Review: Hancock (2008)

[Homer Yen]

"Hancock" Gets Out of Control
by Homer Yen
(c) 2008

If you've seen Will Smith's new movie, "Hancock", then you'll easily
remember the parts of the film where the titular, undisciplined
superhero takes off or lands.  He thrusts into the air leaving behind
a crater.  He smashes into the ground upon landing, creating a crater.
 His movements felt so herky-jerky that he makes the Hulk seem like a
ballet dancer.  The movie also felt too herky-jerky.  It lurches
between gears so many times that I felt that "Hancock" had a
transmission problem.  I wasn't sure whether to take this review to
the film posting website or to scribble it on the back of an AAMCO
comment card (double-A, beep-beep, M C O).

"Hancock", nonetheless, is still a novel idea because it doesn't focus
on the super hero.  Rather, it focuses on the super amounts of
collateral damage that result from the nature of his work.  Spiderman
puts the bad guys in a sticky web.  This makes it easy for the cops to
come and get their quarry.  However, Hancock leaves them dangling in
their getaway car atop the Capitol Records building in downtown Los
Angeles.

Hancock has the same powers as Superman minus the cape, the manners,
the charm, and the thoughtfulness.  Seeing Hancock up close and
personal can either elicit feelings of assurance or feelings of
impending property damage.  Of course, the crater is a given.  I can
imagine the heads of the Department of Transportation and the
Department of Public Works pulling their hair out each time Hancock
arrives or leaves.

The interesting twist is that Hancock doesn't seem to really care
about his surrounding environment.  I'm not even convinced that he
cares all that much about the people.  A successful rescue without
human loss of life seems more like a bonus rather than the goal.  This
superhero is boozy.  This one curses.  This one retaliates.  And this
one takes everything and everyone for granted.

You know how we kind of take things for granted when staying at a
four-star hotel?  Trash is thrown on the floor, crumbs are left by the
bedside table, and towels are haphazardly tossed into the corners of
the bathroom.  We know the cleaning crew will tidy everything up.
Goodness! I can hear my Dad in the back of my head yelling at me when
I was 14, living at home, and had left my laundry on the floor: "hey,
do you think you live in a hotel?"

"Hancock" is sort-of-funny in two ways.  When Hancock applies his
brand of heroics, the result is more than just bad guys getting
captured.  His efforts get overshadowed by huge damage costs, warrants
for his arrest due to his wanton disregard, and even the ire of
Greenpeace.  It's also sort-of-funny when he meets Ray Embrey (Jason
Bateman) and his wife, Mary (Charlize Theron).  Ray is a wide-eyed and
earnest public relations pro who would genuinely like to help Hancock
change his image.  Actually, in his scenes where he pleads with
Hancock to think through his actions, he is surprisingly the best
thing about the film.  Mary has her own agenda, and the Hancock/Mary
kitchen conflict scene is probably the funniest of the film.

Unfortunately, the film is just all over the place.  There's a good
film in here somewhere.  There are nice plot twists as the story moves
along.  The acting is as good as it can get for a film like this.
There are some grand moments that get your adrenaline going.  But it's
all buried deep beneath needless over-the-top destruction, invariably
unconvincing special effects, and uneven pacing.

Grade: C+

S:  1 out of 3
L:  2 out of 3
V:  2 out of 3