Hancock Movie Review
Hancock-The "Hollowood" Bi-Polar Express
Was I going to be in for a real shocker? Was it going to happen? I was actually watching a film written by one of the guys who killed The X-Files, Vince Gilligan, and another guy, Akiva Goldsman, who has been responsible for some of the worst films I have ever seen, and I was having a good time? What? Could this be happening? The answer is yes and then-no.
The first half of Hancock is really good and is a fun time. Trust me, knowing that Goldman had put his “Batman and Robin/Lost In Space/Mr. and Mrs. Smith” mitts on it, I was stunned, but the whole “drunk a-hole Superman” thing, while simple, was great and satisfying. I said, to myself, what is happening here? Is this a superhero movie released in 2008 that doesn’t royally suck? Now, that is not to say that there were things I didn’t like, but the core story, of the self-loathing drunk jerk superhero, Hancock (Will Smith) saving a struggling PR man (Jason Bateman) who reshapes his image, well it was sort of genius actually. Hancock getting a makeover, trying to be helpful, treating people with respect was fun to watch. For a few remarkable moments, their in the dark, I thought that I had been too hard on the silver-spooned Goldman, then it all went straight to hell. Straight to hell I tell you. Straight to hell.
This is tricky, for if I tell you what went wrong specifically, I would have effectively given away a very large plot point. Let’s just say that when the director and writers feel the need to explain Hancock’s origin, well, their creative reach exceeds their grasp and by a very wide margin. The explanation is so moronic, so dim witted, you will be left feeling as though the Republican Party had a hand in it all (review written around the time of a certain VP selection). In my mind, the second half of Hancock descends into mire so thick, so idiotic that you will be left stunned. Have I made it clear enough? Its remarkable in its stupidity, and in that sense, makes it worth seeing. No really.
All these issues aside there is one immensely interesting issue that could easily be overlooked. Hancock is named, sort of, after John Hancock, a true patriot, no doubt and I am not being sarcastic. Hancock (Smith) loves eagles and, even before undergoing his image makeover and 12-step program, yes he is a 12-step program, he wares a Philadelphia Eagles knit cap.
Later Hancock has a superhero suit, with the eagle on the back. The eagle looks just like the one on his knit cap and a lot like the symbol of a certain country. The first time we see him in the suit, he enters a hostage situation and is promptly engulfed in a sea of bullets. These bullets mean nothing to him and he walks toward the group of bad guys inside the bank without a care in the world, because he is impervious to bullets. The eagle on his back is displayed prominently. Pretty interesting stuff for liberal Hollowood (I have to go through this disclaimer every time now because some idiot thought I was misspelling Hollywood. It’s "Hollowood" on purpose.) don’t you think? Some might say it seemed like a recruitment video, judge for yourself.
Oh Hollowood, why do you keep doing this to us? Why do you keep throwing these bi-polar flicks at us, which are good in the beginning, only to fall apart in the middle? Remember the good old days when we all complained about movies falling apart in the end? Now, it’s the middle. In the case of Hancock this falling to pieces really irritated me, because you know what people, Hancock could have been a really fun film, that might have even been sequel worthy, and they blew it. Big time.
Story C- (The first half of Hancock is a B+, the second half is a D-.)
Acting B (What can I say? Smith and Bateman are good in Hancock.)
Visuals B- (The visuals in the first half of the film are a solid B, but the second half a C-as much of the work was more like a videogame cut scene.)
Enjoyability Grade C (First half of Hancock gets a B+, but the second half gets a D.)
Home Theater/HD Factor B-
Overall Grade C (Hancock could have been a B+ with just a little imagination. You’ll understand after you see it. Hancock may feature an all-powerful superman, but Hancock is a weakling in the imagination department.)
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