Hancock (2008)

Hancock (Will Smith) is a beleaguered, down-on-his-luck, superhero, living in present day LA but unwanted by the American public, and generally unloved, because he seems to create more destruction than he prevents. Drunk and moody, Hancock drifts aimlessly through his days, mixing drinking with the odd bit of heroism, until he saves the life of Ray Embrey, who works in PR. As a thank you, Ray offers his services to help Hancock's public image and help him come to terms with his past and who he is today...

Read more

Hancock

It is nice to be the contrarian once in a while. Standing up against the critical masses, sticking to your guns on why a film is a complete piece of shit when everyone is losing their head and heralding it as a masterpiece. Or speaking up for a film that has been dumped on by everyone and, not only is it not worthy of such scorn, it is actually so good it doesn't deserve anything other than wholesome praise. I find myself doing the latter in the case of the near-brilliant Hancock.

I keep reading how everyone hates this film, but then I read two rave reviews from respected critics in amongst all those negative ones so I decided to go see it. I'm thrilled I did. This is not only almost certainly going to be the best movie of the summer, it may very well end up in my top 10 for the year. I'm not going to deny it has its problems, but the quality is otherwise so good that they don't detract from the picture that Berg and co have made.

I've mentioned Peter Berg before on this site. He last directed The Kingdom, a less ambitious but well-made picture, that died a death at the box-office. That didn't stop him getting the nod in a big-budget Will Smith July 4 picture, which suggests Berg is gaining some serious clout in Hollywood. Will Smith's July 4th films could probably be directed by you or I and still make money - he is after all the biggest box office draw in the world who hasn't had a box office dud since 2001's Ali (and even that went on to score him an Oscar nomination so can hardly be called a failure. ) Clearly though the summer movie season is all about the big bucks and for Berg to helm this is a serious vote of confidence.

Smith plays the title role, who is a washed up superhero; an inarticulate, inconsiderate drunk who knows not who he is or where he came from. Far from being revered like the traditional superhero, Hancock is vilified by the citizens of Los Angeles due to the thoughtless destruction of property that accompanies every rescue or intervention he exercises. The city loses all patience with him after a latest destructive escapade and issue an arrest warrant. Despite the fact that he can fly off at any time, Hancock gives himself up and serves his sentence after taking advice from a PR consultant (Jason Bateman) whom he just happened to have rescued the day before. The PR guy's big idea is for LA to miss their superhero, ask for his help when they really need him, and for Hancock to show up after some elocution lessons, a makeover and an image branding exercise to save the day with a bit more care and politeness, thus winning over the very people that have cursed his name.

It's a great idea for a film and it is especially welcome to see a superhero film which dares not to tread the same well-worn path that pretty much every single comic book film has trampled down over the years. However the reviews have not been kind, so what have people got against it? Reading through a number of comments since I got back from seeing it, it seems people are down on the third act, complaining that the "big twist" came out of nowhere and not only that, but it caused the film to veer from light comedy to something more dramatic, which ultimately ruined the tone of the whole film. I have two issues with this. 1) Without knowing what it was going in, the "big twist" seemed to me to be very clearly signalled throughout. I don't think Peter Berg intended it as a big twist at all. And 2) The dramatic final act was pretty near-perfect in my eyes.

I really liked some of the choices towards the end, especially (spoilers in white) how Hancock and Mary's only weakness was each other. It seemed really fitting and the scene on the hospital bed when Mary recalled their past was completely convincing. You could feel their love - and yet Mary could only save Hancock by sacrificing herself and Hancock could only save her by leaving her. It was almost Shakespeare-esque and it elevated a super-hero flick above and beyond the scope of anything the genre has seen before.

All three stars are perfectly cast. I've loved Bateman ever since he did Arrested Development and whilst his range is limited, he is always very watchable and has perfect comic timing. Theron - who also appeared in AD - is also effective and looked very hot once she put on that black thing with the black eyeliner. Smith has been consistently delivering great performances for years. The all interacted brilliantly and, as mentioned in the spoiler, that scene on the hospital bed was brilliant and actually had me choked. John Powell's excellent score really hit its stride in the final third as well, and I've been listening to it since I got back from the cinema. Top quality stuff.

Sure there are some issues here and there. Some of the CGI is ropey - especially when Smith is flying at speed. There are implausibilities in the plot, but there's nothing so outrageously improbable that it would take you out of the picture, and I am the very first to complain about plot-holes, believe me. Whatever its faults, nothing even begins to explain the bizarre and pathetic 36% rating on rottentomatoes. I'm totally bewildered by it.

I would normally not hesitate to recommend a movie I was about to give an low A/high B to (I'm torn between an A- and B+) but I'm completely outnumbered so I have to be honest and say you may very well not agree with me. However, I found this to be extremely enjoyable from start to finish. The comic touches at the start, the convincing drama at the end - it all worked. I am not a lone voice rallying against the critical tide, but I am a lonely one. I really do think this is a first rate summer film. In fact scratch that, this is simply a first rate film and if Will Smith's box office numbers hold up as well as usual, then it'll be one of those rare occasions when the public, and not the critics got it right.

