Hancock - Grading & Discussion

[Agent Richard07]

Welcome to the grading & discussion thread for Hancock.
***SPOILERS AHEAD***



HANCOCK

"There are heroes... there are superheroes... and then there’s Hancock (Will Smith). With great power comes great responsibility - everyone knows that - everyone, that is, but Hancock. Edgy, conflicted, sarcastic, and misunderstood, Hancock’s well-intentioned heroics might get the job done and save countless lives, but always seem to leave jaw-dropping damage in their wake. The public has finally had enough - as grateful as they are to have their local hero, the good citizens of Los Angeles are wondering what they ever did to deserve this guy. Hancock isn’t the kind of man who cares what other people think - until the day that he saves the life of PR executive Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman) and the sardonic superhero begins to realize that he may have a vulnerable side after all. Facing that will be Hancock’s greatest challenge yet - and a task that may prove impossible as Ray’s wife, Mary (Charlize Theron) insists that he’s a lost cause." - The Internet

• Official Site
• Wikipedia Entry
• IMDb Entry
• Trailers
• Rotten Tomatoes Page

[Seven of eleven]

For those who want to know now what happens: Michael Bluth tries to improve Drunken Superman's identity problem. It works! Michael Bluth's wife was Drunken Superman's wife as well for about two millennia and she also has superpowers. They are immortal unless they pair up and all the other superheros paired up and died so they are the last ones. Back in the 1930s, someone tries to mug Drunken Superman and Wonder Woman and Drunken Superman got hurt and got amnesia so Wonder Woman left him so he wouldn't get hurt anymore and they got their superpowers back. But now since they spent time together, they are losing their powers again. Climax with triumph through adversity and Drunken Superman leaves and moves to New York but they all remain good friends. It's arrested development.

[the_wildcard]

I caught a sneak preview and it was pretty good. A little of a slow start but definately a good ending.

[TGTheodore]

An interesting but not great movie. Very odd structure. The twist happens about ten minutes too soon and the X-Files writers' influence of "less exposition=better product" is definitely there. But in this case weakens the storyline.

Act Three got pretty disjointed for awhile and the whole thing about proximity was very inconsistent. Likewise, the origin explanation was pretty shaky and unsatisfying. Think: the explanation of who or what was behind Project Quantum Leap.

Still, it was above average, a good cast, some terrific effects, and the fight in the hospital was pretty damn amazing.

Out of curiosity, did the two people who voted "below average" and "poor" post their reasons? Or see the movie?

--Ted

[Bob The Skutter]

I liked it. I don't see where all the bad reviews are coming from. Is it a fantastic film? No. Is it fun, and worth watching? Definitely. I've seen a lot of films in this last month, and this is definitely one of the best.

It gets an Above Average from me.

[Captain Craig]

I'm not rushing out to see this one so I'll be reading comments here and elsewhere to see if my mind can be moved from "indifference" to "check it out".
At this point I'm waiting for Hellboy 2 and The Dark Knight so I need to really be convinced that this is worth seeing for $10.

[FordSVT]

Busy, busy summer; I have a movie to watch almost every week from now until the end of August.

Hancock
Dark Night
Hellboy
X-Files
The Mummy
The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants 2
Tropic Thunder
Death Race

One of those is what's called a "joke". Points to anyone who can figure it out!

[Bob The Skutter]

FordSVT wrote:

---

Busy, busy summer; I have a movie to watch almost every week from now until the end of August.

Hancock
Dark Night
Hellboy
X-Files
The Mummy
The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants 2
Tropic Thunder
Death Race

One of those is what's called a "joke". Points to anyone who can figure it out!

Dark Night...?

[Captain Craig]

FordSVT wrote:

---

Busy, busy summer; I have a movie to watch almost every week from now until the end of August.

Hancock
Dark Night
Hellboy
X-Files
The Mummy
The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants 2
Tropic Thunder
Death Race

One of those is what's called a "joke". Points to anyone who can figure it out!

