Initially, it seems like Hancock is going to have some fun with the superhero paradigm, but this dark, muddled and tedious noise machine winds up being an inferior copy of that genre's highlights.
Comment
07/01/08
Hancock (2008)
40
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
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
Get This Movie
Rent DVD
Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.
Buy DVD
Reviews for Hancock
A super-dud.
07/01/08
The set-up is there, but the big payoff is a huge letdown.
07/01/08
[Smith] should have pushed for a rewrite as "Hancock" only flies so far before degenerating into a lame and illogical "My Super Ex-Girlfriend."
07/01/08
In this highly superheroic summer of Iron Man and the forthcoming The Dark Knight, Hancock can offer only an A-list headliner in a D-list project.
07/01/08
Top CriticHancock is a film that starts off promisingly, but takes a left turn about halfway through and literally comes apart at the seams.
07/01/08
Hancock is horrendously disjointed and barely manages to tell a story, but I was delighted by its charisma and Will Smith's unexpected middle-finger timing.
07/01/08
Hancock is a hodgepodge of intriguing ideas that, if developed further or presented as more than throw-ins to a confused production, might have made for a unique superhero film.
07/01/08
Top CriticSuccessfully mocks goofy superhero conventions while affectionately reveling in some of the best-loved clichés of the genre.
07/01/08
A ton of potential, but ultimately a mess.
07/01/08
With great power comes great -- irresponsibility.
07/01/08
Top CriticPart of Smith and Berg's subvert-your-expectations game plan involves a major midfilm shocker, one that takes the movie to larger mythological places unrelated to Hancock's self-improvement quest.
07/01/08
Hancock is the sort of Fourth of July cinematic fireworks celebration Hollywood dreams about but rarely achieves.
07/01/08
Thanks to Smith, it's a story about movie stars -- and why the multiplex-going humankind needs to have them kicking around, too.
07/01/08
This superhero saga fizzles.
07/01/08
That pain in your neck is cinematic whiplash.
07/01/08
It's a strange feeling to see the summer's most promising premise self-destruct into something bizarre and unsatisfying, but that is the Hancock experience.
07/01/08
Top CriticWhat does one say about a movie that wants laughs from a shot of one inmate's head up the derriere of another?
07/01/08
Top CriticAlmost any moviegoer should be able to find something to enjoy, but it's hard to imagine anyone liking this mishmash from beginning to end.
07/01/08
What starts out with a sense of quirky fun loses direction and devolves into a mishmash of story lines.
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...
RT On Current TV
What’s Hot On RT
Fresh Links
Featured
MSN's Year in Review
Take a look at MSN's choices for the Top 10 films of 2009.
40 Best Films of the 2000s
Last week, Moviefone offered us their worst films of the 2000s. Now see their 40 best!
Tarantino's Characters
Hollywood.com explores why QT's characters resonate so well with audiences.
10 Questions For Zac Efron
The Me and Orson Welles star answers reader questions on TIME.com.
Top 20 of the Decade
Click through to see which movies BuzzSugar placed in their Best-of-Decade list!
Promos
Follow RT on Twitter
Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!
IGN RSS Feeds