Pseudo Review: Hancock

I really enjoyed Hancock (that’s what she said), the new superhero flick starring Will Smith. It’s true it looses some steam in the second half when Hancock redeems himself and we get a more traditional superhero movie. But hey, whats so terrible about a traditional superhero movie anyway? Besides, if Hancock is simply a super powered jerk for 90 minutes, that’s not a movie. It’s an extended SNL skit parodying superheroes.  

Hancock isn’t a straight up comedy, but man there are some laugh out loud moments. In fact, I laughed more watching this than Get Smart and The Love Guru combined.   

I should also point out that Jason Batemen may soon need a religion devoted to him. The guy is simply great in any role he’s in. Here he plays a PR guy trying to improve Hancock’s image. Also, the incredibly hot Charlize Theron co-stars as well. I didn’t even know she was in this until I saw her name in the opening credits. I guess when you have Will Smith, you don’t need to mention any other stars. 

You get the feeling that Director Peter Berg may have wanted this to have a been a more edgy deconstruction of the Superhero myth. At a run time of just over 90 minutes, I’m pretty sure a lot of stuff may have been left forced on the cutting room floor. It’s a good bet we’ll be seeing an extended DVD release in the not so distant future.  

I gotta say, I’m officially a Will Smith fan. If you asked me 20 years ago who would have ended up the bigger movie star, DJ Jazzy Jeff or The Fresh Prince, I would have said… neither. But hey, here we are and I’m singing Cousin Will’s praises. What a weird world we live in. I wonder which member of The Fat Boys will be the first to win an Oscar?