First Hit: Started off interesting and faded as soon as the writer and director tried to make it more interesting.
There have been a huge number of superhero films in the last couple years. After a while they all sort of run into one another with the same kind of story lines and effects.
The true surprise was this year's Iron Man which was truly a fun film (recommend this film). The interesting thing about how this one begins is that the hero sleeps on park benches, drinks copious amounts of alcohol, and rarely cares about the fallout of his superhero actions.
Interesting setup for a superhero film and Will Smith is just the person to play this role. He has the look, feel and acting chops to create this character.
The film starts off with a couple of scenes where the premise is laid down but then the films starts to take shape after he saves Ray Embry (played by Jason Bateman) from being hit by a train. Ray is a public relations guy who decides to make Hancock his next project. Ray tells Hancock that he can help him change the public’s perception him if he follows his plan.
An additional developing story line is the interesting and intense looks between Hancock and Ray’s wife Mary (played by Charlize Theron). As Ray’s PR plan begins to work Mary and Hancock have a scene in the kitchen which shifts the whole film into a new and different film.
At this point this movie joined the ranks of one superhero fighting another superhero and loses its way. They tried to make it interesting and in the end made it uninteresting.
Vincent Ngo and Vince Gilligan wrote the script and Peter Berg directed this film. I’m not sure where the idea came from to not stick with just one superhero but expand the concept to two heroes but this is where the film fell down and tried to become an odd love story and a search for power. I think there was enough of a story line in the starting premise to make an in-depth film about Hancock and his search for his life and how it might fit in this world. Also, there could have been more made around the struggles that Ray was having as a PR man. However, the film makers went with a gimmick.
Overall: Some of the scenes are funny but I was disappointed where the film went.