Filthy, unshaven, drunk and vulgar, Hancock is the absolute opposite of the typical superhero. The idea is singularly spectacular, but it only carries the film during the first half – the remaining plot twists create more questions and resolve fewer answers, until the audience is fuming with aggravation. Worthy amounts of comedy save the film from total nonsense, but for all the unique ideas surrounding Hancock, it seems inevitable midway that not everything will piece together smoothly.

John Hancock (Will Smith) is a bum, waking up in his own filth on a bench in the street, unkempt, bedraggled, crude, mannerless and cynical. He is also a superhero. Suffering from amnesia, Hancock follows an undiscovered calling within himself that finds the crass demigod continually saving the lives of various people in his hometown of Los Angeles. But his services come with a hefty price tag, as he uncaringly and accidentally destroys millions of dollars worth of property in the process of stopping armed madmen – leading to great disdain from the very humans he rescues.

In walks Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman), a PR guy with no luck trying to sell his revolutionary yet profitless ideas to major moneymaking corporations. When his life is saved by the destructive Hancock, he sees the strong resentment the public administers. Realizing the loneliness and confusion resonating in the unappreciated superhero, Ray offers his services to help redefine Hancock’s less-than-perfect public image. Involving a new look, a new outfit, vocal coaching, and a short prison sentence, Hancock appears to be back on the right track to fulfilling his destiny as a savior of the world – until Ray’s mysterious wife Mary (Charlize Theron) reveals some startling clues to Hancock’s past.

It takes a regular human being to teach a superhero to be super. This is essentially the driving force in the film, and it could have been truly impressive. A perfect spin on the paradigmatic superhero maxim, the plot allows for plenty of comedy, action and even romance. But director Peter Berg decides to keep the audience in the dark for just long enough – until wits are at an end and viewers find themselves fidgeting in their seats. When the answers don’t come frequently enough and the questions continue to stockpile, it’s obvious that the movie isn’t prepared to solve the many problems being heaped onto Hancock’s story.

Humor is the driving force behind Hancock’s design, and we are magnificently treated to plenteous amounts of sarcasm and coarse antics that yield continual laughs. The main character provides comedy along with nearly all of the supporting players, which presents an unprecedented approach to a superhero film. And while the hilariousness of each new situation rarely subsides, the story can’t survive on wittiness alone. Rarely is a beat skipped when it comes to the laughs, but by the halfway point, they cease to push the story forward.

Obtaining the July 4th weekend, Hancock is sure to bring in tons of money – plus the star power of Will Smith has recently always ensured success. The only superhero movie in quite some time not based on a graphic novel, the originality of the film entertains to a point; but the lack of real solutions for an outlandish superhero tale prevents the film from being as extraordinary as Hancock himself.

- The Massie Twins

More Recent Reviews:

Dodsworth

Defiance

Last Chance Harvey

Picture of Dorian Gray, The

Muppet Christmas Carol, The