DVD Review - “Hancock”
GRADE: D
Will Smith’s latest blockbuster tries to represent itself as a summer super hero flick but shortly after the film ends you can’t help but feel ripped off at the fake manufactured feeling of “Hancock”. The first 20 minutes of this film take a fresh approach to the played out comic book movie formula but soon after it becomes redundant, silly and completely uninspired. Smith’s wooden performance only confirms that he took this job just for the paycheck.
Smith plays an alcoholic and clumsy super hero who is the most hated person in Los Angeles. In spite of saving lives, he also destroys properties causing high cost to the city to fix his damages. When Hancock saves the life of a PR agent (played by the always cute Jason Bateman) from a train, Bateman’s character feels indebted to him and he decides to change his image as a way to say thank you. What he doesn’t know is that his wife and Hancock have a tumultuous past. Unfortunately for the viewer, this is where the film breaks down and becomes a mess.
I was hoping that Charlize Theron would be able to salvage this stinker but the “surprise twist” that involves her character bogs the film down with over sentimental hooey. The spiritual under tones in “Hancock” are what make “Hancock” feel contrived and sappy. This movie doesn’t know what it wants to be; a super hero film, a spiritual love story or a family film. The convoluted storyline and hammy performances only confirm how awful this movie is. It’s as if the director and screenwriter were painting by numbers.
“Hancock” cannot even be called a “popcorn flick” because it can’t even muster up an original idea and it barely entertains you. The special effects are the only thing in the film that make you perk up and pay attention. The gritty cinematography of this movie gives it an amateurish and over stylized look that only heightens it’s negative tone. “Hancock” may not be the worst film of 2008, but it does have the distinction of being the worst super hero of the year that is for sure!
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