Hancock Movie Review

Hancock (2008)

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Written by: Vy Vincent Ngo and Vince Gilligan
Directed by: Peter Berg
Starring: Will Smith, Charlize Theron, Jason Bateman, Eddie Marsan
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
Hancock is a superhero whose careless behavior regularly causes damage in the millions. He begins to change when a person he saves tries to improve his public image.

Verdict
It's an interesting premise with a lot of promise that manages to completely pivot and botch the idea in the second half. We're introduced to a super hero whose powers have isolated him. Any help he provides is chaotic and reluctant. Everyone he encounters wants something. The second half of the story pivots to create lore and backstory where it isn't needed. As much as I liked the first half, I dislike the second half with a stronger passion precisely because it squandered what could have been an interesting character study.
Skip it.

Review
This wasn't a response to Marvel movies as it released only months after Iron Man (2008), which launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Hancock (Will Smith) is a super here that's a jerk, drunk, and reckless. While he helps catch bad guys, it seems like an obligation he doesn't enjoy. He leaves a wake of destruction wherever he goes. Being a super hero is incredibly isolating. Anyone that meets him is only interested in the novelty of his abilities.

Will Smith plays Hancock

Hancock happens to save a PR executive, Ray (Jason Bateman), that wants to help rehabilitate Hancock's image. The first step is turning himself in for the litany of crimes Hancock has committed so the city will realize his value when he isn't available. As Ray tells him, if he doesn't like prison it would be easy to escape. Hancock sticks with it, which as Ray states must mean part of Hancock cares what people think. That makes me think we're going to get a reveal. There must be something in Hancock's past that has made him so callous. This breakthrough will lead to a turnaround where Hancock becomes a role model.

The chief of police requests Hancock to leave prison and help in a hostage situation. Hancock tries to be helpful, awkwardly telling several cops "good job" before he intervenes. He manages to diffuse the situation without widespread destruction, and the crowd applauds him. That has to be a rare occurrence.

Will Smith plays Hancock

Hancock relates his history to Ray and Ray's wife Mary (Charlize Theron). He's over eighty years old. He remembers waking up in the hospital with no memory and healing rapidly, the start of his powers. He maligns the fact that no one claimed him when he ended up in the hospital. What kind of person was he that no one cared? Those feelings of rejection are the basis for his disdain for society.

Mary initially didn't care for Hancock's crassness, but she's moved by his story. That's where this movie takes a twist, initially generating a lot of questions and changing the trajectory of the plot. It had the potential to undermine the entire story, and that's exactly what happens. This becomes a different movie, one that's a lot less interesting. All the questions are answered, it's just that it makes for a dull narrative.

SPOILERS

The big twist is that Mary is super powered like Hancock. Not only that, she is married to Hancock. They were gods or angels, together for thousands of years. It's the coincidence to rival all coincidences that they're in the same city and connected through Ray. This is where the movie loses my interest completely. When Mary and Hancock are in the same area, they lose their powers. Hancock has to save himself and Mary while defeating an enemy seeking revenge as his powers wane.