Hola all. Massawyrm here.
You know, to be perfectly honest Hancock has been my most anticipated film of the summer. It’s not that I wasn’t at all excited about Indy or Iron Man or Hulk or Speed Racer or that I’m not at all excited for Dark Knight or Hellboy – but those all had sure thing written all over them. I trusted the directors to deliver, and thus far they all have. Most importantly, they were all established properties. I knew what to expect. But Hancock, Hancock was a different story. It was the big giant question mark of the summer. I mean, you’ve got Will Smith who on his worst day is still mildly entertaining. And director Peter Berg, who on his worst day makes entertaining fictional films about Odessa Permian making it all the way to the state finals against Dallas Carter in 1988 when really it was actually, I don’t know, maybe the red and gray awesomeness of the Judson Rockets. Cough. Ahem. Rocket Pride.
In all seriousness, Peter Berg is one of those guys that I group in along with guys like Favreau. He’s got a solid body of work, he gets better with every film, and he’s just waiting for that big, huge mega success to launch him into the category of guys we talk about in terms of only their last name. Hell, he gave us Duane Johnson’s first great flick (The Rundown) and made the very best of the current crop of Iraq War films, (The Kingdom.) He’s due. And guess what? Now he’s got it.
Hancock is one hell of a fun, raucous, audacious super hero movie that takes a number of the conventions of the genre and turns them on their ear. It is Superman if Superman had finally gotten fed up of not knowing who he really was or where he came from and just said “Fuck it. I’m gonna have a drink.” And then didn’t stop. If you think you know where this movie is going, think again. You don’t. The first trailer only gave you snippets of the first ten minutes, cutting out all the edginess and showing us the family friendly drunken Will Smith. The second trailer? Only the first 30 minutes or so. In fact, there’s a major character in this movie, played by of all people Charlize Theron who they don’t even dare to show. This film has its secrets and thank god for that, because the secrets it has make for one hell of an entertaining Super Hero flick.
This isn’t what it appears to be. It’s not a spoof, it’s not a series of gags. It’s a super hero character study about a very messed up guy who proves to be all too human. There was no Uncle Ben and his “with great power” hullaballo, or a Professor X to take him in and teach him how to use his powers. There was his buddies Jim Beam and Jack Daniels and a park bench to sleep them off with. And this film never for a moment bothers to pull these punches. But at the same time Hancock is very, very funny. Incredibly funny.
Hancock was made with a lot of love. Not just love for the material, but love for the genre. It is a piece very much in love with the notion of superheroes and other superhero movies. And yet, while that love is prevalent, it never begs, borrows or steals from them. It is simply its own thing that very much deserves to be spoken of along side them. The superhero gags in this aren’t just funny, they are gutbustingly, doubled over in your chair holding your side hilarious. But they are character comedy – not spoof. It never really makes fun of the genre – it only strives to have fun with it. And that’s what really makes this work.
Will Smith is so unbelievably likable in this, delivering a memorable performance the likes of which will probably be held amongst his most popular. It perfectly meshes everything he does well into one single perfect character. It’s got plenty of off the cuff humor mixed with a healthy dose of pathos all gelling together just right to form something of a smart assed drunken 800lb gorilla that nobody can really say shit to without having their ass handed back to them. And he fucking nails it. It’s everything they’ve tried to do with Wolverine over the last few attempts and never gotten quite perfect. It’s like they never wanted Wolvie to be the asshole he is in the comics for fear that audiences wouldn’t like him. Well, Hancock is that kind of asshole, and you don’t like him. You fucking love him.
And as an added bonus, it’s a movie with no canon to fuck up. So when this movie begins going in directions you never imagined, it doesn’t send your geek cerebral cortex atwitter and into overdrive trying to put together the pieces. It just grabs you by the scruff of your neck and says hold the fuck on. It gets crazy, but by the time you walk out every bit of it works and makes sense within its universe. They’re crafting a mythology and when all is said and done, it is a pretty great and solid one.
Yeah, Hancock is pretty fucking great. But it does have a number of small flaws. Three in fact that each in their own way keep it from being perfect. The first is that while the music is pretty fantastic at times, there are a few weird cues that take you out of the movie for a moment. There’s a point where the Sanford and Son theme kicks in for almost no apparent reason and you begin to wonder if there is some joke you’re missing. Secondly, somebody borrowed Michael Bay’s Will Smith Dramatic Slo-Mo Spin tm machine and forgets occasionally to turn it off. There’s just so much movement in a few shots that it can be distracting, including one long insane spin that begins to get a little comical. I’m not talking about Blair Witch style – this is deliberate, intentional and makes you want to smack the cameraman every once in a while yelling at him to cut that shit out.
The final problem is a slightly uneven third act that sets up a number of threads that don’t entirely pay off as heavily as they should. To be fair, it pays off well enough and delivers on a number of things you aren’t expecting – but if people have problems with this, it will be with the resolution of the final act. It’s what keeps this from being an absolutely perfect entry into the genre. That said, the last minute of the film sends you out into the lobby with a grin ear to fucking ear ready to watch it all over again – so all in all it works.
This is probably one of the most satisfying films of the summer, a truly fun endeavor that offers the whole total entertainment package. This is exactly the type of movie you want to see over Fourth of July weekend and honestly, I can’t wait to see it for my second time again tonight. Highly Recommended for anyone who loves a good superhero film. If you’re a regular AICN reader this absolutely needs to go on your must see list.
Until next time friends, smoke ‘em if ya got ‘em.
Massawyrm
Mr. Berg, I thought I would never say this, but sir, you are finally forgiven for ASPEN EXTREME.
