Hancock (**)

HANCOCK
Directed by Peter Berg



**

Who doesn't like Will Smith lately? The answer seems to be nobody, as he headlines Hancock, a film which is sure to be his seventh or eighth blockbuster in a row. He is easily the most bankable movie actor in Hollywood, what with the huge, unexpected success of I Am Legend cementing his place at the summit of the film superstars. So what about Hancock, you ask? Despite being as CGI-filled as most summer films are these days and having one of the most interesting premises that I've seen from a Hollywood movie that I've seen in a while, it has the distinction of being the most uneven film so far in 2008.

The story of Hancock is pretty interesting. John Hancock (Smith) is a superhero who woke up in a Miami hospital sometime in the 1920's with complete amnesia. All he knows is that he has supernatural powers, and even though he goes out of his way to save the occasional bystander and take down the occasional criminal, his constant boozing and the carnage he leaves in the wake of every hero appearance he makes leaves him as a media target. The very people he attempts to save resent him, and all Hancock can do to counter it is get drunk and continue to use his abilities for further destruction.

Hancock's monotonous life turns around though, when he runs into the ambitious PR specialist Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman). Ray was stuck in the front seat of his car and nearly run over by a train, before Hancock stepped in and stopped the train in its tracks--literally, leaving the train in complete disarray. Grateful, Ray invites Hancock to his home, and offers to help repair his image to the public. When a warrant is issued for Hancock's arrest, Ray advises him to go to prison, so the public can understand how important he is. Hancock agrees grudgingly, and the plan works.

Ray's plan goes further, including creating a new, leather, more superhero-y uniform for Hancock to wear. Before you know it, Hancock is now a model citizen, and a courageous hero that the public admires. The only problem? Ray's wife Mary (Charlize Theron) seems to have an issue with Hancock. From the first time that she meets him, she glares at him strangely, nearly scowling. She seems constantly annoyed by his presence, and when the reason for this is revealed, the film takes a puzzling and disappointing turn.

I must say that much of the first half of the film I enjoyed. The idea is glorious, because too many times we see action heroes and superheros alike leave areas in complete wreckage with seemingly no consequence. This film has the guts to poke fun at those movies, and at the same time embrace them. The film was directed by Peter Berg, one of my personal favorite B-movie actors. He has shown to have a talent for making energetic action pictures, with a very visceral style, a la Paul Greengrass. He handles this story very well, until that fateful plot twist.

The film reminds me of a blunder released earlier this summer, The Happening. Like that film, Hancock refuses to trust its own brilliant premise, and decides to spice it up with plot contrivances that are frustrating. Granted, this film has the gift of being much more fun than Happening, and like most of the Indiana Jones pictures have shown, a movie that is effervescently delightful can easily overcome the most preposterous of plot points. This film, though, just doesn't seem to get away as easily though because its story becomes so flimsy, so quickly its somewhat unforgivable.

The cast works well together, with Smith and Theron seeming to have a lot of fun together. Bateman is a treat, showcasing the spitfire wit and the surprising depth that has made him so popular recently (why did this happen AFTER Arrested Development got cancelled??)--so they're not the ones to blame. More than anything, the thing that this film seems to be missing is a villain. There really isn't a true villain in this film that matches Hancock blow for blow. I know the charm of this film is its unconventional story, but a superhero movie in which his main enemy is himself is also a gaping plot hole that should be payed attention to.

In the end, sub-par storytelling gives way to an average film, and a wasted storyline. I don't doubt that most audiences will go ga-ga for this, as its pumped with just enough shallowness that its ultimately satisfying. Peter Berg's movies keep on getting bigger and bigger (The Rundown to The Kingdom and now...), but he is slowly approaching Michael Bay territory in terms of films of complete brainlessness. Not that Hancock isn't occasionally a good time. If anything, what I want the reader of this review to understand is that this film deserved to be a lot better.