[Shad R]

Just got back from my screening. Let me say this...PG-13!?!Really?!?!How?!?! I won't ruin it, but there is an...image...of a man "stuck", that really made me go WHOA! The language is really bad, the movie has kind of a mean spirit, and the story is very adult in nature. I am guessing a lot of parents with kids will be refunding tickets, thus boosting Wall-E's gross.
Now, the review.
It is a jumbled mess of scenes and ideas. There is alot of wasted talent. Not to say I didn't laugh, I did, but their was no flow and the narrative wanders from place to place. I enjoyed act one...but that second and third act was stretching it. The funniest parts of the movie were in the first 30 minutes, then it makes a wierd turn and starts to get mean spirited. Also, it seems to not know weather it's spoof comedy, funny superhero movie, serious superhero movie with some comedy or an action movie. The last hour or so is just a mess of a movie. And the ending seemed very strange and random. Smith gets off some great lines in the beginning, and Bateman pretty much plays it straight(and is not utilized for his comedic delivery and timing like in Arrested Developement or Juno.) But what a mess! And that shaky camera style does NOT fit a movie like this. It was distracting. You can tell it was supposed to be R rated.
Final Score: B- (almost a C+ if it weren't for some funny moments in the beginning).
Again, this is NOT standard Willie Style PG-13 humor, this is very R-rated in nature, so be warned.

[Robert Crawford]

This thread is now the Official Review Thread for "Hancock". Please post all HTF member reviews in this thread.

Any other comments, links to other reviews, or discussion items will be deleted from this thread without warning!

If you need to discuss those type of issues then I have designated an Official Discussion Thread.



Crawdaddy

[mattCR]

I went thinking this could be a really great film option. I loved the previews, and thought the whole premise sounded like something I'd want to watch.

Yeah, this film isn't that. If you've seen the trailers, you've seen 85% of all the best moments, and you've seen every one of the best moments that isn't full of R-rated dialog.

The movie gets off to a pretty good start. For the first twenty minutes, there are some good laughs at the Hero's expense. The concept plays well. The storyline just sets itself up to be funny.

The second act, which comes on all too fast, turns the script in a pretty unexpected direction... and not in a good way. All of the lighthearted fun and goofy spirit to the film gets sucked right out of the theater. At that point, it becomes a mind-numbing push to get to the end.

This then turns to an ending that might setup sequels, but I'm hoping not. The last 20 minutes of the film are, IMHO, pretty awful, as it's a non-sensical mess of jumbled ideas and characters you largely don't like by then.

Don't waste your money. If you've seen the trailer, you've seen all that is worth watching.

D.

[Chris Will]

I agree that all the funny scenes were shown in the trailer but, overall I had a good time.

No, this is not a masterpiece but, I don't think it is a train wreck like most review are making it out to be. Maybe my expectations were so low because all the trailers were hit and miss with me, then all the very bad reviews started pouring in. Of course, i also didn't have to pay thanks to the free ticket in the MIB blu-ray. I went in expecting the worst thing ever to grace the movie screen but, ended up enjoying the ride for what it was, a summer action film with very little good story telling (you know, just like many other Will Smith movies). I equate Will Smith with Micheal Bay, they both make fun rides of a movie but you never go to one for the story. I also don't get all this "R" rating talk. I only heard one f-bomb and then it was just the normal cursing that is in every PG-13 movie. Yea, there is quite a bit of it but, nothing that I thought should push it over the edge to an "R" (unless I missed some f-bombs). No, this is not a kids movie but, IMO no PG-13 movie is a kids movie. Why is every rating except "R" these days suppose to be suitable for kids in most peoples eyes? Mine as well label everything G then. I honestly despise parents who bring young children to PG-13 movies, they shouldn't be there. So yes, this is a hard PG-13 movie, keep your kids away but, I saw nothing that should make this an R. Overall, I was entertained and it is definitely better then the Wild Wild West movie Smith made.

[Robert Crawford]

I have to agree with Chris, I had a good time watching this film and it's far from being a terrible films such as The Adventures of Pluto Nash or even Wild Wild West for instance. Most of my audiance appeared to have a good time with this film. Sure, it shifted gears about an hour into the film and except for a couple of scenes, I kind of went with that shift and still enjoyed the rest of the film. I'll give the film a B- for being a fun summer film that I'll buy on Blu-ray.






Crawdaddy

[Patrick Sun]

I'm going to side with the thesis that this is a movie about a guy with super powers that didn't need to be made. It's true that if you've seen the trailer, you have seen most of the entertaining bits of super powers on display by Hancock from the film, though the film embellishes the comedic punchlines. But, that's only the first third of the film, and the last 2/3 of the movie veers into head-scratching territory, and produces a mostly bland and off-putting storyline that makes you question why the characters are acting so dumb, except to evince sheer spectacle within the movie, but with little purpose and eliciting very little audience investment in the outcome.

Director Peter Berg's penchant for using handi-camera work is ill-suited for the material, and the special effects were not all that special, and detracted from the super power sequences. Just about all the performances by the principal actors in the movie were wasted in this cash-grab of a movie. The script is the main weak point of the movie, and it needed much more rewrites (with a more purposeful central theme, rather than a hodgepodge of ideas producing cinematic sludge when it could have been a much better concoction of a cinematic smoothie).

I give it 1.75 stars, or a grade of C-.

[Diallo B]

i have to totally agree with patrick.

unfortunately, i will be dragged to this at least two more times...... (damn will smith in tight leather....)

sigh.............

[Joe Karlosi]

I have to hand it to Will Smith... after having little use for him early on I've come to enjoy seeing him on the screen in his most recent films, even if none of them really blew me away. The guy has become an appealing actor to watch. That said, I was disappointed with HANCOCK because it started out with such promise but then took a complete turn in the wrong direction somewhere 'round the midway point and ruined for me what was shaping up to be a good film. What began as a touching and funny sentiment starts to mutate into something else entirely and, what's even more detrimental, there arise too many unnecessary explanations addressing Hancock's exceptional abilities which then leaves nothing to the wonderment of your imagination. These detours cripple the chance for HANCOCK to be something special.

[Inspector Hammer!]

I really liked this movie, it was a lot of fun and took the superhero genre into a hilariously unexpected new direction, they could do more and I wouldn't mind lol.

I also appreciated that they kept certain plot points a secret in the trailers, that's rare nowdays.

[ErichH]

I think everyone has this one down. Coulda been, but....

There were a few moments or turns when we get a hint of the script turning into something, but it doesn't happen. Time for more butts in the theater for the Will Smith July 4th whatever. Well, we know.. cha ching!

Too Bad - Next

[Qui-Gon John]

Just saw it today, I liked it. I don't get all the negative criticism and the last third did not seem like a non-sensical mess of jumbled ideas and characters. But, as many have said before, to each his own. It'd be a pretty broing world if we all liked and disliked the same things.

My only regret was the movie wasn't longer with more scenes of Hancock saving the day. Also,

Spoiler:

I would have liked a bit of explanation regarding the bad guy. It seems he must be some kind of immortal-type being who always goes after Hancock & Mary, but we don't get much on that. I saw "immortal-type" because he can at least get hurt, i.e. losing both hands.