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 | Product Placement | Car On Train Tracks

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 Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | 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:

Peter Berg was quoted that he did this movie for the sake of his young son. While editing The Kingdom (2007), his son's frequent visits in the editing room prompted him to make a comic-book style movie. At that time the script of the film surfaced around for so long and with no director attached, so he jumped at the chance.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): In the YouTube video of the whale, Ray calls 'Walter' a gray whale. Walter is clearly a humpback.

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:

Referenced in "Just In with Laura Ingraham: (2008-07-01)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Water From the Same Source

Classic case of great idea, mediocre execution. Strong performances are marred by weak CGI and a lack of a central villain.

Will Smith. That's all you've got to say, and you're guaranteed a big opening at the box office. Well, from the looks of it, Smith also guarantees you at least a mildly entertaining film, which is what we get in his latest movie, Hancock. In the hands of any other leading star, Hancock would probably end up being a below average film. It's Smith's charisma, charm, and unwavering likability that ultimately save the film. He can make you laugh, cheer, cry, and even root for his character (who is a total ass, as he is reminded a number of times throughout the movie) no matter what kind of shenanigans he may cause.

Hancock is not the generic superhero film and is probably one of the more ingenious ideas to come across a producer's desk in quite some time. To me, what it seems like is that the writers of the film loved the idea, started off extremely strong, and then began to realize that how hard it is to sustain a simplistic idea over the course of a full length motion picture (and it is because of this that Hancock is relatively short). The writers' plan to solve this problem is to throw in a totally unnecessary and badly handled plot twist to keep the audience guessing. The lack of a central villain also hurts the movie a lot. The character that serves as Hancock's enemy in the finale isn't even well acted. The person is laughable.

This is an action movie, so it should come as no surprise to see well done and original action in the movie. However, I felt the effects could have used a few more weeks of polishing in the editing room. The camera is also quite crampy. I also have problems with the film's score, as it does not add an epic feeling to the film like it should have. I felt like something was missing in the climax of the film (which is not the end). The action scenes, while entertaining and original, were not long enough to engage the audience like say, The Incredible Hulk, nor were they as jaw dropping as those in Wanted.

The film's strength rides on its three stars. Action veterans Will Smith and Charlize Theron both deliver winning performances as usual, and that should come as no surprise. Smith's charisma is enough to make anyone happy, and it's so easy to see why so many people love him. Theron is always a sight to behold (except in Monster, lol), and this film is no different. I enjoyed her performance the most, especially in the second act and the beginning of the third. Jason Bateman, who seems to be the bridge connecting the performances of Smith and Theron, is great as usual, and likable, marking a change from his recent turn in "Juno". There really isn't another performance to note, and part of Hancock's weakness is that there are really only three main engaging characters. It should also be noted that the kid who played Bateman's son was absolutely adorable.

Hancock is the classic case of great idea, and mediocre execution. I can see this idea being remade years from now, and pulled off even better. It's not a fault of Peter Berg, the film's director, as the real weakness is in the screenplay, which falters after an excellent and wonderful opening act. It's not a bad film by any means, nor is it great. It's in between "okay" and "good".