I hope its Pants:2, I'm hoping the joke is an internal one between some friends of yours and hence why your going to it.

[FordSVT]

Bob The Skutter wrote:

---

Dark Night...?

Sorry, that one was a typo. Dark Knight.

And anyone who thinks I'd go see that Pants movie is sick!

[Bob The Skutter]

FordSVT wrote:

---

Sorry, that one was a typo. Dark Knight.

And anyone who thinks I'd go see that Pants movie is sick!

I think you doth protest too much.

[captcalhoun]

i thought it was excellent. great story, good twist with the proximity thing and good acting and direction.

there really is more to Will Smith than "Big Willie" rapping...

[Agent Richard07]

I'm giving this one an 'excellent' as well.

When I first heard about this movie, I was pretty excited. Well, it definately lived up to my expectations. It was nice to see a superhero movie where the "hero" isn't necessarily your typical upright do-gooder who stands for truth and justice. I also liked that the world we saw was our own and not stylized in any way. It made the movie feel like a real "what if" scenario. Loved the casting too. Jason Bateman was great as the idealistic PR rep. It's nice to see his career back in full swing. Not that it hasn't been before this movie, I'm just saying. I enjoyed seeing Charlize Theron as well. She was a great mother, wife and fellow superbeing all in one. Finally there's Will Smith. He was believable in the role he played and didn't come off like the star of his own summer blockbuster. This didn't feel like yet another Will Smith vehicle.

As for the story, it didn't have anything I feel like complaining about. For me, everything worked. I can't wait to see where all these negative reviews are coming from. The action was good, I loved the superheroics and I liked that we even got a bit of an origin story. They didn't give us everything, but I didn't feel shortchanged. Some of it is left to the viewer's imagination. I also liked the twist with Charlize Theron's character. I did catch a glimpse of something in one of the trailers several weeks back that suggested that she also had powers, but I couldn't verify what I saw and managed to ignore it. Apparently I pushed it out of my head enough that her having abilities came as quite a surprise. One thing does stand out though. I'm wondering now why she became all sinister and evil-like when she confronted Hancock at his trailer. I think that could have been played better. They also did the bit where the hero starts losing his powers. I was afraid they'd go there, but it was handled quite well and I'm satisfied with what they did. Oh, yeah, I also liked the happy ending with everying being alright with our main characters.

So, there you have it. Can't wait to see what everyone else thinks.

[benny]

TG Theodore wrote:

---

Out of curiosity, did the two people who voted "below average" and "poor" post their reasons? Or see the movie?

I just voted, but I think you know my reasons from the other thread. The first third is alright, aside from some really uncouth jokes. It's the dramatic tonal shift I didn't care for, going from comedy to sci-fi/drama. Then there's the internal logic: if Mary and Hancock negate each other's powers, how does Hancock survive the fall from the hospital window onto a bus and then onto the street. And if running down the street is enough distance between the two to regain power, why does he need to go to the other side of the country?

LA is big enough to stay on each end and be okay.

[Bob The Skutter]

benny wrote:

---

I just voted, but I think you know my reasons from the other thread. The first third is alright, aside from some really uncouth jokes. It's the dramatic tonal shift I didn't care for, going from comedy to sci-fi/drama. Then there's the internal logic: if Mary and Hancock negate each other's powers, how does Hancock survive the fall from the hospital window onto a bus and then onto the street. And if running down the street is enough distance between the two to regain power, why does he need to go to the other side of the country?

LA is big enough to stay on each end and be okay.

I think the idea is that the more time they spend near each other the more power they lose. So he isn't necessarily helpless while she's there, he's just more vulnerable than he would be otherwise.
As she explained, 80 years ago after he got beat up, and they left her on the street, he was already healing by the time she got to the hospital. So a short distance is enough to make a difference.

I guess the reason for being at opposite ends of country is that they have more leeway, and less temptation to see each other again. I know, given they can fly, and all that, it won't make much difference.