I haven’t done a movie review in months! I’m back, but only a little bit.
I didn’t like Hancock.
It started out so well! The always bankable (and incredibly cute) Will Smith made Hancock someone you wanted to root for. The first half of the movie was about how Hancock was more of a pariah than a hero. His drunken attempts at helping were often more costly than the damage inflicted by criminals. Yet almost overnight, with the help of Ray (Jason Bateman), his new manager and friend, he turns his life around and becomes the hero we all hoped he could be.
This part of the movie was the best part. However, since it only took up the first half, it made the movie seem rushed and clumsy. I wish they’d taken the entire 90 minutes to develop the story and the characters, to make all of it more believable. The transformation was too quick, too neat and tidy.
The second half of the movie is when it crashed to its untimely demise. It’s when we learn Hancock’s true identity (although we never learn his real name), the source of his strength, and his weakness. But there were many questions that had no answers, many clumsy references that had no foundation.
***SPOILER ALERT***
For one, the whole situation with Mary (Charlize Theron) was confusing, and their relationship wasn’t believable in my opinion. When Hancock moved in to kiss her, I was shocked! I didn’t see it coming, I didn’t want it to happen, and I was horrified by the entire scenario. And why did she change into revealing leather clothes and put on two tons of black eyeliner when she showed up at his trailer?! How … typical. How expected. Blah.
Plus, the “bad guys” didn’t cut the muster. I mean, who were they? They got a combined 10 minutes of screen time, and absolutely no development. They didn’t scare me; they didn’t even warrant my full attention! They seemed like a non-issue to me, no threat whatsoever. I was a little annoyed when they showed up again. And how did they escape from prison?! Gimme a break!
***SPOILER ALERT END***
Finally, there was so much needless cussing. I don’t inherently hate cussing in a movie, but this one went overboard–even my husband complained!
Overall I was so very dissatisfied. The story had so much potential, but it fell far short of everything it could’ve been.
I give it 1 out of 5 stars.
Frankly Speaking 