It seems that there’s not much Will Smith can’t do. The man is a great actor, he’s a talented musician; he served as co-creator and writer on the hit CW television show "All of Us", and, let’s face it, he’s had a hand in producing some pretty cute (and talented) children. With all of those credits to his name, you’d think he could do no wrong. Too bad Hancock proves that no matter how good he is, a movie cannot be saved on the merits of Will Smith alone.
Hancock is the story of a lonely super hero. He is the only one of his kind (or so he thinks). He has super strength, impenetrable skin, and the ability to fly. He uses these powers to do his part to rid the city of crime. The problems lie in the fact that Hancock is an alcoholic bum whose "crime fighting" methods leave a lot to be desired. The fall out and subsequent damages that spawn from his attempts to "save" the city from persons of ill repute end up costing so much to repair that eventually those in power decide that Hancock is doing more harm than good. Luckily for our jerk of a hero though, he saved the life of PR man Ray Embry (Jason Bateman). Together they formulate a plan. Hancock will go to jail and sit out a sentence until the city’s crime rate is so high that the police commissioner has no choice but to beg him for help. By this time, the lovably aloof Embry will have worked his PR magic and turned Hancock into a decent human being.
The trailer for this movie had me thrilled. It looked like it could have been amazing! Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t horrid, but there were things that made it less than stellar in my eyes. Will Smith is a great actor, he wears many hats, and is a bona fide cinematic super star of our time. He does well here, but not great. Jason Bateman performs adequately, even if he was a bit too sheepish and cowardly at times.
The real issue I took with this film was that it failed in the final act. The buildup was amazing and it could have been dazzling, but ultimately the follow through tanked. Without ruining anything for you I’ll say that in the last quarter of the film, a character that we were given no real reason to care about all of a sudden becomes a veritable lynch pin in the dissection of Hancock’s past, and ultimately the entire rest of the film. I felt like I was theatrically blindsided and it wasn’t in a good way. The turn from alcoholic douche to rubber-suited fan-favorite super hero happens far too quickly. Hancock gained a conscience overnight and that just doesn’t happen. Many of the final scenes seemed awkward and misplaced and a lot of it just didn’t seem to fit.
I will recommend that you see this film just so you can judge its quality. It’s the type of situation that requires if not deserves a viewing before you ultimately decide to agree or argue with me. There are some great parts, and the humor hits hard at times. I’d say that at least for a while, you will enjoy yourself.
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