Hancock- Early Review

[JasonEvans]

I got to a screening over the weekend and only now have time to post my thoughts.

As you can probably guess, you will find no WALL*E-style gushing in this post. Hancock is far from one of the best films of the year.

Still, it is not a total disaster. I am very conflicted on this flick. I give it high marks for taking a new and creative approach to the ever-growing superhero genre of films. The first half of the film has some nice humor and genuinely human moments that were quite enjoyable. I was drawn in to the main character and to his internal struggle over who he is. The set-up is there for a really fresh and original film that could be something remarkable.



And then it begins to fall apart. Many critics have written about how the story veers off in a strange direction in the second half of the film. I will be a bit kinder and say that the story itself is largely ok, but they told it in a disjointed fashion. Concepts and plot twists are revealed in a fashion that makes each new revelation feel uncomfortable and awkward. I think some of these story lines could have been presented to us differently, maybe slower or in a different order, and it would have been a lot better. It is also problematic that the first half of the movie is largely played out as a comedy while the second half is a drama -- often with very sad moments. The second half is almost completely devoid of humor and it is not easy for the audience to switch gears like this.

The ending, the final 10 minutes or so, is really awful. I was never clear why things were happening exactly as they did. I think it is essential for a superhero movie to have an internal logic to the superhero character and his/her powers. It must stay faithful to that logic and story or we will lose faith in the honesty of the story. Hancock forgot that directive and the ending suffered mightily as a result.



From an acting standpoint-- Will Smith is good as Hancock. He is always likable and his fans will not be disappointed in his performance. Jason Bateman plays a PR guy who is a bit too nice and sweet. It felt a bit like he was doing his Arrested Development character much of the time. I wanted more realism out of him. Charlize Theron, who plays Bateman's wife, is the bane of the movie. Her character is key to the story but her storylines are the ones that just do not work the way they should. I am not sure it was all her fault though as I am not sure any actress could have saved her character given the way it had to be played. Blech!!

The movie also suffers from a truly lame bad guy (a no-name actor) in a small role that could have been a lot more interesting and menacing. I am not sure if he was supposed to be comic relief, but it almost played that way.

It is worth noting that I am not going to say more about the story or actors because I do not want to give away spoilers -- but the idiots at Sony have been producing trailers and especially commercials lately that give away a very significant plot twist. I am angry at them for doing this-- especially because the story-line they are revealing is not something that sells them movie. "Will Smith as a superhero who drinks and gets in trouble" is enough to sell the movie. Why they are giving away key elements of the end of the film is beyond me!



Hancock is a decent film and Will Smith fans will certainly enjoy much of it. I left the film not entirely disappointed in my moviegoing experience, but aware that I could have had a better time if the picture had not been so flawed. It is my bet that a lot of folks will not feel as kind toward this movie as I did. I blame director Peter Berg for messing up what could have been a great film. I think the elements are there for something far better than what he delivered. This is a case where the whole is less than the sum of the parts -- if that makes sense.

--Jason "attached to the film is a brand new trailer for the new Bond film, Quantum of Solace -- the trailer was not very good though" Evans

[DukeDude]

The first half of the film has some nice humor and genuinely human moments that were quite enjoyable. I was drawn in to the main character and to his internal struggle over who he is. The set-up is there for a really fresh and original film that could be something remarkable.

These sentences from your Hancock review sound like they could have been written about Will Smith's last film, 'I am Legend'. I thought that movie started strong before running off into the weeds. It seems like he is in a bit of a rut.

[brevity]

Thanks for the review. I've had no desire to see this movie despite liking the premise (and Will Smith in general). But in the past couple of weeks I've drawn from his many promotional appearances on various shows (Letterman, Colbert, etc.) a sense of desperation. Any time I notice that I can tell that the movie leans toward being a stinker.

Not that it will matter, box office wise. Hancock should make, at the very least, I Am Legend money (which, at $256 million, is nothing to sneeze at). I agree it's a rut, maybe of a creative nature, but 99 percent of actors would like to have that rut.

[bdh21]

--Jason "attached to the film is a brand new trailer for the new Bond film, Quantum of Solace -- the trailer was not very good though" Evans

Question for you: what didn't you like about the Bond trailer?

[JasonEvans]

Question for you: what didn't you like about the Bond trailer?

No cool gadgets that I saw.

No hints at an interesting plot/story aside from a bad guy saying "we have agents EVERYWHERE," implying that there are double-agents inside the British Secret Service.

Lots of somewhat random-looking action scenes.

Mostly just M telling Bond to stop acting out of revenge and Bond coolly responding that he is acting out of justice, or something like that.

