Hancock Review

I recently got a chance to check out the new film Hancock, starring Will Smith. I remembered how I liked his performance in I Am Legend and was in the mood for more.

John Hancock is a basically an antisocial superhero that nobody wants. He's always coming up with brutally straight-forward solutions, instead of thinking things over. Every time he saves the day he costs people thousands(sometimes millions) of dollars in damages in the process. When a warrant is obtained for his arrest, a public relations expert suggests that he let himself get incarcerated. The expert claims that within two weeks the crime rate will go up and everyone will want him back, and Hancock will get the acceptance he's wanted deep down all his life.

The story is interesting at first, but soon loses most all sense of coherence. Most all the characters are stereotypical, accept for Will Smith's part, and I even had trouble relating to him when the second act of the story started to grind. The truth is the plot doesn't have a very concrete sense of direction, and becomes even less solid at the twist point around two-thirds into the movie. Of course the dullness of the action didn't help, either. There was one part that had real potential for a good fight scene, but ended up so terribly choreographed I almost cried.

But most importantly, it's just an unintelligible tale. It can't decide what it's all about. It's sad really, because the first act and a half could have been great simply as a short story or Twilight Zone episode, if properly structured.

If Will Smith hadn't starred in Hancock, it would have been a bad film. Real bad. Smith's charm has improved the atmosphere of the story a good amount. Still, it's a mediocre movie that I'm quite sure I never want to see again.

Rating: 5 out of 10