Super
spin
What
if they made a Will Smith movie, and Will Smith didn’t show
up? Well, you’d probably have Hancock. It’s
not that Will Smith doesn’t physically turn up for this
movie – indeed, he’s in just about every scene –
but it’s just not the Will Smith you expect.
Being July, everyone is expecting one of those “big”
Will Smith movies where the likeable star delivers the kind of
disposable entertainment that has him mentioned in Kanye West
songs. You know the ones – Bad Boys, Men in
Black, Hitch – the kind of fare that characterises
the US summer movie season.
At first blush, the fact that Hancock is,
at least superficially, a super-hero flick would seem to indicate
that it isn’t a huge break from the Smith tradition. But
on closer inspection, Hancock offers something a bit
different. This is a more thoughtful excursion into the fantasy
of the super-hero; one that perhaps doesn’t entirely succeed,
but is worth catching purely for its different take on the genre.
The film has gone through a difficult gestation
with some early test screenings bringing howls of derision, particularly
over one scene that thankfully hasn’t made the final cut
of the film. There have also been rumours of extensive re-writes,
something evident in some of the fairly muddled exposition in
its second half. Despite those hurdles however, director Peter
Berg has made a super-hero film that actually has something to
say. The only question mark is over how it says it.
Will Smith of course plays the eponymous hero, John
Hancock, the only super-hero in the world, so far as he knows.
He has super-strength, can fly and bullets just bounce off him.
The problem is that Hancock has become something of a super-zero
in the eyes of Los Angeles residents. He’s drunk a lot of
the time, is abusive towards people and his attempts at crime-fighting
often end in more damage than the bad guys would have done. His
actions however result in him saving the life of do-gooder PR
consultant Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman). Ray thinks that all Hancock
needs is a bit of image management to get him back on the right
track. So when a very courageous DA issues a warrant for Hancock’s
arrest, Ray advises him to go to prison. While (essentially voluntarily)
in the big house, Hancock gets the chance for some self-reflection
on how badly he’s messed up. But Ray’s wife Mary (Charlize
Theron) remains unconvinced the wayward super-dude can be changed.
Berg’s
last outing was the political action-thriller The Kingdom
(also starring Jason Bateman), and that experience seems to have
put him in good stead for the action elements of the film. These
are, in general, well-handled with an intercut sequence near the
end being particularly memorable. Naturally, there’s a lot
of CGI used, although possibly not as much as you might expect.
In the film’s quieter moments, Berg again
handles the material with a fair deal of sensitivity and nuance.
The prison sequences are deftly put together (excluding Hancock’s
first encounter with his fellow inmates, which provides one of
its comic highlights); as are many of the interactions between
Hancock, Ray and Mary.
The film’s big question mark is over the twist
that occurs about half way through. Here the scriptwriters seem
to veer away from pure comic-book material into more supernatural
themes. Whether you accept that twist or not will go a long way
to deciding whether you like Hancock or not. Personally,
I thought it was reasonably well done (though not perfect) and
I was happy to go along with it; although I can certainly see
how others would feel differently.
One other issue I can see with Hancock
is whether the anticipated teen-to-young-adult audience demographic
will relate to its theme of redemption through sacrifice. Let’s
face it, Gen Y is hardly known for its self-effacement or introspection.
Indeed, I suspect many young men who go to see this thinking it’s
another comic-book action flick will be rather dismayed.
In the title role, Will Smith gets plenty of screen
time and generally makes the most of it. This is actually a far
more complex portrayal than we’ve seen from him for a while
(since Ali maybe). Jason Bateman, an actor I happen to
like immensely, is perfect as the witless Ray; while Charlize
Theron is good as Mary without ever really being stretched by
the material.
Hancock is, I guess, somewhat problematic
in the dog-eat-dog world of action movies. It’s probably
too cerebral for a key part of its intended audience; but not
cerebral enough to attract those who would otherwise bypass it.
I think it’s a brave effort by Berg and his team; one that
perhaps never really hits the mark, but is different enough to
make it worth your while.
David Edwards
