johnlink ranks HANCOCK (2008)
HANCOCK could have been a really good movie. It has script issues, focus issues, and studio issues. All these problems stem from a fear of being too dark. It’s like it is afraid of making Will Smith look TOO bad. I don’t blame him for that, I blame the production en masse. What we ended up getting, instead of a dark and gritty graphic novel tale, was a soft summer blockbuster which entertained at times, but ultimately fell short.
HANCOCK attempts to tell the story of an alcoholic super hero in a world with consequences.
I watched HANCOCK (2008) on 6.17.09. It was my first viewing of the film.
NOTE: THIS RANKING UTILIZES THIS SITE’S ORIGINAL SYSTEMIC ARTICLE WRITING METHOD. THE METHOD BY WHICH THE RANKINGS WERE ARRIVED AT, HOWEVER, REMAINS THE SAME.
FILM
Shot in the traditional summer blockbuster fashion, Director Peter Berg offers nothing special to our movie-going experience. As far as themes, this movie wants to talk about eternal love, but is too watered down to start the discussion. But, I will say that some of the action scenes are pretty. SCORE: 4
MOVIE
I wish the second half of HANCOCK could keep up with the first half. Once the twist is introduced, it becomes somewhat predictable. Not that it wasn’t beforehand. Liz guessed the big twist ten minutes in. SCORE: 6
ACTING
Will Smith is wasted a bit in this. Can’t say I blame him. It must have been a fun movie to shoot. But he doesn’t really get a chance to stretch at all. I will say that he is a guy who is never boring, and who always engages, even in the most pedestrian of movies. I do like Jason Bateman here, though Charlize Theron (playing Bateman’s wife) ruins any surprise her role might hold with the very fact that a big name was cast in it. SCORE: 5
WRITING
Clever and witty at times. And I agree with Ebert’s assessment, that this movie actually considers the consequences of a big superhero fight. At least in the first act. By act three, those trivialities are replaced by ‘bigger’ concerns. Unfortunately, I was never fully sold by its allegory.
I will say that I was worried that coincidence was playing too huge a role in this movie until the story convinced me otherwise. First time in awhile that I can say that. Sadly, it doesn’t save the writing from a below average score. SCORE: 4
FINAL TALLY
FILM: 4; MOVIE: 6; ACTING: 5; WRITING: 4
4+6+5+4+0=19
FINAL TALLY: 4.75
johnlinkmovies 