by the Chief of Police. Reluctantly donning a new costume (which has been provided by Ray), Hancock foils a bank robbery and aids a wounded officer. He prevents Red Parker (Eddie Marsan) from detonating explosive-laden vests attached to the bank hostages, by slicing off his hand (which was holding onto a "deadman's switch").
After the rescue, onlookers applaud Hancock for his handling of the bank robbery. The superhero becomes popular again, as Ray had predicted. He goes out to dinner with Ray and Mary, with whom he reveals his apparent immortality and his amnesia stemming from an incident some 80 years prior and Ray reveals that Mary isn't Aaron's mother, who died after giving birth. After Hancock tucks a drunken Ray in bed, Hancock approaches and kisses Mary. At first, she responds passionately, but then turns angry, throwing Hancock through a wall and into the street. Hancock departs, confused at having apparently found another like himself. The next morning, Hancock arrives back at the house to demand answers from Mary. She warns him to stay away from her and her family but agrees to meet Hancock at his home to answer his questions. When she arrives, Hancock discovers that Mary also has superpowers and is apparently immortal. He threatens to expose her unless she explains their origins so she tells him that they are the last two members of a race that have lived for 3,000 years with their powers. Mary lies and claims that they are brother and sister, which Hancock dismisses, given the nature of the previous night's kiss. Hancock realizes that Mary is not being entirely truthful and he departs to tell Ray about her. Their interaction results in a battle between Hancock and Mary that takes them to downtown Los Angeles, causing significant damage to the area. Ray, downtown in a business meeting, sees and recognizes Mary using superhero powers similar to those of Hancock. Ray departs his meeting and arrives home just in time to see Mary land in the backyard, followed closely by Hancock. She then reveals that, although he doesn't remember it, Hancock is her husband. The three then quietly go their separate ways.
Later that night, Hancock is shot twice in the chest and wounded when he foils a liquor store robbery. After being hospitalized, Mary enters and explains that as each pair of immortals pair up, they begin to lose their powers and live out the remainder of their lives as ordinary humans, growing old and eventually dying. She then begins to point out various scars that Hancock has acquired over the centuries, the result of his normally heroic nature. She also explains that Hancock was savagely attacked in an alley 80 years prior, which caused his amnesia. In each instance, Mary chose to leave him in order for him to regain his powers and recover from his injuries. However, upon discovering he had no memory, Mary couldn't handle it and left. The conversation is interrupted when the hospital is raided by Red Parker, and two men that Hancock had humiliated during his incarceration. Mary is caught in the cross-fire and is mortally wounded. Hancock is able to stop and kill the two men but suffers additional injuries in the process. When Red attempts to finish Hancock off, Ray comes to the rescue and kills the bank robber with a fire axe. With Mary dying, Hancock flees the hospital so their parting will allow her to heal with her own powers. He makes several clumsy leaps away from the hospital, each of longer distance and duration as his powers slowly return, until he finally is able to fly off into the night. He later takes up residence in New York City. Ray is seen walking with Mary and their son discussing historical events such as the reign of Attila the Hun in a jovial manner. In gratitude to Ray, Hancock has painted Ray's All-Heart logo on the moon and calls the spokesperson to look up to view the worldwide advertisement.
In a mid-credits scene, Hancock, now living in New York City, confronts a fleeing criminal with the police. Cornered, the man takes a hostage and jeeringly demands Hancock escort him to safety, mocking his costume and calling him an "asshole". Hancock turns back and smiles as the credits resume.

Tags: revenge, violence, plot twist

Review:
Well, from the looks of it, Smith also guarantees you at least a mildly entertaining film, which is what we get in his latest movie, Hancock.
He can make you laugh, cheer, cry, and even root for his character (who is a total ass, as he is reminded a number of times throughout the movie) no matter what kind of shenanigans he may cause.Hancock is not the generic superhero film and is probably one of the more ingenious ideas to come across a producer's desk in quite some time.
To me, what it seems like is that the writers of the film loved the idea, started off extremely strong, and then began to realize that how hard it is to sustain a simplistic idea over the course of a full length motion picture (and it is because of this that Hancock is relatively short).
The action scenes, while entertaining and original, were not long enough to engage the audience like say, The Incredible Hulk, nor were they as jaw dropping as those in Wanted.The film's strength rides on its three stars.
