Hancock

There are heroes… there are superheroes… and then there’s Hancock.  Edgy, conflicted, sarcastic and misunderstood, his well intentioned heroics might get the job done but Hancock always seems to leave jaw-dropping damage in his wake.

Hancock, played by Will Smith, is an alcoholic with superhuman powers, including supersonic flight, invulnerability, immortality, and super-strength. Though he uses his powers to stop criminals in his current residence of Los Angeles, his activities inadvertently cause millions of dollars in property damage due to his constant intoxication. As a result, he is routinely jeered at the crime scenes. Hancock also ignores many court subpoenas from the city of Los Angeles to address the property damage he has caused.

When public relations spokesperson Ray Embrey, the ever enjoyable Jason Bateman, departs from an unsuccessful meeting he becomes trapped on railroad tracks with an incoming freight train. Hancock saves Ray’s life, but he causes the train to derail and nearly injures another driver. Hancock is jeered by other drivers for causing more damage, but Ray steps in and thanks Hancock for saving his life. Ray offers to improve Hancock’s public image, and Hancock grudgingly accepts

Hancock isn’t a great superhero movie, but it is an entertaining one.  The film, which holds together far better than some superhero movies, has an adventurous plot, good dialogue, some compassion for its characters, and even an original idea or two. Some of the action is spectacular which is the least we come to expect from these kind of movies now but it also seems to obey most of the laws of physics, which actually makes the special effects more vivid. The three leads (Smith, Bateman, and Charlize Theron as Ray’s wife, Mary) deftly balance the movie’s mixture of comedy, action, and drama. All in all, a smart subversive twist on a genre that all too often takes itself all too seriously

The superhero market is getting a bit saturated now so I’m glad there’s still some original thinking going on in Hollywood.

DVD Extras (2 Disc special edition only):

Extended Cut and Original Theatrical version of Hancock
Featurette - Superhumans: The Making of Hancock
Featurette - Home Life 
Featurette - Seeing the Future 
Featurette - Suiting Up 
Featurette - Building a Better Hero 
Featurette - Bumps and Bruises 
Featurette - Mere Mortals: Behind the Scenes with ‘Dirty Pete’ 
Bonus Digital Copy of the film