Hancock was one of summer 08's big blockbusters. It stars Will Smith, Charlize Theron & Jason Bateman. Hancock is directed by Peter Berg whose previous credits include The Kingdom, he's also worked as an actor & appeared in several films such as Collateral & The Kingdom in which he directed also. Hancock was released in the US on July 2nd 2008. It's rated 12 & runs for approximately 93 minutes. Hancock had a huge budget of $150 million & grossed an estimated $624,386,746 at the box office.
Hancock received mixed reviews, most critics gave it around 5/10 & stated that the film began well but didn't manage to build upon the strong beginning.
Hancock is the story of an unconventional superhero. He's there when anyone needs him however his recklessness has cost the city millions of dollars & people are fed up of it. Hancock has various superhero abilities, he has the ability to fly, he's invulnerable, immortal & has amazing strength.
After saving Ray Embrey's (Jason Bateman) life, Ray is eternally grateful & as he works in PR he feels that he should repay Hancock by aiding him in cleaning up his image from a bad mouthed drunk to a superhero that would put Batman to shame! Ray introduces Hancock to his family, wife Mary (Charlize Theron) & children. The children take to him straight away & are excited to have a superhero in their house however Mary isn't quite so happy & feels that Hancock is more of a liability than anything else.
Like the critics said, Hancock does start well. There's a great opening sequence that will keep you entertained & get you entrawled in the movie however the rest of the film, although entertaining is somewhat predictable & the humour isn't particularly funny.
This film is more so aimed at kids & teenagers as adults will find it very predictable & the jokes can get tiresome. It's a very good story on paper though & with such a great cast you'd think they'd be able to pull it off however Hancock doesn't quite match up to the heights of Batman or Spiderman.
Will Smith is good as the drunk superhero who doesn't seem to care & he manages to get the audience behind him in the hope that he can change his public persona around for the better. This isn't one of Charlize Theron's best films however, she seems to be more suited to serious character roles like 'Monster' where she played America's first female serial killer Eileen Wuornos, she's fantastic in that role. Although she seems to be a big hit with the men & I'm sure she'll be the main reason a lot of guys flock to see this, regardless of what she plays or how she plays it!
I would recommend this film to parents with teenagers or younger children as this is an entertaining film. The plot line is good but for reason this film doesn't quite pull it off. I've heard that there's going to be a sequel so hopefully that will surpass this film as I wasn't overly impressed.
Hancock's available from play.com for £11.99 & the special edition 2 disc version for £13.99. This film hasn't been out for too long so I'd advise that you wait until the price drops or simply rent it as I can't imagine this is a film that many people would want to see over & over again.
The edition I own is the 2 disc special edition which has many special features included in it & if you like your films to have special features then I'd say that paying an extra £2 for this version is worth it. The special features include; Behind-the-scenes documentary Super humans: The Making of Hancock Seeing the Future takes eight scenes from the actual film footage or B-roll footage and shows side by side comparisons of the conception during the pre-visualization creation Building a Better Hero: Highlighting special effects Bumps and Bruises is a breakdown of action sequences in the film Director Peter Berg is interviewed for Mere Mortals: Behind the Scenes with `Dirty Pete.' Digital Copy
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
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I'm sorry for the H, but for this to be a full DVD review, I would prefer to see a review of the extras in the same detail as your review of the film, not just a list of them.
LaceyR26 10.09.2009 22:38
I'm watching this at the moment; thanks for not giving away the story - I thick it's ok so far. He's just been released from prison to help save a woman hostage x L@Cey
lukealdridge89 25.02.2009 20:30
Great Review, You got all the good points of the film there!!
Hancockturns the standard superhero movie inside-out. The titular character, played by ... more
Will Smith, can fly, has super strength and is invulnerable. But he's also a sloppy, arrogant alcoholic who causes millions of dollars in property damage whenever he...
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Hancockturns the standard superhero movie inside-out. The titular character, played by ... more
Will Smith, can fly, has super strength and is invulnerable. But he's also a sloppy, arrogant alcoholic who causes millions of dollars in property damage whenever he...
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There are heroes... There are superheroes... And then there's... Hancock. Will Smith ... more
stars as Hancock - a edgy conflicted sarcastic and misunderstood guy whose well-intentioned heroics might get the job done and save countless lives but always se...
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![Hancock [DVD] [2008]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/81500253.jpg "Hancock [DVD] [2008]")
Feb 6th, 2009
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