Hancock
July 21, 2008
3 stars out of 5
It takes a lot of nerve to make a comic-book superhero movie for a hero that's never been in a comic book. So kudos to director Peter Berg and writers Vincent Ngo and Vince Gilligan, who have created an interesting character from scratch. Will Smith, possibly for the first time in his career, uses none of his usual charming and disarming ticks. To the extent we learn to like him as the title character, it is because of his character arc, not because of show-off acting. Charlize Theron proves again that she is a great actress, even in lightweight material, and Jason "Arrested Development" Bateman continues to show promise as an actor in amusing, if not funny, roles. In case you haven't seen one of the 10 million trailers and previews, Hancock is an alcoholic superhero who wreaks havoc and help in equal doses. In the film, he tries to get out of the gutter and find out who he really is. No spoilers here, but I thought the movie was reasonably well put together. I am inclined to agree with the title on an IMDB comment, however: "Fix the last act!" Of course, now that the film is released, it is too late for that, but the ending of the movie is frenetic, hard to follow, and, frankly, a little out of place. A few genuinely funny moments, a few touching moments. Worth the price of admission, but no one here need clear a space on their mantle for an Oscar.