Hancock (2008)

Director:

Peter Berg

Writers (WGA):

Vincent Ngo (written by) and
Vince Gilligan (written by)

Release Date:

2 July 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Fantasy

Tagline:

There are heroes. There are superheroes. And then there's...

Plot:

A hard-living superhero who has fallen out of favor with the public enters into a questionable relationship with the wife of the public relations professional who's trying to repair his image.

Plot Keywords:

Alcoholic | Superhero | Public Relations | Dead Man Switch | Immortality

Awards:

2 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Will Smith	...	John Hancock
Charlize Theron	...	Mary Embrey
Jason Bateman	...	Ray Embrey
Jae Head	...	Aaron Embrey
Eddie Marsan	...	Kenneth 'Red' Parker Jr.
David Mattey	...	Man Mountain
Maetrix Fitten	...	Matrix
Thomas Lennon	...	Mike
Johnny Galecki	...	Jeremy
Hayley Marie Norman	...	Hottie
Dorothy Cecchi	...	Woman in Dive Bar
Martin Klebba	...	Convict #12
Akiva Goldsman	...	Executive #1
Michael Mann	...	Executive #2
Brad Leland	...	Executive #3

Also Known As:

Hidden from Earth (Philippines: English title) (review title)
John Hancock (USA) (working title)
Tonight, He Comes (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and language.

Runtime:

92 min | USA:102 min (unrated version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Malaysia:U | South Korea:12 | UK:12A | Australia:M | Ireland:12A | Hong Kong:IIA | Finland:K-13 | Singapore:PG | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Germany:12 | Canada:13+ (Québec) | Canada:14A (Alberta) | Norway:15 | Canada:PG (British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | USA:PG-13 (edited for re-rating) (certificate #43295) | USA:R (original rating) | Portugal:M/12 | Netherlands:12 | Brazil:12 | Sweden:15 | Argentina:13 | Chile:Y7 | New Zealand:M | Denmark:11 | Peru:14 | Canada:PG | Iceland:12 | Iceland:16 (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

105 Freeway, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures

Trivia:

In the Special Features section of the DVD, during the segments filmed for the tornado scene, Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz (1939) can be seen running down the sidewalk with her basket in hand. This segment never make it into the final film.

Goofs:

Factual errors: In the final scene there are several factual errors: a flash explosion would not trigger a fire sprinkler to go off; if it had, it wouldn't trigger every sprinkler in the hallway. Finally, modern sprinkler systems are connected to the building's fire alarm, which would have also sounded.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Police Officer: All units. All units. Code 3 pursuit of 2-11 white SUV heading east on Alameda service road. Suspects: three Asian males. Request back-up immediately. Be advised. Shots fired. Shots fired.

Movie Connections:

References X-Men (2000)

Soundtrack:

Paper Planes

This deserves some credit

Perhaps I'm being generous, but I think this movie deserves some credit. It's a serious take on a dysfunctional superhero that isn't based upon a Marvel Comics or DC Comics character. The special effects aren't as good as a movie like Transformers, but at least you aren't getting an animated CGI character hopping around like you do in Hulk and Spiderman. It appears that several elements of this movie may be inspired by the now defunct Broadway Comics. The classic scene of a car being skewered on a spire was depicted in the "Powers That Be" comic and the dysfunctional marriage relationship in the movie is not unlike the "Shadow State" comic by Broadway. Perhaps seeing similar depictions hit the big screen made me appreciate the movie more.

Will Smith and Charlize Theron do a great job. The hero is flawed, but he's not a wimp. The movie's biggest weakness is the pacing. Some of the special effects go by so fast that you don't get to appreciate them. Some of the drama plays out so slowly that you might be wondering why they don't rush it along. The movie is faithful to the trailer. It's tough writing a spoiler-free review of this since there are some great twists in the plot.