It just was not very interesting or exciting. Looked like any random action movie to me.

--Jason "doesn't mean it is not a good movie, just a so-so trailer" Evans

[JasonEvans]

These sentences from your Hancock review sound like they could have been written about Will Smith's last film, 'I am Legend'. I thought that movie started strong before running off into the weeds. It seems like he is in a bit of a rut.

You know, I kept on thinking about Legend while I was watching this movie. In terms of theme and story and pace and just about everything else, they are in no way similar aside from having Will Smith as the lead, but I think this film will present Smith fans with another tough decision about their taste in his movies. I think Legend was a better made film than this one, by a long shot, but it was a more difficult story to like. This film has a story that should be easy to like and extremely marketable, though the execution of the back0half of the story is so poor it may produce disappointing results.

I really cannot decide how it will do. I thought Legend would be boxoffice poison because there was too much horror there. No way did I think it would get to $250 or so million. I'd have pegged it at strong $130-$150, which would be fine but not a blockbuster. Will Smith's appeal proved me wrong. I won't be shocked if that happens again.

This guy is the biggest star in Hollywood, and it ain't even close right now. If you put just about anyone else in the lead in Hancock, the movie does not get a prime release date (Will Smith owns the 4th of July!) and its boxoffice maxes out around $100 million (and that would be a real push). But, I think Will's presence will take it to somewhere close to $200 million. Again, not because of the quality of the film, but because he is such an appealing star.

I would also add that despite the problems of the film's final half, Smith fans will enjoy him in this role and they will not have a bad movie-watching experience.

--Jason "the man is B.O. gold, I am telling ya!" Evans

[bhd28]

Thanks, Jason! From what I have read about how they changed the original screenplay to make the lead (once Will Smith got it) more likable and give him a very good reason for being the way he is and some of his decisions/actions regarding other major characters, it seemed like it would definitely make for a very dis-jointed movie. My guess is that the original story would have been MUCH MUCH MUCH better. Sorry if that was confusing, but I didn't want to give any spoilers. Suffice it to say, in the original screenplay, the 'bad guy' isn't really that critical to the story and you probably wouldn't end up liking Hancock as much at the end of the movie.

[knights68]

I had been curious for awhile now if this movie was going to be worth my time. My first hint of suspicion was that this movie, with Mr. July 4th himself, was going to be released on Thursday. One day before the 4th of July weekend. Whats up with that? IMO this is stacking the desk, hoping to add some extra revenue to the weekend Box Office draw. Does this mean the studio does not have a great deal of confidence in this movie?

I have also heard that the movie premise is a great premise, but after the first half of the movie it takes some turns that falls flat and really mucks up the original premise.

Thanks for your review, I think I may hang out and wait for it to hit the $1.50 theater or hits Redbox!

A big Will Smith fan

[DevilAlumna]

I had been curious for awhile now if this movie was going to be worth my time. My first hint of suspicion was that this movie, with Mr. July 4th himself, was going to be released on Thursday. One day before the 4th of July weekend. Whats up with that? IMO this is stacking the desk, hoping to add some extra revenue to the weekend Box Office draw. Does this mean the studio does not have a great deal of confidence in this movie?

The 4th of July holiday weekend actually starts on Thursday evening. I don't think there's anything insidious about having a blockbuster open that night -- it's when a LOT of people will be heading to the theater, no matter what's opening.

[Clipsfan]

I had been curious for awhile now if this movie was going to be worth my time. My first hint of suspicion was that this movie, with Mr. July 4th himself, was going to be released on Thursday. One day before the 4th of July weekend. Whats up with that? IMO this is stacking the desk, hoping to add some extra revenue to the weekend Box Office draw. Does this mean the studio does not have a great deal of confidence in this movie?

I have also heard that the movie premise is a great premise, but after the first half of the movie it takes some turns that falls flat and really mucks up the original premise.

Thanks for your review, I think I may hang out and wait for it to hit the $1.50 theater or hits Redbox!

A big Will Smith fan

The movie will actually be everywhere on Wednesday and have some screenings Tuesday night. This isn't uncommon and has been done with other 3 day holidays, particularly the 4th of July. Many of the big movies recently have done this and it has often worked.

[JasonEvans]

Here is a great article from Time Magazine on Will Smith, his fabulous July 4th run of success, Hancock, and how Will Smith is the last star left in Hollywood. Really nice read.

Did you know all 5 of Will Smith's films since 2004 have made at least $300 million worldwide? That is sick! Ever since he did the "I'm gonna win an Oscar but not make any money on this flick" thing with Ali in 2001, every single picture he has made has earned at least $270 million worldwide.

