Kicks into tired oh-it-sucks-to-have-superpowers territory and opens up a can of racial issues it has no intention of investigating
Hancock (2008)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:210
Fresh:84
Rotten:126
Average Rating:5.4/10
Consensus: Though it begins with promise, Hancock suffers from a flimsy narrative and poor execution.
Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for some intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and language.
Runtime: 1 hr 42 mins
Genre: Action/Adventure
Theatrical Release:Jul 2, 2008 Wide
Box Office: $227,946,274
Synopsis: 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,... 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. --© Sony Pictures [More]
Starring: Will Smith, Jason Bateman, Charlize Theron, Eddie Marsan
Starring: Will Smith, Jason Bateman, Charlize Theron, Eddie Marsan
Director: Peter Berg
Director: Peter Berg
Screenwriter: Vy Vincent Ngo, Vince Gilligan
Producer: Akiva Goldsman, Michael Mann, Will Smith, James Lassiter
Composer: John Powell
Studio: Sony Pictures Entertainment
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Release:
Nov 25, 2008
Reviews for Hancock
I have no problem signing on to recommend this. Get it? Signing on...John Hancock... nevermind.
A few actors such as Clint Eastwood, marry substance and popularity. But very few. Most actors' egos lead them to slum in the box office. I'm reminded of this often when a major, talented actor opts for popularity instead of substance when the latter beck
...an engaging and thoroughly innovative spin on the superhero genre...
A fun, fairly crisp opening hour gives way to a muddled, entirely unsatisfying ending.
It becomes an entirely different film, one not really premised on the bad-superhero comedy idea, and the film is then oddly without a sense of humour, and its vague interest in satire vanishes completely.
The strain of messianism in Will Smith movies is becoming ever more pronounced.
This is a different take on the superhero genre with an interesting, offbeat twist.
A relatively satisfying ending that leaves just enough of an opening to warrant a sequel if the box office receipts are right.
Train wrecks are intrinsically spectacular, and Will Smith's new movie offers a doozy. Two of them, in fact.
Smith and Bateman are great, and the first half of the movie is terrific. The second half...well, you'll either go with it or you won't.
Will Smith, Fourth of July, superhero. It all seems to add up to a great combination. But they only made half a film.
The fourth of July will not be the only day for fireworks, July 2nd will definitely heat up at your local theatre when Hancock is released. Be sure to check it out.
While the film never quite reaches an Alan Moore-level deconstruction of the superhero mythos, it has a fun time offering up all the joy of a big-budget action movie without taking things too seriously.
Has plenty of funny, even tender moments until it veers in a different, messy direction an hour in.
It's let down by a disappointingly uneven plot, painfully underwritten characters and dodgy effects.
Smart enough to use the CGI madness in service to the story, rather than just ending and scene or conflict with a big effecty showdown. (I'm looking at you, Transformers!)
Latest News for Hancock
December 01, 2009:
Don't Hold Your Breath for Hancock 2 ![]()
Yes, Will Smith and Peter Berg are game for a "Hancock" sequel -- and just as importantly, so is the studio -- but it looks like scheduling could keep it from happening for awhile. More...
September 11, 2009:
Will Smith and Charlize Theron on Board for Hancock Sequel ![]()
We've already heard that a "Hancock" sequel is in development; now Peter Berg tells MTV that "everybody's going to come back." More...
August 28, 2009:
Weekly Ketchup: Hancock Sequel Script Started, Bioshock Scaled Back
We are firmly in the dog days of Summer, as Hollywood sneaks a couple of end of the menu horror movies into theaters, and movie news this week came to a near standstill. There... More...
August 25, 2009:
Columbia Hires Hancock Sequel Scribes ![]()
Looks like Peter Berg's recent comments about a "Hancock" sequel weren't just idle speculation: Columbia has hired scribes Adam Fierro and Glen Mazzara to write the script for a... More...
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