It was entertaining, took a unique take on the superhero thing, and didn't have an overt number of huge gaping plot holes or completely blithe dialog.If you're feeling like a Wil Smith movie, go for it.
This isn't really a hero movie where there is a superhero and a super villain; I think it's more about what it means to be a human and relate to other people, to do good things and the desire to be accepted.
Jokes were hitting left and right, Smith and Bateman displayed good chemistry, and the special effects, though not always finished, were eye popping nonetheless.Without giving it away, the final half hour was flat, straying from the comical nature that had preceded it and instead tried to get philosophical and introduce a week paint'by'numbers villain.
It was called Hancock, a film about an alcoholic superhero played by Will Smith.
If I was being nice I would say that Will Smith shows quite a good performance as the disgusting superhero, then I look through his previous films and realise that all his characters are basically the same.
In fact the CGI is so disappointing it's actually hilarious especially at the end, when you just really want somebody to die, but they just carry on throwing tea urns and hospital beds around while a giant CGI'd thunderstorm rages outside the window- not a good look.In comparison to other films in the genre of Superhero/Comedy it looks terrible.
Perhaps seeing similar depictions hit the big screen made me appreciate the movie more.Will Smith and Charlize Theron do a great job.
The film centers on a down and out alcoholic superhero called Hancock, played by the ever impressive Will Smith.
It becomes fortunate therefore that one day he should save the life of PR man (Jason Bateman), who is married to the lovely Mary (Charlize Theron) and that in return for saving his life he chooses to help Hancock change his image.The film starts well by introducing us to Hancock asleep, scruffy and unshaven on a public bench but ultimately establishing him as a lousy, grumpy oaf.
The internal logic of the film is preposterous and nonsensical and would remain so even if it was chief plot device in a Saturday morning kids cartoon.When it comes to the direction it seems surprising to me that Peter Berg should be able to make the leap to making a blockbuster like Hancock, this is because Hancock was always going to be a commercial risk given its target audience and release date and his previous film The Kingdom was not a huge success.
Generally I don't use to watch it and I don't use to appreciate it, but even so I can distinct when it is a good Super Hero movie, or a bad one, full of clichés and "Hollywood garbage"!
But as a summer blockbuster - it's excellent, fun, great ride.Buy the way, it's not your typical "superhero" movie, where the good guy is "pure" and "beautifule" like a Superman.
The moment I saw the preview for Hancock, this just looked like the most ridicules movie that could be made, I was sure that it was going to flop or get horrendous reviews.
But Ray is determined and will make sure that Hancock is a great super hero for the whole city.Hancock is over all an alright film, it's not bad by any means, but I feel like it could have been so much more with a better script.
But for the story I'll admit that it was original and fun at times, Will Smith is a good actor, I will always admit that, but it seems like his movies(which are always released around the fourth of July, you notice) have become like a love letter to him and how great he is.
The best part about Willie is that you really see and feel the efforts he is putting into his work.Like any other super hero movie, this is not about fighting with a super villain and his mission to conquer the world but self exploring of an individual with extra powers.
Movie is technically very advanced with some amazing special effects like Willie throwing the whale back in to the water, catching some junkies who have stolen money from a bank, all his flying scenes, stopping the train and fighting with Charlize Theron.The story starts with scenes about how Willie's boozing all day, catching some freaks, and how people of the city hate him.
I knew as soon as I saw Charlize Theron in the film that they were saving her character for some big twist, as the advertisements for the movie didn't include a single shot of her.
Of course, we know it's our hero, Hancock (Will Smith), because we know a thing or two about the film before sitting down to watch it.
Only Hancock is pulled down to an earth that is an awful lot more like a movie than the world I know.It wouldn't be so terrible to set this enormous Hollywood action film in typical scenarios if Berg weren't trying so hard to give the film a decidedly un-Hollywood look.
Hancock is such a complex character (lonely, disinterested, depressed) that it would seem ripe with possibility but this is mostly squandered in favor of half funny humour and sometimes hokey special effects that it feels at times like a over produced Nike ad.Luckily for HANCOCK, the film is still somewhat enjoyable thanks to the strong performances of all its leads.
I was nicely surprised to find this a very entertaining movie, start-to-finish, about a reluctant super hero who winds up getting an attitude change for the better.
It felt like most of the idea came from how in those epic superhero movies the heroes cause a lot of damage to the city and its people.
