BLOGS
Let's get this out of the way: Hancock is not a great movie. It has all of the makings of one: a terrific cast, a pretty brilliant concept, and loads of ambition. But it never rises too far above any other summer action flick.
There are some truly excellent things about the movie, though:
- Will Smith is a surprise in his willingness to upend his clean-cut, good-guy image -- while playing a superhero, no less. He embraces and seems to utterly enjoy playing a character who, let's face it, is a jackass. He's drunken, disorderly, disagreeable, and mean to kids. And that's just the first five minutes.
- It's really funny. From Jason Bateman's usual dry delivery to Will Smith's rowdy antics, the comedy will certainly keep audiences entertained.
- It's a superhero movie in which -- without giving too much away -- the title character's most heroic acts are entirely human. Sure, he can step in front of a train speeding toward a stalled car or easily end a dangerous hostage situation. But the noblest things he does in the movie are when he puts the happiness of others before his own in a big way.
- It will surprise you. In an age when so few movie scripts come up with anything resembling an original thought, it's nice to get a movie that is not only something you haven't seen a million times before, but also has the ability to draw genuine gasps from the audience.
With all these things going for it, Hancock should have been the best movie of the summer, right? Well, its fatal flaw is that it set the bar too high, and failed to meet its own lofty expectations.
The movie tries to be too many things, and so never settles on what it most wants to be. Is it an action-packed superhero movie carried by a marquee star? A hilarious buddy film, a la Lethal Weapon? Or something deeper and more meaningful than either of those?
The problem is that it has elements of all three, and even more, and never commits fully to any of them.
In other words: If you're looking for next year's Oscar contenders, this probably won't be a movie you'll rush out to see. But if you're looking for something to keep you entertained for a couple hours, Hancock should definitely make your short list.
Add a comment
Search thousands of recaps and more
BLOG ARCHIVES
The Moviefile
December 2008
9 Entries
November 2008
61 Entries
October 2008
102 Entries
September 2008
86 Entries
August 2008
99 Entries
July 2008
116 Entries
June 2008
95 Entries
May 2008
86 Entries
April 2008
67 Entries
March 2008
14 Entries
Blog Categories
A Festival for the Rest...ival
13 Entries
Accidents Do Happen
39 Entries
Adventures in Fakery
26 Entries
Animation Desensitization
24 Entries
Box Office Tally
47 Entries
Cool Nerds Guide
2 Entries
Director? I Hardly Knew Her!
102 Entries
For Your Amusement (Park)
6 Entries
Foreign Relations
23 Entries
Girls on Film
23 Entries
I Voted for GORE!
53 Entries
I Want My DVD
23 Entries
I've Got Two Tickets to Merchandise
30 Entries
It Came From San Diego
9 Entries
It's a Major Award!
18 Entries
Legal Eaglese
14 Entries
Let's Blame the Media!
42 Entries
Let's Go To The Video!
13 Entries
Lights, Camera... Action Jackson!
43 Entries
Little TV Shows That Done Hit the Big Time
44 Entries
Martial Artistry
4 Entries
Momentous Occasions
18 Entries
Musicalifornication
22 Entries
Obituaries Without Pity
10 Entries
Pros and Controversy
8 Entries
Reviews of Movies We've Actually Seen
27 Entries
Scary Monsters & Super Creeps
11 Entries
Sci-Fidelity
39 Entries
Script From the Headlines!
50 Entries
Separate but Sequel
140 Entries
Strike Watch
13 Entries
Stupid Cinematic Celebrity Sayings
32 Entries
Taste the Reading Rainbow
45 Entries
The Art of the Cannes
6 Entries
The Biz
96 Entries
The Casting Conch
133 Entries
The History, Booooyyyyy!
47 Entries
The Kongs of Comedy
73 Entries
Theatre With an "R" and an "E"
8 Entries
Top of the
0 Entries
Top of the MWoP
4 Entries
Trailer Trashing
22 Entries
Video Games Killed the Movie Star
13 Entries
We Call Do-Over
100 Entries
We Watches the Watchmen
22 Entries
What's Up, Documentary?
3 Entries
You Got Comic Book in My Movie
152 Entries
You Know, For Kids!
55 Entries