A promising idea about a superhero with an existential crisis wobbles through wildly misjudged moments and then has something of an existential crisis of its own.
Comment
07/01/08
Hancock (2008)
40
%
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.
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,... [More]
Starring: Will Smith, Jason Bateman, Charlize Theron, Eddie Marsan
Director: Peter Berg
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Reviews for Hancock
Best as a comedy and worst when it tries to get serious.
07/01/08
It doesn't take itself as seriously as it should, and undercuts a final act that should have and so could have packed a mighty emotional wallop.
07/01/08
Top CriticDespite having a few 'wow' moments, this is one of the more frustratingly inconsistent movies in recent memory.
07/01/08
Part of the joke lies in seeing a megawatt star embrace his inner grouch with fantastical blunders, and part of the anticipation lies in seeing Hancock become, well, Will Smith.
07/01/08
Top CriticTo be sure, Hancock mines the superhero mythology and pays homage to the rich folklore on which it feeds and sustains itself, but what it does with the raw materials is thoroughly, refreshingly unique.
07/01/08
No one can tell a coherent story anymore, and before long no one will notice.
07/01/08
Setting out to be both a parody and the very thing that it's parodying, the movie comes up short on both accounts.
07/01/08
A new movie that makes the previous pandemonium seem downright restrained.
07/01/08
Top CriticThere were many moments where I was going from nail-biting to knee-slapping.
07/01/08
Director Peter Berg knows the difference between cartoon violence and the real stuff, and Hancock mixes both to good effect.
07/01/08
You have to admire any summer blockbuster that freshens and subverts the superhero genre, and you're in fine hands with these actors.
07/01/08
It's worth it just to see a ready-made Superman-sized superhero in action without all the baggage of decades of retellings and reworkings; even looking at familiar faces working through a familiar genre, it's nice to be surprised for once.
07/01/08
Smith's pictures deliver familiar pleasures; they work with efficiency but not inspiration, honoring the time-honored movie platitudes that will neither shock nor stretch an audience.
07/01/08
Top CriticHancock the jaunty, jokey riff on the screwed-up inner emotional life of a traditionally ironclad superhero becomes Hancock the icky lesson in the importance of personal responsibility, loyalty, and continued family togetherness.
07/01/08
Top CriticCredit must be paid to director Peter Berg for pulling off such a tricky balance of such diverse elements while delivering an impressive and affecting superhero adventure with as much heart and soul as sound and fury.
07/01/08
Top CriticBut for most of its running time, Hancock is a refreshing piece of cinema that should be another solid summer hit for Smith.
07/01/08
This is an open letter to director Peter Berg. I just wanted to say, "Good Job!"
07/01/08
Hancock is a giant mess of a movie. It's not just misguided, it's insulting.
07/01/08
There are some moments when it looks as though it is somehow going to work but then, much like its anti-hero, it comes crashing back to Earth, leaving nothing behind of note besides a giant mess.
07/01/08
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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