Hancock (2008) - Rotten Tomatoes

critics consensus

Though it begins with promise, Hancock suffers from a flimsy narrative and poor execution. Read critic reviews

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Hancock Videos

Hancock: Trailer 1

Hancock: Official Clip - Back From the Dead

Hancock: Official Clip - Gods, Angels, Superheroes

Hancock: Official Clip - Call Me Crazy One More Time

Hancock: Official Clip - Diffusing the Detonator

Hancock: Official Clip - Causing a Trainwreck

Hancock: Official Clip - Superpowered Climax

Hancock: Official Clip - Call Me A**hole One More Time

Hancock: Official Clip - Good Job

Hancock: Official Clip - Drunk Heroism

Hancock: Official Clip - Your Head is Going Up His A**

View All Videos (11)

Hancock Photos

When disgruntled superhero Hancock (Will Smith, right) saves the life of PR exec Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman, left), Ray tries to clean up Hancock's image in Columbia Pictures' Hancock.

A would-be thief (Aaron Toney) is confronted by Will Smith (left), who stars as Hancock, a disgruntled, conflicted, sarcastic, and misunderstood superhero in "Hancock."

When disgruntled superhero Hancock (Will Smith, left) saves the life of PR exec Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman, right), Ray tries to clean up Hancock's image in Columbia Pictures' Hancock.

Charlize Theron (pictured) stars as Mary, Ray's wife, who thinks that Hancock is a lost cause in Columbia Pictures' Hancock.

Will Smith (pictured) stars as Hancock, a disgruntled, conflicted, sarcastic, and misunderstood superhero whose well-intentioned heroics might get the job done and save countless lives, but always seem to leave jaw-dropping damage in their wake, in "Hancock."

Hancock (Will Smith, right) saves the life of an injured female cop (Liz Wicker, left) - using her battered cruiser as a shield - before taking out a gang of heavily armed bank robbers in Columbia Pictures' Hancock.

When disgruntled superhero Hancock (Will Smith, left) saves the life of PR exec Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman, center right), Ray takes Hancock home to meet the family - wife Mary (Charlize Theron, center left) and son Aaron (Jae Head, right) - in "Hancock."

Will Smith (pictured) stars as Hancock, a disgruntled, conflicted, sarcastic, and misunderstood superhero whose well-intentioned heroics might get the job done and save countless lives, but always seem to leave jaw-dropping damage in their wake, in "Hancock."

Will Smith (pictured) stars as Hancock, a disgruntled, conflicted, sarcastic, and misunderstood superhero whose well-intentioned heroics might get the job done and save countless lives, but always seem to leave jaw-dropping damage in their wake, in "Hancock."

Hancock (Will Smith, left) is aware that everyone - including young Michel (Daeg Faerch, right) - thinks he's a jerk in Columbia Pictures' Hancock.

When Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman, right), a PR exec trying to clean up Hancock's image, brings the disgruntled superhero home, his wife, Mary (Charlize Theron, left), tries to convince him that Hancock is a lost cause in Columbia Pictures' Hancock.

Will Smith (pictured) stars as Hancock, a disgruntled, conflicted, sarcastic, and misunderstood superhero whose well-intentioned heroics might get the job done and save countless lives, but always seem to leave jaw-dropping damage in their wake, in "Hancock."

Will Smith (pictured) stars as Hancock, a disgruntled, conflicted, sarcastic, and misunderstood superhero whose well-intentioned heroics might get the job done and save countless lives, but always seem to leave jaw-dropping damage in their wake, in "Hancock."

Disgruntled superhero Hancock (Will Smith, left) is confronted by a boy (Atticus Shaffer, right) who urges him to get up and get after the bad guys in Columbia Pictures' Hancock.

Will Smith (pictured) stars as Hancock, a disgruntled, conflicted, sarcastic, and misunderstood superhero whose well-intentioned heroics might get the job done and save countless lives, but always seem to leave jaw-dropping damage in their wake, in "Hancock."

Hancock (Will Smith, right) saves the life of an injured female cop (Liz Wicker, left) before taking out a gang of heavily armed bank robbers in Columbia Pictures' "Hancock."

Jason Bateman (pictured) stars as Ray Embrey, a PR exec trying to clean up a disgruntled superhero's public image, in Columbia Pictures' Hancock.

Will Smith (pictured) stars as Hancock, a disgruntled, conflicted, sarcastic, and misunderstood superhero whose well-intentioned heroics might get the job done and save countless lives, but always seem to leave jaw-dropping damage in their wake, in "Hancock."

When Hancock (Will Smith, above), saves the life of a PR exec, he tries to return the favor by cleaning up the disgruntled superhero's public image, despite the fact that his wife, Mary (Charlize Theron, below) thinks that Hancock is a lost cause in "Hancock."

Charlize Theron (pictured) stars as Mary, Ray's wife, who thinks that Hancock is a lost cause in Columbia Pictures' Hancock.