A-/B+

I Am Legend

Here is the other perspective on the MyFilmVault class trip to see Will Smith's latest. Well, not so much another perspective as we almost agree entirely.

I had heard reviews saying that the first hour or so of I Am Legend are brilliant and the last half hour ropey. And, as my colleague says, that is absolutely spot on. I do not generally find myself in agreement with the film-reviewing community, and I'm not sure my colleague does either, but this time it is hard not to agree.

The first hour is brilliant, A grade, material. Smith is good, the atmosphere is taught and gripping, the post-apocalyptic New York looks visually stunning, and the character of Robert Neville is very well developed indeed. As in Cast Away, a non-human character is used to excellent effect and is a central part of the film's best scene. Unfortunately, this best scene also signals the film's turning point.

The last half hour is ropey, and it is possibly even ropier if I have misunderstood part of the ending (which I won't spoil), but I'll give the film the benefit of the doubt. God comes into it very unnecessarily and the whole chance/fate/free will thing is dealt with pretty poorly. It is handled much better and much more effectively, for example, in the excellent and underrated Signs.

I would go a couple of steps further than my colleague and say that the CGI monsters are pretty damn terrible and unconvincing, which doesn't help when you're on fictitous sci-fi territory anyway. Monsters need to convince if they are to frighten. It felt like all of the budget went on making New York look as good as it does and a few quid went on the mutants. Disappointing.

However, the good bits outweigh the flaws and it is, to be honest, worth watching for the first hour alone, an excellent and, at times, very moving character study on the themes of loneliness, isolation and tragedy. So, therefore, it is fully worthy of a

B

I am Legend

Well my piece on actors vs actresses left no doubt about who the most bankable star in the world of cinema was and Will Smith has done it again, breaking records for December opening weekends and smashing through the $200 million dollar mark in a little over 3 weeks.

I am Legend is the 3^rd adaptation of the Richard Matheson novel about the last man on earth. Ridley Scott was slated to direct Arnold Schwarzanegger in this film (or a variation thereof) back in the 90s but however much I love Ridley Scott, I can’t help thinking it was probably best that this film was made instead.

It’s not perfect – in fact I thought the entire second half was a bit of a let down, however Will Smith is one of the few actors that can be on screen on his own for 2 hours and for that not to become a little stale. He’s not quite at his best here – a couple of scenes don’t convince, particularly when he has a bit of a meltdown. However he shows once again why the public will pay to see him and for the first 60 minutes this is a grade A action film.

New York has never been portrayed quite like this. In fact it probably surpasses Ridley Scott’s own take on New York earlier this year in American Gangster. The latter was a brilliant retro look at 70s New York, and it was totally convincing. This though is a look at an apocalyptic New York and looks even better (if you’ll forgive the slightly pointless comparison!). Grass grows in the pavement cracks, plants have grown to 8 foot tall, deer wander along deserted avenues. It’s brilliant. A big gold star for the CGI guys on that one.

A big black mark for the same guys though (if indeed it was the same guys) for the zombified human mutants. They’re not quite right – not appalling mind you, just not quite up to scratch.

I stated that the entire 2^nd half is a bit of a let down. There’s a mention of God at just over the halfway point that totally gives away the ending. I didn’t imagine God would be proved wrong in an American blockbuster and indeed he is not. It’s a pointless and stupid mention and really irritated me. However, for all its flaws I find myself preferring to concentrate on the good points and I guess that’s testament to how well they pulled much of it off. Not the perfect action film but worth seeing on the big screen.

B-

I Can't Wait To See...

I Am Legend

And, sadly, I'm going to be waiting quite a while as this Will Smith fronted number doesn't appear until the new year. Still it sounds very interesting indeed.
Smith plays the last man alive on earth after he has created a virus that has wiped out humanity. The story, by Richard Matheson, has been made into a film twice before - The Last Man on Earth (1964) and The Omega Man (1971)- but this promises much. Smith himself has hinted that this is more arthouse than Hollywood blockbuster which suggests character above action, though Smith might, of course, be exaggerating. However, there is certainly room and potential here for an interesting character story about isolation and its effects (set against a fascinating backdrop) as Smith's character struggles to find an antidote whilst fighting off the effects of the virus. In the form of killer vampires. Oh dear, I hear you collectively scream (unless you like vampire movies, which I kind of do). But apparently the director says they're not vampires. Or zombies. So we'll have to wait and see on that one but it is a worry as poor creature effects can ruin a movie and a good premise (cf. The Descent; Alien Resurrection). However, I certainly like the idea of the last human left alive on earth being claustrophobically locked away in his room/house and fighting the effects of both loneliness and guilt.
One final worry. Smith's character is a scientist looking to discover and cure for the disease he's helped to create and there is definitely potential here for ropey endings, but hopefully they'll pull the whole thing off well. It certainly promises much, I just hope it delivers and, if it does, it could be a classic. Oh, and it has an actor called Paradox Pollack so it can't be bad.

Hope you enjoy the trailer...