Hancock movie review: Worth seeing, not only for its originality, but for its entertainment value

I saw the movie Hancock this weekend and since I am taking it easy tonight, I thought I would give a quick review as to why I think it's one of the better movies I have seen in a while. Credit to Will Smith for picking another great movie.

Admittedly, the reviews I had read made this movie out to be sort of a let down. They are wrong, and I can explain why. It's not like a "normal superhero movie." There isn't a traditional villain, nor is there a traditional back story. You know why? They have invented a new superhero. And for that originality, they had to use an original approach to developing the character and plot.

You know why these comic book nerds don't like it? Because they are idiots and think that if Stan Lee didn't have a hand in it, it must not be good. These are the same people who prevented Batman Begins from cutting the best line, and what should have been Bruce Wayne's response for when he and those two chicks jumped into the pool and the hotel guy told him that the pool was only there for show: "So are these." For these comic book movies, especially today, to succeed - you need to capture the non-comic book audience in a way the movie is worth watching and can somehow relate, even if they haven't read the comic book. Hancock is one of the few to successfully do this. Spoilers follow my explanation as to why.

Hancock is divided into two parts. The first is a drama which basically has to introduce this superhero. Unlike Spiderman or Batman, there is no explanation of where he came from, he just is. And like the previews explain, nobody really likes him. He saves the day, but on his terms and at whatever risk and cost, mainly because he is invulnerable, like Superman. Then he saves Jason Bateman's character, Ray, (who is much like his character from Arrested Development), who decides to devote his lackluster career to improving Hancock's personal image. We also meet his wife, who is played by an almost unrecognizable, but still hot, Charlize Theron. With Bateman's help, and a little jail time, Hancock begins to win over the public. Nancy Grace even makes an appearance, which supports my suggestion that she serves no newsworthy purpose, but provides ratings for her target market.

Around the time it seems that everything is coming up Hancock, the second half of the movie begins (this is the action part). It turns out that Ray's wife is a superhero just like Hancock. They also set up most of the back story, and enough for what needs to be told to get this movie to its credits. Both are heroes, and have been around for at least 3000 years, but they are the last of their kind. So long as they are apart, they remain immortal; when they come together, they become mortal. The female superhero forgets to tell Hancock this aspect though, and he gets shot.

The final battle scene takes place in a hospital, where the mortal villain (who may or may not have figured out that they were mortal when they were together), tries to kill both of them, and nearly gets away with it. In the end, heroes separate and regain their immortality, and Hancock decides to fight crime on the other side of the country.

I think the movie sets itself up perfectly for a sequel, since a movie had to be created to both invent the characters and begin to develop them. Once this movie hits the DVD world and percolates through the general public for a couple years, I fully expect a sequel, and I'm going to go out on a limb and say that this sequel will necessarily be better than the original because it's possibilities are endless. They aren't constrained by the fallacies of comic book nerdom where critics can say "it's not like the comic book" or whatever other excuse they give for when something is different. I think the critics are mad because they are so used to adaptations from comic books that they don't know a novel concept when it hits them. Good for Will Smith for seeing the potential gold mine in this one.

The movie was good, certainly not a train wreck, and was entertaining and action packed enough to forget that it was only rated PG-13. And Will Smith dropped the f-bomb, which was surprising for an under R movie, but what do I know. I would recommend seeing it, if not in the theater, at some time on DVD or HBO. At least see it before the sequel comes out, because otherwise you'll be lost.

I took a look at some other reviews (here, here, and here) and they were generally the same. I would put this above the second and third X-Men movie, and certainly above Indiana Jones 4. I liked I am Legend (sort of), but it's a different type of movie, and while it's tough to compare, this is better. If you liked Men in Black, you should like this movie.

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