Peter Berg's "Hancock" puts a refreshing new spin on the superhero genre by keeping a majority of the conflict within. The title character fights his share of bad guys, but it's his own struggle for identity that takes center stage, a struggle that would be relatable were it not for his super-strength powers. As a man who can't remember his real name or even where he came from, Hancock may actually be worse off than Bruce Wayne; despite emotional scarring from a painful past, at least he's always known who he is. Hancock has been given powers without knowing why, and because of that, he has no idea how to use them. He's the superhero no one wants to be saved by, a lonely, miserable, self-destructive man who can't get along with anyone. As the film progresses, we wait for that climactic moment when this character is finally given the chance to redeem himself.As interesting as this character is, "Hancock" is not everything it could have been. This is mostly due to a gigantic plot twist that I wouldn't dream of describing, not even in vague terms. All I can say is that it's outlandish, implausible, and underdeveloped, not what one would expect from a small scale, character driven superhero film. Strangely enough, it feels the most like a comic book when the secret is revealed, which would have been fine if the entire film had gone in the same direction. But it didn't; "Hancock" starts off subtly by satirizing the very concept of superheroes, from the way the act to how they look to why they're compelled to save the day in the first place. The film opens with a high-speed chase on a Los Angeles highway, one that involves heavy gunfire. Hancock (Will Smith) doesn't know what's going on because he's passed out on a sidewalk bench, drunk as a skunk; a boy no older than six has to wake him up and tell him that the bad guys are getting away.
We quickly learn that, while Hancock has stopped a fair number of violent criminals, he still does a lot more harm than good. Whenever he flies, his takeoffs and landings leave gaping holes in the concrete. He damages buildings and destroys cars. He's provoked far too easily, especially when he's being called a specific dirty name. He drinks far too much. He's antisocial, apathetic, and angry, not helped by the fact that no one praises him for the lowered crime rate. Then he saves the life of Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman), a down-on-his-luck public relations professional; to show his gratitude, he decides to help Hancock reestablish his image. The first step is responding to an outstanding arrest warrant and actually spending time in jail. Ray believes this will give the impression that Hancock is willing to improve. He also believes that, since the crime rate will increase, Hancock will be released much earlier than usual.
I won't get into the specifics of how long Hancock stays in jail and what happens in that time, but rest assured that he's eventually released and given a second chance. As he desperately tries to make sense of himself, Hancock gets closer to Ray and his family. The young son, Aaron (Jae Head), almost treats Hancock like his best friend, always so excited around him, always wanting to share toys and talk about trivial things. The wife, Mary (Charlize Theron), is always suspicious around Hancock; she's distant, cold, and short-winded whenever he's near her. I won't say whether or not there's a reason for this, but I will say that by the time everything is explained, we're left with more questions than answers.
That's about as much of the plot I can describe without spoiling anything. The best I can say at this point is to go see the film and find out what I couldn't describe. "Hancock" is worth seeing, even if the plot strays from itself a few too many times. There's a moment when the city is attacked by freak weather (which includes snow and multiple tornadoes), and I couldn't help but believe it was only for the sake of showing cool visual effects. I suppose that could be interpreted as satire, since visual effects are the very heart and soul of the average superhero film. The thing is, "Hancock" is not average--it brings something original to the genre, something modern and lively and (to some extent) realistic. When you get your first look at Hancock, you see not a sterile do-gooder like Superman but a filthy vagrant, with all the sadness in the world swimming in his bloodshot eyes. He's just plain pathetic.
While Ray's goal is for Hancock to make peace with the public, the film's goal is for Hancock to make peace with himself. Even after tossing a young French bully hundreds of feet into the air and catching him just before he hits the ground, we sense that Hancock is more misunderstood than anything else. He's deeply flawed, but that doesn't mean he's unwilling to change. If the plot of "Hancock" were at the same developmental level as the main character, it would be one of the decade's most thought provoking superhero films, right up there with this year's "Iron Man." Unfortunately, it isn't; it loses itself to a crafty plot twist, and the explanations that go along with it are impossible to accept. Nevertheless, the inner struggle of the title character made this movie worthwhile, as did the special effects and the satirical manipulation of the superhero genre.
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Product Description:
Academy Award® nominee Will Smith (Best Actor, The Pursuit of Happyness, 2006) stars in this action-packed comedy as Hancock, a sarcastic, hard-living and misunderstood superhero who has fallen out of favor with the public. When Hancock grudgingly agrees to an extreme makeover from idealistic publicist Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman, Juno), his life and reputation rise from the ashes and all seems right again--until he meets a woman (2003 Academy Award® winner Charlize Theron, Best Actress, Monster) with similar powers to his and the key to his secret past.
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