This past weekend I had the chance to see Hancock, Will Smith’s latest film that has seemingly appeared out of nowhere with little hype until its UK release approached. I had hardly heard of the film until it arrived on my ‘hit list’ of films to watch. So armed with four extremely loony little nieces (well sort of!) we all bounced off to Harrow town to catch the flick before they had to head home to Deadyland aka Leicester. Shame we couldn’t grab a bite to eat afterwards wasn’t it? 
The film is a must for all Will Smith fans. I am no means a fan but I do respect his acting skills and regardless of what the internet critics have to say - the guy has great screen presence. It’s amazing to see how he has moved from being the star on The Fresh Prince of Bel Air to where he is now.
Hancock was a rather interesting film right from the outset. It starts out very strong and remained that way with comical touches throughout and then things begin to go slightly pear shaped almost half way through. This is not film of the year, but I highly rate the film in my books. It is quite good and comical and easily worth watching if you’re a Smith fan.
Will Smith plays John Hancock - a homeless, slightly reckless alcoholic who just happens to have super-powers. A bottle of whiskey is always close by as he charges through the air to bring villains to justice, in possibly the most over the top manner possible. His reckless attitude in protecting humans and apprehending criminals earns him a bad reputation from the media and civilians. Criminals aren’t the only ones at the receiving end of Hancock’s recklessness. That poor whale…
Just when things couldn’t get any worse, Hancock rescues Ray Embrey (
Jason Bateman) who just happens to be a marketing gimp in a suit. He thanks Hancock for saving his life and then has visions of turning his public image around into one that the public truly love. Hancock couldn’t care less about his image though.
At this point the film begins to open up once Hancock is introduced to Embrey’s family, especially his drop dead stunning wife Mary (Charlize Theron). At first she seems to despise him - but I got a completely different impression here. Those were not looks of hate I was seeing but passion, and heated passion at that. There was definite tension between the two and that is where I will end things.
Will Smith pulls off the character Hancock superbly. His rough, gritty expression makes our hero even more believable as an abandoned soul with nothing to lose. It is just fascinating to watch him play the character.
The special effects are superb and over the top as with any Hollywood blockbuster of late. The sky scenes towards the end of the film are quite incredible - they make The Day After Tomorrow look positively tame. So where did things go wrong?
As the film introduces us to our hero and the Embrey family it all seems rather straight forward. Obviously there is a lack of a villain, and that is where it falls flat. The ‘villain’ comes out of nowhere and surprised almost everyone. For the most part the baddie isn’t even a major player in the film. I can’t give much away by saying that there are a couple of points in the film where the story takes a vivid turn.
On the whole Hancock was very entertaining, and even the girls all loved it. I truly enjoyed it just as I enjoyed his last film - I am Legend. Will Smith just cannot put a foot wrong when it comes to his repertoire of films - well Wild Wild West and Hitch weren’t his best I guess! Oh by the way, stick around after the credits because there is an extra scene.
