In 1996, Will Smith and a team of unexpected stars took over the world with a little film called Independence Day. Taking audience members by complete surprise, the comedian/action star hemmed the big screen as if he owned it, turning in one amazing performances and staking his claim on the Fourth of July weekend for life. The following year, Smith would release Men in Black over the same weekend and followed that with Wild Wild West, Men in Black II and Bad Boys II, quickly earning the title of summer box office King.
However, it has been four years since Smith last debuted a film in July, and that one was the slightly disappointing I, Robot. But to say that the 'King' has been missed would be inaccurate as well. Since his departure, actors like Johnny Depp (Pirates) and Mike Myers (Shrek) have quickly found themselves amongst summers most elite.
Yet, even with all the pressure and expectation, Smith has taken to his old ways again, coming back for another summer blockbuster in Hancock, an unusual superhero film that is set to be released on Smith's most recognizable weekend, Fourth of July.
With the summer box office full of comic book superheroes ranging from Iron Man to Batman and even a reincarnation of the big green monster known as Hulk, getting to see an unusually lazy and unfamiliar man like Hancock is truly a blessing.
As the film opens up, we are introduced to Hancock, a lazy and unmotivated superhero who is hated by all those around him. Laying passed out on a park bench, the superhero has no intention of helping police apprehend a suspect who is driving mad down the highway. However, after being stirred by a young boy, Hancock has no choice but to do his 'civic duty.'
Unfortunately, Hancock never does things the easy way. Instead, he terrorizes civilians as he crashed through a road sign and a couple of building, going out of his way to cause havoc and dismay, all the while capturing the suspect with little to no effort.
The result is an uproar from all those who saw and heard about his dangerous and unnecessary doings. An uproar that does nothing but push Hancock's will to handle his powers and responsibility further down the waist side.
Mary Embrey is easily the most mysterious and unnatural character in the entire film. Never feelings quite comfortable around Hancock, you get a sense of some sexual tension from the very beginning. However, Mary's love and devotion for her family makes you believe that she would never falter; yet, for some reason there is tension, and you always know that in a superhero movie, tension mean disaster "“ or does it?
Played by Academy Award winner Charlize Theron, I can honestly say that Mary is simply played too good for the film. Tackling the simplicity of a superhero plot and the nonexistent depth that each character brings to the table, I personally felt that Theron was holding back in order to fulfill the duties of both the film and its genre.
To her defense, it is Theron's first major blockbuster role, and she picked one that is right up her alley. However, she outshines everyone else on screen, putting them each to shame and proving why she is so brilliant in every single role that she takes on. She is miles ahead of her co-stars (yes, even Academy Award nominee Will Smith), and it is quite obvious in this film.
Also along for the ride is Jason Bateman. Playing Ray Embrey, Bateman shares a strong chemistry with Smith, one that allows the film to carry a decent flow throughout. But I have to say that Bateman is often forced to take a backseat to Theron and Smith's spotlight 'connection,' Instead, Bateman is forced to accept his role as a back-up singer, never really getting a chance to shine and consistently finding himself stuck in no-man's-land, even while playing a critical character within the realm of the story.
But that wasn't the biggest problem for me. Now I never thought that I would have the opportunity to say this, especially for a summer superhero blockbuster, but I truly felt that Hancock ended rather abruptly. With an extremely short running time of just over 90 minutes, the film failed to take audiences through the full scope of the story. Never did we get the full back-story of Hancock and sadly everything seemed to whoosh we never got to see the rigors of being a superhero. There was time and there was definitely a story, but for some reason it sadly was never fully exposed, making me wonder how much footage was left on the cutting room floor.
But, once you get past that small detail, you can't help but appreciate the creative premise, interesting twist and somewhat complete story that Hancock provides. You just have never seen anything like it before. It has action, comedy and a little uniqueness; which, during the summer, can easily go a long way. But most of all, it is enjoyable; sadly not amazing, but entertaining and enjoyable none the least.
