Hancock - Review

Based on the negative buzz and the underwhelming trailer and the mixed reviews and the track record of director Peter Berg, I went into Hancock with low expectations but came out pleasantly surprised.

I found it very refreshing to see two major plot twists in a big budget Hollywood movie that weren't even hinted at in the trailers. Previews usually give away the entire movie in two and a half minutes, but not this time around, and for that reason alone I hope Hancock is a big hit. Maybe it'll give Hollywood the courage to show similar restraint with other marketing campaigns in the future.

Some audiences may be disappointed with the directions Hancock takes because it doesn't follow the typical superhero formula. There isn't much of a villain and the final showdown is a bit anti-climactic. There isn't as much action as you'd except from a Will Smith summer blockbuster, and when it does come, it's darker and more violent than I expected. And even though I laughed a lot, the humour is often edgier than anything in Men In Black or any other recent Will Smith vehicle.

The movie is also more serious and emotionally resonant than I expected, and that may be the final straw for the normal popcorn munchers. Hancock isn't just a comical boozehound/superhero, he's a super-entity with deep emotional scars who takes solace in the bottle whenever possible. And he isn't a loudmouth asshole simply because that's what passes for cool in today's youth culture. He's a jerk because he hates his life, and there's no end in sight because he's immortal, so he lashes out at everyone around him.

I still think Peter Berg is a terrible director, what with his obsessive use of shaky cams, extreme close ups, and sudden zooms for no apparent reason. But the script was solid and unusual, Will Smith does more than just act cool for a change, and Jason Bateman hits all the right notes as Hancock's PR guru, so while Berg and his cinematographer were busy showing off, everyone else got down to making a good movie.

Hancock could have been better with a different director, or it could have been a lot worse with Michael Bay behind the camera, but the film is still worth seeing for the performances and surprises, which I've tried not to give away.

Surprises in a summer blockbuster? What are the odds?

Final Verdict: 7/10