Hancock

Will Smith is one of my favorite actors. I am unabashedly a huge fan of his work. I don't hide that fact. Putting him in a Superhero movie seemed to guarantee I would absolutely love the movie. Opening it on "Big Willie Weekend" was even more of a sure thing. However, something happened about month ago that worried me; the running time got trimmed from nearly two hours down to 90 minutes. Anytime a movie is trimmed that close to a release that is kind of a big warning sign. But, if anyone could put me at ease about that it is Will Smith.

John Hancock(Smith) is a drunk superhero who causes more damage than he is worth to the city of Los Angeles. He puts criminals away, but causes damages in excess of 5 million dollars. Everyone hates him, including little kids. Hancock has a foul mouth and a tendency to try and grab girls' rear ends. One day he saves the life of Ray Embrey(Jason Bateman) and it causes quite a train wreck. Everyone else is telling Hancock to get out of town, but Embrey thanks him and extends an invitation for Hancock to eat dinner with his family. Embrey's son, Aaron loves Hancock, as kids should love a superhero, but Ray's wife, Mary(Charlize Theron) despises Hancock. Ray works in Public Relations and he has visions of changing the world. He sees Hancock as his way to do that. He convinces Hancock to change his image. Hancock spends a few weeks in jail and comes out a real superhero. In a great dinner scene we get glimpses of Hancock's back story. 80 years prior he woke up in a hospital in Miami with a concussion. He seemed like a mere mortal when he got there, but he healed super quickly and was indestructible. He could fly and was super strong as well.

Hancock is a unique superhero movie because it is not an origin story. In fact, there is very little that deals with where Hancock came from and how he came to be. There is a twist that is obvious but that twist comes with another twist that is less obvious. It is also unique in that the villain gets almost no screen time and there isn't really a super villain. Hancock is truly a movie about a guy who is searching for his place in the world. It is a classic story, but features a guy who can fly. Smith is incredible in both modes of Hancock. He is very convincing as the asshole, which is weird because it plays totally against the Will Smith type. And when Hancock becomes the hero we all want him to be, Smith is effortless, of course. Bateman really brings a lot to the role of Ray. The conversations he and Hancock have go beyond just banter by earnestly believing he can change the world. Theron brings her smart sexiness to a role that requires some bizarre transitions. In fact, Theron is probably the most harmed by the 30 minute cutting.

My complaints about Hancock all revolve around the 30 minute cut. There are questions asked, but not answered and a lot of the mythology is left unexplained because it ended up ont he cutting room floor. There are a few lines of dialog that don't make sense because semi-important things were cut in favor of more action, but my enjoyment of the film was not really harmed. Sure, I wanted more mythology, but I am a guy who lives for mythology of superheros and serialized television. Plus, the mythology of Hancock seemed very interesting and incredibly unique. I guess I will have to wait for the DVD to be fully satisfied.

That is not to say this movie didn't satisfy me because it did. The action sequences are wonderfully paced and I thought the CGI flying looked good. I liked that the movie didn't really turn into a CGI spectacle save for one scene involving a semi truck being thrown on Hancock. I actually loved the shift in tone, that has thrown a lot of people off. The movie starts in a kind of dark comedy mode, with many jokes and one-liners, but in the final 30 minutes the movie makes a massive turn and becomes a pretty dark movie, especially the climax. Peter Berg (The director) directs a brilliant climax inside a hospital that is thrilling, scary and heart breaking. Mixing brutal violence with blood curdling screams really was effective and surprising. It was like watching the one good scene in Superman Returns where Lex Luthor is gleefully beating the crap out of Superman. It is so unexpected that it is hard not to be affected by it.

Hancock is not a perfect movie, but it is immensely entertaining and the performances are really strong. Peter Berg, in his first huge budget movie, really knows how to mix story and action and I do not blame him for the short comings. I blame a meddlesome studio and idiot people at test screenings. It is worth seeing on the big screen, but remember that it is a little open ended. Hancock feels like the beginning arc of a trilogy, like The Bourne Identity. With a $100,000,000.00 opening week, I am sure a sequel will be in the works and maybe we will learn more about Hancock's origins. For now, just sit back and enjoy Will Smith as a drunk superhero.

Final Grade: B+