‹ Independence Day – Schoolhouse Rock Style •
Will Smith is the reigning king of summer blockbusters. Over the last few years he’s starred in two Men in Black movies, Independence Day, and I, Robot. His latest offering, Hancock, is a different spin on the superhero genre.
Smith plays John Hancock, a hero with powers similar to Superman, but who lives on the fringes of society. He saves people and stops criminals, but takes little care to minimize damage to property along the way. The public is split in their opinions of Hancock, with some appreciative of his help, and others furious over the damage he causes in the process. When the police decide to press charges against him he must choose: give himself up and try to change the public’s perception of him, or continue fighting crime and pissing people off.
Hancock is a very solid summer movie. The plot is interesting and novel. It’s a new twist on the superhero genre. The performances are good, with solid efforts from Smith, goody-two-shoes Jason Bateman, and super hottie Charlize Theron. Overall it does exactly what a big summer movie should do: it entertains.
For all its entertainment value, it’s not a great movie. It’s a cool twist on the genre, but it’s missing on of the genre’s biggest requirements: a bad guy. The “villain” is lame and feels tacked on. This is a theme that keeps popping up in this summer’s crop of blockbusters. Iron Monger seemed like an afterthought in Iron Man. The Abomination is basically a different version of The Incredible Hulk. And the bad guy in Hancock is a regular criminal who doesn’t even show up until the end of the second act. Hopefully this trend will stop in about two weeks…
Despite the lack of a real enemy for Will Smith, Hancock delivers on what it sets out to do. Plus it provides the best single line I’ve heard in the movies this year. After Hancock saves someone’s life, destroying a bunch of shit in the process, a lady says to him “I smell liquor on your breath”. To which he replies, incredulously, “I’ve been drinking Bitch!”.
Rating: 
