Review of HANCOCK
A few people I know who saw the trailer for Hancock thought it revealed everything in the movie. They boasted that they can write an accurate review of the movie just from the trailer.
If you think you know what the story is about, well think again. Seriously.
Hancock is simply one of the very rare Hollywood blockbusters today that can still surprise. Nothing you already know about superhero movies will prepare you for this. I assure you.
The movie starts off as a regular superhero flick, albeit one where the superhero keeps screwing things up despite his best intentions. It's almost a spoof of the genre. Hancock (Will Smith) is the drunk superdude whose heroics keep costing the city of Los Angeles millions in damages to property. In comes Ray (Jason Bateman), a PR guy who is rescued by Hancock from a near-death situation with a train. Ray is genuinely thankful to Hancock, unlike the rest of LA. He thinks he has the perfect plan to improve Hancock's public image. Ray thinks Hancock should give himself up to the authorities who already want to incarcerate him for all the trouble he's caused. Ray thinks once Hancock is in jail, the city will start missing him when there's no one to rescue them anymore. These are not spoilers. They're all in the trailer!
Of course, Ray's plans go extremely well, and Hancock becomes a loveable icon. But there's more to the guy than he seems. And somewhere along the way, the movie takes a completely unpredictable turn, and I guarantee you won't see it coming. It's far-out, but it's very well done. It's the one thing they never even hinted at in the trailer. And it's what makes the film such a stand-out among this summer's fare. All other superhero movies pale by comparison. It might seem like I'm overpraising the movie, but when you've been getting movie after movie that disappoints or is just mediocre, or entertains but is forgettable, Hancock comes as a very refreshing surprise. I say there's hope yet for Hollywood blockbusters.
At some point, it becomes a whole different movie altogether. It's smart, it's funny (although some jokes do fall flat), and it's got a whole lot of heart. It might even make you a little tearful. It's that good. It's so good, I will stop writing anything more about the film, because it would give away too much.
I just have this to say to Peter Berg and Will Smith: GOOD JOB!