Hancock is an entertaining and a surprisingly good superhero movie.
Will Smith (dude can really carry a film), Charlize Theron and Jason Bateman give worthy performances (Charlize was hot as usual), direction by Peter Berg was good, and story wise it was OK (cool surprises in the plot), but could've been improved on some areas.
Overall, had a good, popcorn blast-o-fun with this "action-comedy-fantasy-drama" movie.Hancock was gripping, heartfelt, and totally unexpected!
It really does  become impossible to hate Hancock because Smith injects him with a  certain level of charm; additionally, Charlize Theron at least adds a  little bit of marginal tension; she's pretty easy on the eyes in all  her movies, and this is no exception  - The beginning action scene and another one in the middle of the film;  since the film really doesn't have that great of a CGI job, the action  scene really have to play up for humor; most of them are flat, but the  beginning one where he chases a car on the freeway, and another one in  the middle where he is engaged in a tug-of-war with another character  (I won't say who) is pretty funny and engaging  -AWESOME score.
At times, the melodramatic nature of the film is saved  by the fact that the score is really epic and sweeping; it's pretty  easy to get lost in the film  -A really funny scene in the film where a national pundit chews Hancock  out; I'll let you see it to get the full laugh  -A cool twist that happens 45 minutes into the movie that actually adds  about 20 minutes of intrigue  The Bad: - A load of contrivances that are really convenient.
So, by the end of the film, I just thought "Hancock" was superficially  entertaining with only a few moments of truly redeemable good times.
I'd like to think that Hollywood's greed is tempered with genuine talent a fair deal of the time, as well as some messages that people were passionate about enough to present to us cinematically.And then there are movies like Hancock, wherein there is no message worth telling, and all the talent involved is beaten into submission by an oppressively useless script and the greedy leeches who produced it.Hancock is about a guy with superpowers (Will Smith) who essentially walks around looking like he's got a mouthful of rat poison and sour patch kids, being so inept at helping people that it feels like a Jerry Lewis movie if Jerry Lewis had superpowers and was utterly unlikable and unsympathetic.
The Rise of A Fallen Alcoholic Superhero...But He Isn't The Only One. I wasn't expecting anything great from 'Hancock' and I was really hoping that it wouldn't be another cheap-humoured 'Men In Black' type movie.
Now this won't ruin his career, but Will you owe us......for sitting through an hour and a half of shaky camera that was better for independent movie-making, $150 million special effects that looked like they cost half as much, a few funny jokes but a bunch more that weren't, and a laughable 'twist' that made the whole story hokey and well, let's face it, stupid..
The movie gives the impression of having been directed by several different people.About an hour into "Hancock," the script throws in a surprise twist that director Peter Berg handles deftly, and the movie, that had already been ticking along pretty enjoyably, gets an extra jolt of energy and fun.
The movie itself is only 90 minutes, so I don't know why the filmmakers felt compelled to rush through to an ending without tying things together in a way that made sense, but on the other hand, I'm glad it wasn't any longer because I was tired of the arbitrariness of the whole thing.It's hard to talk about what could have been without revealing the plot twist, but let's just say that the film could have gone in any number of interesting directions that it chooses to ignore.
Lead actors Will Smith and Charlize Theron, a big budget and a good idea should give any Director a good head start, Peter Berg squanders it all in an unimaginative disaster.The script is cliché ridden and formulaic,and the "happy moon" ending vomit inducing.
I agree that there might be some imbalance of tone on occasion, but i liked the seriousness combined with big action, humor and a great message.Some of the cgi work looks a bit too cartoonish and the movie could probably benefit from less of the typical 'comic hero' elements in regards to costuming and certain plot elements, but overall it's a cool movie.If anyone is an Arrested Development fan, you might notice some odd visual references in Hancock (other than the fact that Bateman and Theron are in this movie).
Why are Will Smith, Charlize Theron, and Jason Bateman wasting there talent on junk like this, I seriously don't think they need the money, or there desperate.
No. Does it mean that Berg destroys the film in much the same way that Robert Rodriguez did with 'From Dusk Till Dawn?' Yes.It is difficult to analyse anything about 'Hancock' without relating it to the second half of the movie, like Will Smith's performance for example.
I don't see life that way unless I'm really drunk, and when I run it is only on occasion but when it comes to a movie, especially an action film, I want to see what's going on and that won't happen unless the camera moves more than three feet away from Will Smith's face.
