It feels like a couple of reels are missing... devoting an enjoyable first hour to our dirtbag crusader's unlikable antiheroics, before jumping to the conclusion without benefit of a second act.
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
It's certainly the most complexly ornery superhero flick we're likely to get this summer.
The special effects feel rather synthetic for a big-time summer blockbuster. When the smoke finally clears Hancock emerges as just another routine riff on the superhero genre
An interesting idea, but it falls a bit short of being a compelling story.
While by no means a perfect film, I still found a lot to enjoy here. There have been at least two dozen superhero movies in the last six or seven years. It's kind of nice to see one that looks at things from the other side of the coin.
With only an inter-personal story driving the picture, this becomes a sorry case of big concept, small movie.
Uma variação interessante sobre um gênero que vem surgindo com freqüência cada vez maior nas telas... e ver um super-herói massacrado pelo peso de sua responsabilidade é um conceito que, por si só, já merece aplausos.
While it may rake in big bucks, it's definitely not toppling the likes of Iron Man and Batman...
... the bottom line is that, as far as botched movies go, Hancock is a painless way to pass a couple of hours enjoying a mindless summer popcorn movie.
...a tale of redemption hard-won, and all the more rewarding for that.
Morally bankrupt. And this is coming from someone who thinks Ted Bundy was misunderstood.
The more we get to know about Hancock and how he acquired his name and mysterious powers, the less entertaining it becomes.
There are lots of interesting ideas and some fine work on display, but it never gels into a fully satisfying movie experience. Like its titular super-anti-hero, it only works sometimes.
The dynamic between the sullen Smith and sincere Bateman may be the best thing in the Peter Berg's movie, but it's a tough call because the whole popcorn fest is flat-out fantastic.
See-saws between straight superhero movie and parody, with layers of soap-opera fudge in between. A lot of solid scenes - but Hancock lacks the power of super-coherence.
His symbol is the eagle. He beats up on little Frenchmen. He is 'the only one of my kind,' the world's lone and lonely superpower. Hancock is a clever metaphor for America in the world.
Here's a movie filled with bright ideas, crammed uncomfortably into a story burdened by confusing and often contradictory exposition.
About halfway through the film it shifts gears... One wishes [they] had focused on a single story and saw it through.
Latest News for Hancock
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...
August 19, 2009:
Peter Berg Talks Hancock Sequel ![]()
There aren't any definite plans yet, but if a "Hancock" sequel ever comes to pass, Peter Berg has a few ideas about where the story might lead. More...
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 15% 15% | The Ugly Truth |
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|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
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| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
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