Hancock

My concern for the collective judgement of our nation's movie critics continues to grow. Last night I saw Hancock, Will Smith's latest summer blockbuster. I went in fully expecting it to suck, on account of its miserable 36% positive rating over at RT. My expectations were tempered slightly by the 54 it got on Metacritic, but only to the point where I didn't expect to totally hate it. And I was right. I didn't totally hate it. In fact, I liked it. I enjoyed this movie. It was fun and watchable and entertaining, three criteria which any decent film must meet.

Weighing this film against Wanted, a true cinematic abomination, I stand perplexed. I can understand a few critics liking Wanted and hating Hancock, or vice versa. But 36% to 75%? Really? How can one cliche ridden action fest get so many good reviews and another get so few, especially when this one actually was entertaining to watch. Any criticism you could make about one film (and there are plenty) you can make about the other. The difference is that Hancock never takes itself too seriously, and its a lot more enjoyable as a result. Its silly popcorn stuff, providing easy distraction for its brisk 92 minute run time.

As for the movie itself, I have to applaud Will Smith's ego. Every other actor in Hollywood is snatching up big superhero roles left and right. Half the movies coming out these days seemed to be based on one comic book series or another. But he's the only one with the balls to make up his own superhero out of thin air. No back story, no fanboys, no built in following, just whatever the hell comes into his head. Granted, Hancock is basically a black Superman in terms of powers, so it didn't take that much imagination. Except Hancock's Fortress of Solitude isn't some stupid ice castle, its a beach side trailer stocked with liquor. There was a fair bit of plagiarism from other films, including ET, X-men, Swordfish, and The Matrix Revolutions (I really hope that that last one is just a coincidence). But none of it distracted from my enjoyment of the film.

Of all the plot holes, inconsistencies and other problems, my only real beef with the film was with the stupidity of some of the bad guys. Hancock is a celebrity in the film. He and his powers are well known. So when he ends up in prison (by his own choice) he is confronted with a bunch of criminals whom he personally put away using his powers. And they all try to confront him and fight him, expecting to get some kind of revenge. Um, hello? He's still black Superman. He can still rip you apart like a bear ripping apart salmon flavored tissue paper. So why again would you actively seek out a fight with this dude? The worst part is that two of them try it again later in the film, apparently learning nothing despite a very painful lesson in human anatomy Hancock had already administered to them.

Finally, I'd like to send a message to the woman sitting a few rows up from me in the theatre: its a movie. When someone gets shot in a movie, you don't have to react in horror as if you just saw a puppy get run over by a power saw. Its fake, no one actually got shot. Please make a note of it for future reference.