Among the most annoying things were: poor visual quality, unlikeable characters and a bad story.The "idea" behind this movie sounds great: a reckless and drunk superhero with unknown origin is inspired to turn himself around.
I am in all honesty not a big fan of Will Smith, but he has given some solid performances so I thought why not.I have to say that I didn't think Hancock was a bad film as such, it was somewhat underwhelming and I'm sorry to say I do understand the criticisms against it.Hancock does have a fair number of good points.
I also felt that there were only three likable characters(Smith's, Theron's and Bateman's) and the others I barely noticed, with the villain especially flat.So all in all, an uneven film but not a necessarily bad one.
Jason Bateman is pretty good for the first half of the movie, being funny and interesting at the same time.
This one sounds like it is straight out of a John Ford movie, or maybe "Wagon Train".Jason Bateman has almost as much time as Will Smith but really isn't able to bring much to a nothing role.
The writers in their desperate attempt to knit everything together even use an "After one month" sequence.The only two positive things about the movie are: the cool and funny Will Smith; and the good- looking Ms. Theron, who delivers a good performance.
Hancock is like communism: a great idea on paper but it in the end, it's just doesn't work.Hancock (played by Will Smith) is a ne'er-do-well superhero.
Once the city comes a calling, his rebirth will allow him to be ready to take control as someone the public can trust, rather than hate.Ripe for comedy, the fact that Ray is played by the immensely talented Jason Bateman and Hancock by Will Smith, the film delivers on the funny.
I watched this film expecting a true-to-life biopic of the legendary British comedian Tony Hancock, but once again it seems that Hollywood just had to change to story to suit the idiotic public.Charlize Theron was very badly cast as Sid James, Hancock's erstwhile sidekick, and there was no mention whatsoever of some of his famous sketches like the blood donation and the economy drive.I have nothing against Will Smith but casting a black actor into a white role is just political correctness gone mad!!
I don't like those movies that the director just tosses and turns the camera around so you can't even see the action and good stuff clearly.
Deep down like Bateman's Ray, we all want to "Change the world." Hero resonates to the soul.Hancock (Smith) has Superman-like powers: amazing strength, flight, great speed, and impervious to bullets.
Behind them is a team devoted to bringing us what we love about a summer movie: great action sequences, cool characters, and a decent story with good looking people.
The scenes in the trailer take place within the first 30 minutes, while the next hour is a well developed story involving superhero origins, complicated relationships and some intense action.You can pretty much guess the story from the trailer, however the movie is far from predictable; a man with super powers who is depressed wants to help the world while society shuns him.
Hancock isn't the kind of man who cares what other people think -- until the day that he saves the life of PR executive Ray Embrey, and the sardonic superhero begins to realize that he may have a vulnerable side after all.
Hancock is a movie where it answers the question, "What happens if a superhero just doesn't care?" And it does it great!
It adds a surprising sense of sweetness in the film.Unlike other superhero movies, "Hancock" isn't based on a comic book so no one really has an idea of what's going to happen in this film and that's what makes the movie so great!
The film does a great job giving us the information that we would need to know, although it doesn't answer all the questions we want to know, like how Hancock obtained his powers and so on and so forth.
When you think this is going to happen, a twist comes to keep you off guard which makes the film quite refreshing and original than most superhero movies.
Whether you like Will Smith or not, this has everything you could ask for.Some notes for consideration: This was a movie that faced some serious adversity from the beginning.The script for this was written in 1996 which makes the film all the more intriguing knowing just how many directors were cycled through before it finally went into production (11 years later!).
I'm a fan of Will Smith and an even bigger one of Charlize Theron, but still this movie seemed like a waste of money and time.
I really like the good special effects and it was an excellent around 100 minutes movie worth watching.
I won't declare film was a totally awful because it had some pretty fine moment such as that jail scene and the dramatic change in Smith's character of Hancock, starting from a bad outlook, alcoholic superhero whom everyone hates to much better mannered superhero, whom everybody likes.
Will Smith is a good actor, he plays the role relatively well, although its probably not a very hard role to play (Im not saying anything).To sum it all up Hancock is another of the movies that will entertain you.
Suffice to say that like all superhero movies, Hancock is also about sacrifice, and I think that's a theme that the genre cannot do away with.