Hancock

( 2008 )

**** 1/2

I have been waiting several weeks, even months to see this movie. Its unique way of advertising a superhero intrigued me. Who would think of a superhero that is a drunk, depressed, and has a dark mysterious past? If you ask me, that alone almost sounds like a super-villain. Well Hancock is neither a super-villain, nor your classic superhero. He simply has his own classification.

I vaguely recall when this film was entitled, “Tonight, He Comes,” on IMDb.com, and the plot of course said something about a superhero. I thought to myself, Will Smith in a superhero movie? How will that work? Needless to say I was very excited to see how it all went down. After the days passed, and more and more hype built up, I was ready to see it. Did it meet my expectations? You can say that.

Hancock stars Will Smith as ‘John’ Hancock. About 80 years ago, Hancock woke up in a hospital with no memory of what happened to him before that day. Living with amnesia, Hancock learned that he had supernatural powers, and could not age. One would think, with great power, comes great responsibility, but Hancock never got that memo. In present day, he isn’t thought of as much of a heroic figure. He does what he wants, because there is no one that can stop him. He stops criminals and saves lives, but at what cost? He ends up damaging property and running the risk of harming others along the way.

His life however may not be all that bad, because Jason Bateman’s character, Ray, comes by to help him out. He suggests to Hancock that he should go to prison, because then when the city needs him the most, he can be there for them. Which he does go, and after a little time in the slammer, he begins to reflect on his life.

Will Smith is one of my all time favorite actors. He knows where it is at, and knows how to make a good movie. Much like Shia Labeouf, or Tom Cruise in his earlier days, (before he joined a cult.) Will Smith is a very talented actor, and I try not to miss a chance to see him in theaters. Hancock is yet again, another great film of his. It has something that is unlike any other superhero film out there, originality. Hancock is his own character. While technically, there is no main villain in the film, there is the Man Vs. Self conflict. The darkness that he deals with every day regarding his past is his villain and weakness.

I had a lot of fun with this movie. I was very glad I finally saw it. The twist at the end had me completely surprised. I thought it was really done pretty well. My one flaw that I have with this movie was its excessive language. It’s not a huge problem, but I think in the long run, it subtracted from my viewing experience. Peace out!