Hancock

Movie : Hancock

Cast: Will Smith, Charlize Theron, Jason Bateman

Genre: Superhero/Comedy

Director: Peter Berg

Running Time (Approx): 90 min

Rating: ** and 1/2

Review:

Do you believe in the saying "All's well that ends well" ? Well if you do then there is a pretty strong chance that you shall leave the screen after watching the latest Will Smith flick Hancock disappointed. But then if you are a believer of "Well begun half done" then you wont have much to complain from this one.

The movie starts of delightfully with Will Smith essaying the role of a Super Hero(?) gone wrong with characteristic pizazz. The movie has such an interesting premise to start with that first 30 minutes are a riot. It's been a while since Hollywood explored the other side of such characters, the last I remember is the Hollow Man where Kevin Bacon plays an invisible man with absolutely no intentions of saving the world and instead becomes a murderous Peeping Tom. Though not as dark (and much funnier) Hancock is a delight when it is breaking the mould set by the previous summer hits and ironically falls flat when it looks to provide reason to the proceedings.

Hancock takes the help of an Image consultant Ray Emburey (Jason Bateman) to repair the damage his previous acts of "heroics" have caused. Here he meets his wife Mary (the beautiful Charlize Theron). Things improve as Hancock saves the day by foiling a bank robbery after serving time in prison. Everything is fine now but Hancock has fallen for the wife of the man to whom he owes his new life. The movie could have gone anywhere from here on, but the script takes a zany turn and we are instead treated to a sub-plot that is best suited for bed-time stories for kids. Hancock is a short movie approx 90 odd minutes of running time, but even still the last half an hour makes you feel the shortage of content the makers had with them. The bizarre ending, lack of a super-villain and the crazy crazy storyline combine to spoil the taste of a delicious looking movie.

I was watching an interview where Will Smith was answering a question on possible sequels to Hancock. He seemed pretty kicked about it (first black Superhero and all, if you leave Wesley Snipes Blade). So obvious is the maker's intentions about making a series out of this one that it is actually the reason the movie falters at the end.

Still it's a July 4, Will Smith starring, action laden, big-budget flick that has enough ammo to keep you engaged. The special effects are good, not overdone and more importantly easy to understand (remember the so-confusing Transformers?). But Thank God for Will Smith, without him the movie would have been a non starter. Watching him doing the "his head up your ass" act in prison is kickass enough to sustain you for the rest of the movie.