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Will Smith is obviously having great fun as John
Hancock, a superhero who causes as much destruction on the streets of Los
Angeles as he does good. An alcoholic with superpowers is a bad
combination, and when Hancock’s latest escapade racks up $9 million
in damage, citizens throughout the City of Angels have had their fill. Not
long after, Hancock reluctantly saves the life of struggling publicist Ray
Embrey (Justin Bateman) and, in an effort to return the favor, the ad man
persuades his savior to let him try to retool his image, despite the
misgivings of his wife, Mary (Charlize Theron). The first step involves Hancock’s turning himself in to authorities to
answer for the many subpoenas and civil suits filed against him that
he’s ignored. Embrey convinces him that the city will eventually need
his help and that redemption is just around the corner. Sure enough, when a
major bank heist goes awry, Hancock is quickly paroled so that he may save
the day. Then the film jumps the tracks. What’s interesting about Vincent Ngo and Vince
Gilligan’s script is that it looks at the dark side of the superhero
myth that’s become engrained in our pop culture society. Instead of
reveling in his powers and using them for good, Hancock is unsure of his
origins and suffers from a sense of self-loathing and disdain. His powers
are an unwelcome burden, and he’s psychologically unable to shoulder
the expectations that come with them.
Embrey, by contrast, wants to change the world
through his altruistic advertising schemes but fails at every turn. In
Hancock he sees the agent of change he longs to be, and his attempts to
mold the superhero into that provide the film with its heart, as well as
its best moments. It’s the relationship that develops between these
two characters that is the heart and soul of this movie. Each man brings
out the best in the other and in so doing they earn the redemption they
seek. Had director Peter Berg simply concentrated on the
personal struggles of these two characters, Hancock would have been something truly special. However, a
subplot that develops between our hero and another major character, leading
to revelations about his past, sink the enterprise like an errant iceberg.
Hancock’s origin is explained quickly and makes little sense, though
it has a major impact on the film’s flimsy third act. Throw in a
showdown with a villain from the hero’s recent past whose convenient
escape from jail defies logic, and you have a complete narrative meltdown
that undercuts the movie’s intriguing first hour.
This article appears in Jun 26 – Jul 2, 2008.
