Hancock's finest hour and a half! (Hancock (DVD))

Name: kingfisher111

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Product:	Hancock (DVD)
Date:	13/07/08 (224 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: great family film

Disadvantages: none!

I very rarely get to the cinema these days so when I go it has to be a film I really want to see. I had heard a lot of good things about Hancock and I generally like Will Smith in most of the things that he does so this was the film we chose. I am obviously only going to talk about the film because as far as I know the DVD is not out yet.

Hancock is a film that fits into a number of different categories. At times it is very funny so it could be termed a comedy. It also is a fantasy type film featuring superheroes with super powers and there's also a little bit of romance too.

Will Smith plays Hancock who is a super hero charged with saving the world. However, he is by no means a conventional super hero though with his shabby style of dress, his liking for a drink or few and his notoriously bad temper! He could in fact easily be mistaken for one of the town's down and outs! None the less, whenever there is a problem in the city whether it's with drug dealers or beached whales, he does always go to the rescue. The problem is that he tends to go into his missions like a bull in a china shop and sometimes the results of his heroics are quite devastating! For example when he saves the whale by throwing it back into the ocean he takes out a whole ship! As a consequence, everyone is fed up with Hancock and they don't want the hapless superhero around.

There is one person who believes in Hancock though and that is Ray Embrey (played by Jason bateman), a PR executive who is down on his luck. He sets about working with Hancock to change his image, although his wife Mary (Charlize Theron) is not so sure, and this aspect of the film is very funny and engaging.

Strangely, about half way through the film changes it's track and a very unexpected turn about of events occurs as it focuses more on Hancock's past and what he needs to survive. Although this aspect of the film was enjoyable I sort of wished that all the film had been more about the image change as this had the potential for much more comedy.

This was a very enjoyable and engaging film and probably had something in it for most people. There were the traditional sorts of superhero antics which provided some very good visual scenes and stunts and fast moving action. There was the love interest provided by Ray and Mary with a very cute little boy added in for good measure. Above al,l for me though, for the most part it was a very funny film and on many occasions I found myself laughing out loud. However, underlying the humour there is a more moving story of loneliness which examines what it's like to be on the outside, to be misunderstood and to be different from everyone else.

What really made the film though was the very strong performances given by Will Smith and Jason Bateman. I have read some reviews slating Will Smith but I find him to be a very good versatile actor. His performance as Hancock has it all - comedy, pathos, strength - and I found this character very captivating. He is often a master of facial expressions and that was certainly the case in this role where his looks at times spoke much more than words. I also really enjoyed Jason Bateman's performance and his portrayal of Ray comes over as a very nice and decent chap although sometimes a little out of his depth.
Charlize Theron also gave an enjoyable performance as Mary and her's was probably the most changeable character in the film.

There is also a spell in the film when Hancock voluntarily takes himself off to jail and this gives the opportunity to introduce a very motley crew of minor characters. These somewhat seedy types definitely contribute to quite a lot of the humour in the film as well.

Overall then this is in my view a film that is definitely worth seeing and as it has a 12A certificate it is a film that can be enjoyed by families together. Definitely recommended!

Summary: There are heroes, there are superheroes and there's - Hancock!