Hancock’: Our superhero
soars, crashes

At the Movies
By Senitra Horbrook

Hancock is a superhero who can save the world from dangerous criminals, but unfortunately Will Smith couldn’t save Hancock from its bad script and terrible plot twist.
The premise given away in the previews — a drunk, down-and-out superhero loathed by the police and public — is quite good, interesting and funny. It’s too bad the movie didn’t stick with this premise throughout.
The saying "too many cooks spoil the broth" seems fitting for Hancock. According to published reports, the script exchanged hands among various writers and directors over a number of years before it finally wound up in the hands of credited writers Vincent Ngo and Vince Gilligan and director Peter Berg (The Kingdom).
That may be why the tone is unbalanced, shifting from dark comedy to serious drama.
Yes, Hancock employs a bit of "bait and switch" to entice potential audiences through the previews, then completely shifts gears with a twist you may slightly suspect, but really won’t see coming at its full extent.
The first hour of the film is when Hancock is at its best. The movie begins with Hancock (Smith) sleeping on a bench, a bottle of liquor in his hand. A small child alerts him to a situation on TV that seems to be more than police can control. Hancock flies off to the rescue, somewhat recklessly and clumsily, causing millions of dollars in damage. So although he saves the day, he’s met with disapproval and scorn from everyone.
That is until one day when he saves the life of publicist Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman). Ray sees the good in Hancock and thinks he can be redeemed. Ray’s wife Mary (Charlize Theron) initially is not so trusting and regards Hancock with great suspicion and disdain.
This is the plot that should have stuck. Unfortunately, after this interesting and funny first hour, the final 30 minutes take on a completely different tone with the aforementioned twist, which results in large plot holes. The twist itself had the potential to be interesting, but what is done after that ruins the movie.
It’s also not until after the shift from funny to serious that the movie gets a villain. This baddie seems much like an afterthought that really isn’t needed. Another problem I had with the movie is the time spent explaining how Hancock got his powers and what happens when he comes in contact with others who have similar powers.
Hancock is not your typical comic-book superhero (i.e. Iron Man, Spider-Man, Superman), and the movie seems to be the antithesis of those films, so when the explanation begins, it just feels out of place.
Smith is good as an unlikable superhero, a new thing for him since he usually plays more affable and charismatic characters. Even though Bateman and Theron are playing husband and wife, it actually is Smith who has smoldering chemistry with Theron.
Will Smith is a good actor and a proven box-office draw, but I think word-of-mouth will hurt this big summer blockbuster. He, Bateman and Theron seem to do the best they can in Hancock with what they have. The fact of the matter is it’s just not the meaty, memorable stuff that great movies are made of, making Hancock a Fourth of July dud. ••
Movie Grade: B-