Here’s something for everyone to enjoy in “Hancock.”
Hancock,I think he is a drunk,I had been so eager to see this movie since I first glimpsing the poster of a close up of the scruffy and drunken superhero last year. Now I started to wonder if general audiences were going to be as excited as I was to see the Will Smith vehicle.
At First, I have to saing Will Smith’s performance. The man has proven he is the most bankable movie star in Hollywood over the years, but his performance in Hancock verifies that he has a level of charisma not even Hollywood’s biggest heavyweights combined could ever achieve. Viewers will be pleased to hear funny one-liners that are generally expected from a Will Smith film. Will Smith also mixes the perfect amount of comedy and drama that had the audience in tears from both elements.
I think that Jason Bateman was also a welcome presence on this project. Though, cast as the straight character, Bateman still can be the lovable scene-stealer viewers have grown to be fond of over the years. Although, Charlize Theron was slightly under-used in this film, there was no denying that she had great chemistry with Smith. A lot of subtext was used with her character and she proved that even though her role was significantly small for an Oscar winning actress…it definitely wasn’t a thankless one.
The writer Vince Gilligan and director Peter Berg for providing viewers with a dose of ingenuity that even the most anticipated movies of this year could not even muster. Hancock strays far away the typical superhero movie, yet it is able to stay true to certain rules. For instance, Hancockdoes have a form of Kryptonite that weakens him and he does have a back story full of pathos.
Peter Berg must also be inspired by acclaimed director Michael Mann, because the film had a very somber and serious look to it. In addition to the film’s slick veneer, the special effects used in the movie were outstanding to say at the very least. In fact, I would go as far to say that they were the best effects I have seen in a movie all year. When Hancock crashes lands on the sidewalk, stops trains with his body, even when he throws a beached whale back in the ocean, I couldn’t help but think how real everything looked. They were no poorly done CGI gophers, green superheroes, or cartoon-looking vampires. It was a pleasant surprise to see special effects that had some weight to them for a change.
On the downside, the movie throws the audience an unlikely twist involving one of the characters halfway through the movie. This turn of events drastically changes the mood of the movie and it clashes with the upbeat energetic and creative first half of the film. Although, I don’t want to spoil the twist, all I can is that if the filmmakers have opted to make the character in question a villain instead of what they became in the film, I think that would have made the film far more intriguing and it would have closed up many of the plot holes riddled through out the film.
There were also definite pacing issues with the movie. Some parts moved slower than they should have and some parts moved far too fast. In fact, there is a henchman in the movie that comes back into the picture and the audience is supposed to buy he is the film’s main villain at the film’s denouement.
