Hancock
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 1 hour, 35 minutes
Directed by: Peter Berg
Starring:
Will Smith - John Hancock
Charlize Theron - Mary Embrey
Jason Bateman - Ray Embrey
Hancock is a film that's only going to bother pedantic, whiny film critics like myself. And why it bothers me isn't even that big of a deal. For the most part, Hancock is a really fun movie that yet again shows why Will Smith is the king of the July 4th weekend. You don't need a franchise for that weekend. You just need Big Willie Style. Or so I'm told. However, Smith can only work his magic on a Fourth of July, when the moon is full and his has drank his fill of centaur blood. There was a huge profile in GQ. You should read it.
If you've seen any of the commercials for Hancock, they do a pretty good job of summing up the first half of the film: John Hancock (Smith) is a drunk, disorderly superhero but he's the only one doing the saving. However, the citizens of the city don't care for his conduct and it takes the nurturing of a saintly publicist (Jason Bateman, almost stealing the film from Smith) to rehabilitate both Hancock's image and spirit. Hancock becomes the hero he always could be and gets the recognition he always deserves. That's about fifty-five minutes of the film's ninety-five minute runtime. The other forty…well that's a curve ball where the film is still good, but the twist is such a game-changer that it feels like you're watching an abbreviated action film and its sequel.
The word that sums up my big problem with Hancock is incongruity. The first half has almost thematically nothing to do with the second half. Peter Berg, who is a wonderful director, shoots almost all the film in a documentary style except for the action scenes, which feel too CG'd to capture the realness he's going for in the rest of the film. The film's big twist is so abrupt (although not unexpected; it's well-telegraphed) that the characters can't seem to keep up and so their transformation seems sudden and unnatural.
But does it matter? The set pieces are still exciting. The humor is sharp and the performances are solid. The score is wonderful and I wish that other superhero films had music this good. But for someone like me who can't simply sit back and revel in the smashing, Hancock seems like a film that needs a little more polish and at only 95 minutes, certainly has the room to flesh out the characters and the plot. However, for everyone else, you're probably going to have a great time and see that Will Smith can do just about anything and the reason he's the king of the July 4th weekend is because that's when they tend to release his action movies. Hancock has him sitting comfortably upon his throne.
Words by
Matt Goldberg
6.23.08