2008 Woodie Awards
Now Rating: Hancock
Jeff Mason
Issue date: 7/9/08 Section: A&E
Ever since the first X-Men movie, it seems summer has been the time for comic book heroes to shine. Movie goers have been treated to the likes of "Spider-Man," "Batman Begins" and "Iron Man," so it's no surprise to get a little backlash on the whole hero story line. That's where "Hancock" comes in, the inevitable not-so-good-guy hero movie that manages to be a rather messy summer treat.
"Hancock" follows the exploits of the title character played by Will Smith. While he ends up saving the day, Hancock does so at a hefty financial toll. He leaves gaping holes on every road he touches, slams criminals into buildings and destroys cars at a monster truck-like rate. Hancock also carries a bottle of whiskey at all times and taunts his many hecklers born out of his recklessness. In short, he's not the model hero.
But all that begins to change after Hancock saves Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman of FOX's "Arrested Development"). Ray, a struggling public relations man, decides to seize the moment and coaxes Hancock into becoming a client despite objections from his wife, Mary (Charlize Theron). Needless to say, things start to get better for the hero.
The movie can be divided into three parts: destruction, retribution and … confusion. The destruction is fun to watch, and the retributions offers some great comic moments as Hancock adjusts to becoming a nice guy, but the final third is just a mess set off by a twist that comes out of nowhere. It's a very interesting mess, but it's a flood of information that only partially makes sense because all of the pieces just don't come together like they should.
Helming the movie is Peter Berg, who directed "The Kingdom" and created the cult TV show "Friday Night Lights." His signature shaky-cam is in full swing in the start of the movie, but eventually settles down. Berg is also a touch excessive in the amount of damage seen on-screen, which serves to further blur the image he's trying to show.
Smith is excellent as a hardened hero in a movie that lets him play a variety of different emotions. Whether he's preparing his latest victims for their unkind fate or sitting down for a night out at a fancy restaurant, Smith makes it all feel like it's coming from the same person. Bateman works as the struggling PR guy, and Theron bounces off of the two main men well.
Lying deep in the background of the movie is the suggestion that the hero named after one of America's founding fathers is a metaphor of sorts for the U.S. He is arrogant, he can take all comers, he is the only super hero around, he often causes more damage than he fixes and his symbol is the bald eagle. It's remarkably clear and completely invisible at the same time.
While the movie has its moments, in the end it's just too much of a mess to really enjoy. Even so, it's a fun movie to watch and attempts to pull off depth that most blockbuster films never think about touching. It's no wonder they got Theron and Smith to star.
3 out of 5 stars
"Hancock" follows the exploits of the title character played by Will Smith. While he ends up saving the day, Hancock does so at a hefty financial toll. He leaves gaping holes on every road he touches, slams criminals into buildings and destroys cars at a monster truck-like rate. Hancock also carries a bottle of whiskey at all times and taunts his many hecklers born out of his recklessness. In short, he's not the model hero.
But all that begins to change after Hancock saves Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman of FOX's "Arrested Development"). Ray, a struggling public relations man, decides to seize the moment and coaxes Hancock into becoming a client despite objections from his wife, Mary (Charlize Theron). Needless to say, things start to get better for the hero.
The movie can be divided into three parts: destruction, retribution and … confusion. The destruction is fun to watch, and the retributions offers some great comic moments as Hancock adjusts to becoming a nice guy, but the final third is just a mess set off by a twist that comes out of nowhere. It's a very interesting mess, but it's a flood of information that only partially makes sense because all of the pieces just don't come together like they should.
Helming the movie is Peter Berg, who directed "The Kingdom" and created the cult TV show "Friday Night Lights." His signature shaky-cam is in full swing in the start of the movie, but eventually settles down. Berg is also a touch excessive in the amount of damage seen on-screen, which serves to further blur the image he's trying to show.
Smith is excellent as a hardened hero in a movie that lets him play a variety of different emotions. Whether he's preparing his latest victims for their unkind fate or sitting down for a night out at a fancy restaurant, Smith makes it all feel like it's coming from the same person. Bateman works as the struggling PR guy, and Theron bounces off of the two main men well.
Lying deep in the background of the movie is the suggestion that the hero named after one of America's founding fathers is a metaphor of sorts for the U.S. He is arrogant, he can take all comers, he is the only super hero around, he often causes more damage than he fixes and his symbol is the bald eagle. It's remarkably clear and completely invisible at the same time.
While the movie has its moments, in the end it's just too much of a mess to really enjoy. Even so, it's a fun movie to watch and attempts to pull off depth that most blockbuster films never think about touching. It's no wonder they got Theron and Smith to star.
3 out of 5 stars
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