--Jason "He is money!!" Evans

[JasonEvans]

Hancock did almost 7 million in boxoffice from a series of early screenings Tuesday night. It is a good number considering the limited number of showings, but not boffo. Hmmm, could this be Will Smith's first bust in half a decade?

--Jason "if it is not north of 80 or 90 million after this weekend, that will be a bad sign" Evans

[CameronBornAndBred]

My first hint of suspicion was that this movie, with Mr. July 4th himself, was going to be released on Thursday. One day before the 4th of July weekend. Whats up with that? IMO this is stacking the desk, hoping to add some extra revenue to the weekend Box Office draw.

Memorial day weekend, they usually release on Wednesday, so Thursday ain't bad by comparison. And hell, they released Spidey 3 on a TUESDAY...talk about totally cheating.

[ForeverBlowingBubbles]

That might have been the absolute weakest plot/climax/protagonist I have ever witnessed... I think the producer squeezed every inch of entertainment he possibly could out of it though... The story just didn't work in SO many ways. Entertaining... but it makes me think just anyone with a half-butt'd idea and a 70 million can make a blockbuster hit.

Its extremely sad because Will Smith's acting in this movie despite the no-logic-story-line is actually amazing. It gets you excited but then after the first 30-45 by the amount he puts into his acting, but then as soon as the plot starts to unfold... if your like me you'll just be thinking to yourself... "Seriously?" for the rest of the movie and for a good hour afterwards

[JasonEvans]

That might have been the absolute weakest plot/climax/protagonist I have ever witnessed... I think the producer squeezed every inch of entertainment he possibly could out of it though... The story just didn't work in SO many ways. Entertaining... but it makes me think just anyone with a half-butt'd idea and a 70 million can make a blockbuster hit.

In fairness, Hancock cost more than $150 million to make.

I am surprised you felt they got all they could out of the story. as I stated, I thought the first half of the film presented a really interesting and entertaining premise. The second half could have been an at least somewhat compelling resolution had it been plotted out a little differently. The concept, to me, was a fairly good one though.

-Jason "interested in seeing what others will think" Evans

[A-Tex Devil]

I saw it with pretty low expectations, so I wasn't entirely disappointed, but echo that the second half disjointedness and the weak, almost peripheral bad guy were major major problems.

It will be interesting to see what happens when they release the rated R version on DVD, which you know they will. Peter Berg is a pretty good film maker (Friday Night Lights, The Kingdom... even Very Bad Things), so I wonder if the cuts to make it PG 13 affected the plot significantly in the end?

[ForeverBlowingBubbles]

In fairness, Hancock cost more than $150 million to make.

I am surprised you felt they got all they could out of the story. as I stated, I thought the first half of the film presented a really interesting and entertaining premise. The second half could have been an at least somewhat compelling resolution had it been plotted out a little differently. The concept, to me, was a fairly good one though.

-Jason "interested in seeing what others will think" Evans

I thought the concept was awesome. I thought the plot and overall story line once you consider the plot was weak. For how bad the plot was, the producing kept the movie entertaining... as well as Smith's acting. The climax, while intense, was just idiotic in my opinion.

[JasonEvans]

Will Smith = Boxoffice gold

Through 2 days (and some sneak's tuesday night) Hancock is at $41 million... and the weekend is now beginning. This flick is gonna be huge. The Thursday number ($17.1 mill) is especially impressive because that is almost exactly what it did Wednesday, its opening day. Usually, you would see a dropoff on Thurs after a Wednesday opening because the initla demand for the film eases a bit after opening day. It certainly helped that Friday is a national holiday, but still, that kind of figure on Thurs is biiig!

--Jason "Will Smith is review proof" Evans

[jma4life]

As a huge Will Smith fan, I would recommend this to other Will Smith fans.

That said, I was disappointed because I feel like the second half of this movie ruined a movie that had the potential to be truly great. The concept (drunk, angry, superhero) undergoing a transformation could make for an outstanding movie. Had they essentially continued what occurred through the first half for the duration of the movie, and brought in a solid villain, it would've been great in my opinion.

Will Smith did his usual good job but the best actors in the world can't turn a lousy plot into a good movie. I enjoyed the movie and enjoyed watching Smith but I really believe this could have easily been a lot better.

[JasonEvans]

It has done $107 million since opening day, a very strong figure and the third best July 4th performance ever (after Transformers and Spidey 2). This flick will get to $200 million.

--Jason "Will Smith strikes again!" Evans