Thanks for all the rates - if you read one of my reviews, then I will return the favour! Would appr...
Thanks for all the rates - if you read one of my reviews, then I will return the favour! Would appreciate any reads of my Flashforward review - it came through too fast!
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***HANCOCK (2009) ***
~Brief Plot Outline~
This is a superhero film with a difference. The superhero in question ‘Hancock’ (Will Smith), is not all that popular with the public. This is because he is not your usual superhero; he is rude, careless, drinks alot and tends to have no regard for how he goes about saving people. If he damages property etc in the pursuit of saving people, then so be it. Hancock is arrogant and thinks that he is quite justified in how he does his work and that it is the general public who are ungrateful.
One day he rescues a man (Ray Embrey) from being run over by a train, he causes a lot of damage whilst doing this, but the man in question is extremely grateful nonetheless and invites him to his house for dinner to thank him.
It is at this point that the public have really tired of him and actually want to send him to prison for all the damage he has inflicted on government property.
Ray works in PR and wants to help Hancock to clean up his image. He thinks that if he can get Hancock to watch his manners and be congenial with those he comes in to contact with, he will win his public over. He convinces Hancock to go to prison for a short period, as the public wishes, in the belief that they will miss him and want him back to continue serving the community.
The film follows his progress, with a twist to the plot just over half way through – to say anymore would just spoil your enjoyment of the film.
~Cast~
Will Smith – John
Hancock Charlize Theron – Mary Embrey Jason Bateman – Ray Embrey Jae Head – Aaron Embrey Eddie Marsan – Kenneth ‘Red’ Parker Jr
~Opinion~
The first thing to say about this film, is that I am not really sure who it is aimed at. I think that we must have seen trailer for this at a 12A film, because my children were fully aware of what this was about when they saw it come through the door. Yet, the certificate for this film is 12, and I think that it really is a 12. There is plenty of unpleasant language, I would say used in a glorified manner. If you want your children to learn how to be a smart***, and be full of clever remarks, then this is the film to watch. Seriously, it does seem to want to make the way Hancock behaves, as funny and clever. So a word of warning, 12 definitely isn’t the same as 12A and I am glad I watched it through on my own first! I am also annoyed that my children wanted to watch it in the first place, having already seen the trailer.
I know the film is about his journey to reform and look at the way he behaves, but still, if you litter the script with words like arse****, in comic way, then even teenagers with the most restraint are likely to pick up on this. As I have said, it is definitely too old for impressionable 12 year olds, probably too infantile to attract a mature film goer. So who is it aimed at? Teenagers? I wouldn’t think that this audience would be enough to sustain a film of this big a budget. So I still can’t make my mind up who it appeals to – Will Smith fans perhaps? I get the feeling it is going down the ‘Heroes’ path, but I don’t think that it takes things seriously enough to attract the cult following of this show.
Will Smith does a good job with what he has to work with. This is another film which centres around him (like I am Legend) and he gets a massive amount of screen time. He makes you feel sorry for this lonely superhero, who has no one to share his experiences with. Even though he behaves badly, you think of the public in general as uncaring and demanding. He saves lives – what more do they want. He also does a good job of appearing like a lout, then transforming into something altogether more clean cut. He is no Spiderman or Superman, but then the film doesn’t come anywhere close to the success of these superhero greats.
Charlize Theron is stunning and plays her part like that of a professional. However, you watch it feeling she is wasted in a venture like this. I would rather see her ugly and turn in the masterpiece performance of that in ‘Monster’, than do this type of film for the money. I hope that she chooses to go back to roles that are more meaningful.
Jason Bateman I remember as a child actor and whilst his performance isn’t terrible, it isn’t memorable either. In fact, until towards the end of the film, he comes across as a bit nondescript and you don’t really care that much about what happens to his character. Given what happens to him in some scenes you should feel for his character, but I didn’t.
The film gets off to an all action start, with the traditional car chase involving baddies and the police. Hancock eventually appears, but he is not in any great rush. The film moves along at a nice pace and it doesn’t take long to get into it. I felt that the film established it’s characters quite well, but then there comes a bit of a twist in the plot and the film totally changes direction. From this point on, it feels rushed, contrived and unbelievable. Not that a man lifting cars into the air isn’t!! What I mean is that while the audience can get caught up in the superhero mode, the film expects the audience to believe a silly back story going back thousands of years. Again, listen carefully and pay attention or you will miss it – the dialogue goes so fast. (I did quite like the story about how he got his name though).
The soundtrack moves the film around nicely, with a few upbeat songs in the right places, though nothing you would probably remember afterwards. The music is used to the best effect, to highlight the comic scenes, such as one that goes on in the kitchen.
You need to be aware that this isn’t a superhero film in the traditional sense. It is a film about the inner turmoil of Will Smith’s character and his loneliness, not having any of his own kind to understand and be with. I didn’t appreciate this enough before sitting down to watch and perhaps because of this I was a bit disappointed.
Worth watching if you know what to expect and are in the mood.
~Special Effects~
The film is littered with special effects, showing off just what Hancock is capable of. In general I though that they were quite good, although you have to pay attention, because at times it all moves so fast, you could miss it if you blink.
~Availability~
I rented the movie from Lovefilm, although it is available to buy from Amazon for £6.98. It is 88 minutes in length, there were no extras, apart from a few trailers with my version. It is rated 12, which I think is appropriate – it may look like a funny light hearted film, but there is a fair bit of swearing and many dodgy remarks – though I did chuckle at an insult involving McDonalds!!
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Production Year: 2002 - Action/Adventure - Director: Vincenzo Natali - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Lucy Liu, David Hewlett, Anne Marie Scheffler, Joseph Scoren, Matthew Sharp, Jeremy Northam
Production Year: 2007 - Action/Adventure - Director: Paul Greengrass - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring:Matt Damon, Julia Stiles, Joan Allen, Edgar Ramirez, David Strathairn, Paddy Considine, Albert Finney
Production Year: 1964 - Action/Adventure - Director: Cyril Endfield - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring:Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth, Michael Caine, Nigel Green
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![Hancock [DVD] [2008]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/81500253.jpg "Hancock [DVD] [2008]")
Mar 30th, 2009
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