View All Photos (122)

Movie Info

A scruffy superhero named Hancock (Will Smith) protects the citizens of Los Angeles but leaves horrendous collateral damage in the wake of every well-intentioned feat. That's OK with Hancock; he doesn't care what people think and is just as likely to be found dozing on a park bench as saving a damsel in distress. However, after saving the life of a PR executive (Jason Bateman) and meeting the man's beautiful wife (Charlize Theron), he realizes that he may have a sensitive side after all.

Rating:

PG-13 (Language|Intense Sci-Fi Action/Violence)
Genre:

fantasy, action, comedy
Original Language:

English
Director:

Peter Berg
Producer:

Akiva Goldsman, Michael Mann, Will Smith, James Lassiter
Writer:

Vy Vincent Ngo, Vince Gilligan
Release Date (Theaters):

Jul 2, 2008 wide
Release Date (Streaming):

Apr 16, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA):

$227.9M
Runtime:

1h 32m
Production Co:

Blue Light, Overbrook Entertainment, Weed Road Pictures

Cast & Crew

Will Smith
John Hancock

Charlize Theron
Mary Embrey

Jason Bateman
Ray Embrey

Eddie Marsan
Red

Jae Head
Aaron

Thomas Lennon
Mike

Show all Cast & Crew

News & Interviews for Hancock

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Box Office Guru Wrapup: The Bat Still Going Strong, Three Weeks In

Critic Reviews for Hancock

All Critics (227) | Top Critics (60) | Fresh (94) | Rotten (133)

Some melodrama and a superwoman later, it loses steam.

January 30, 2019 | Rating: 2/4 | Full Review…

Namrata Joshi
Outlook
Quote not available.

November 16, 2011 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review…

Dave Calhoun
Time Out
Quote not available.

November 16, 2011 | Rating: 2/5

Ben Kenigsberg
Time Out
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.

October 18, 2008 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review…

Peter Bradshaw
Guardian
The strain of messianism in Will Smith movies is becoming ever more pronounced.

October 18, 2008 | Rating: C | Full Review…

Peter Rainer
Christian Science Monitor
Quote not available.

October 18, 2008 | Rating: B | Full Review…

St. Louis Post-Dispatch
It's the lack of real, substantial solutions for an outlandish fantasy tale that prevents this film from being as extraordinary as Hancock himself.

November 28, 2020 | Rating: 6/10 | Full Review…

Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
Silly? Sure. However, when Smith's not trying to win Oscars he's practically perfected the art of selling silliness at the box-office.

September 10, 2020 | Rating: 1.5/4.0 | Full Review…

Richard Propes
TheIndependentCritic.com
A darker brand of comedy that Will Smith has usually dealt in over the years, and all the better for it.

August 14, 2020 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

Leigh Paatsch
Herald Sun (Australia)
I wanted to like Hancock, especially after its rather enjoyable beginning, but ultimately the film is nothing more than a disappointing case of what-could-have-been.

October 29, 2019 | Rating: C | Full Review…

Micheal Compton
Bowling Green Daily News
Shots suddenly angled from the upper-right-hand-corner kitchen cupboard for no discernible reason. Tone shifts from "Ha-ha-ha, that Jason Bateman sure is amusing," to "Oh, my God, can anyone stop the bleeding?!?"

November 4, 2018 | Full Review…

Eileen Jones
The eXile
Bateman, whose name is usually mud when it comes to appearing in good movies, brings out the best in Smith the actor and the action becomes surprisingly fresh and funny.

November 4, 2018 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

Kaleem Aftab
The List

View All Critic Reviews (227)

Audience Reviews for Hancock

Feb 02, 2016

A satirical superhero comedy that bears terrible acting from the entire cast and flimsy plot, extremely disappointed at Charlize Theron. There's nothing to be praised about a pretentious film cashing in on the teenage audience.

Sylvester K Super Reviewer
May 06, 2013

A superhero movie that lacks its potential form of "super". Hancock is a predictable film that has the spark but doesn't have the fire. No doubt, Will Smith, as well as the special effects, is outstanding in every way, but the film's familiar storyline and lackluster twists is just as a bummer and mess as the protagonist himself. 3/5

Eugene B Super Reviewer
Oct 25, 2012

I didn't love it nor did I hate it, but the film really suffers from poor pacing and a laggy plot.

Jason 123 D Super Reviewer
Sep 10, 2012

Seems to be alright until the Gemini powers storyline kicks in. Honestly, it just makes this movie weird.

Mace R Super Reviewer

See all Audience reviews

Hancock Quotes

Hancock:	If you don't get out of my way, your head is going up his ass. You fellas sure want to ride this train?
Convict:	Choo, choo, asshole.

Hancock:

Call me an asshole, one more time.

Hancock:	Hancock: I will fight crime butt-ass naked before I fight it in that, Ray
Hancock:	I will fight crime butt-ass naked before I fight it in that, Ray.

Hancock:

You'd better not hit me with that truck!

View All Quotes

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