Hancock

In a summer overflowing with top-notch comic book movies, Hancock’s low-impact super-heroics were overwhelmed by his action packed brethren. Though the film lacks the eye-candy ofHellboy, the charm of Iron Man, the raw power of Hulk or the gritty realism of The Dark Knight, Hancock is nonetheless a unique and enjoyable take on the superhero genre, regardless of its sometimes awkward storytelling. John Hancock (Will Smith) is a superhuman with a chip on his shoulder and a super-powered alcohol problem. As the only man on Earth with superpowers, Hancock is a lonely, isolated individual who rejects everyone around him. When Hancock saves the life of do-gooder PR consultant Ray Embry (Jason Bateman), Embry takes it upon himself to rehabilitate Hancock’s public image, while at the same time restoring the superhero’s self-esteem. Little does Ray know that Hancock’s forgotten past will wreak havoc upon the lives of everyone he cares about. Even in the extended unrated cut of Hancock, included on the DVD, there are some major narrative gaps, all of which are hand-waved away in order to keep the plot moving forward at proper blockbuster comic movie pacing. While Hancock does have the prerequisite special effects budget to plant it firmly in the world of action movies, the action is almost an aside to John Hancock’s personal story of loneliness and redemption. If director Peter Berg had focused a little more on Hancock’s personal life it probably would have made for a better film, but would no doubt have done damage to the box office bottom line. As is becoming all too common with big studio DVDs, Hancock comes as a two-disc special edition with all the features packed onto the second disc. And, as is all to common with these second discs, there’s little that’s worth the effort of getting up off the couch, ejecting the movie and then inserting the features disc. The standard "making of” mini-movies are abundant, with only a few minutes of the obligatory special effects feature being at all interesting — the bizarre contraption that Smith and Charlize Theron are strapped in to in order to convert their famous faces to perfect digital simulacra. Like its title character, Hancock has a few flaws but with a little effort audiences will be able to forgive the film its problems just as the public forgives John Hancock his.