07/12: Hancock
Cole:
Bobby:
Cole: Will Smith!! Yes!!
Bobby: Confusing film that can't seem to find a direction.
Genre: Action, Comedy, Drama
Running Time: 92 min.
MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for some intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and language.
Directed By: Peter Berg
Starring: Will Smith, Jason Bateman, Chalize Theron
Summer of 08 is all about the superhero. Whether hes red or green, a dark knight or an iron man, it seems everyone wants to see someone save the world. What would a superhero movie on the 4th of July be without Will Smith, the man that brought us Independence Day classics like Men In Black, and well, Independence Day? Any other weekend, any other star, and another other situation might have saved Hancock. Unfortunately the combination of man, moment, and movie has produced an unwieldy project with grand ambitions that ultimately falls flat.
In development over a decade, the film is the result of a conglomeration of ideas and themes that dont exactly mesh. The movie models itself as a dark comedy but is dragged down by a confusing back story and eventually falls apart towards the end, where things just get really depressing. John Hancock (Smith) is an alcoholic superhero, a curmudgeon who racks up collateral damage while helping people. A struggling ad man (Jason Bateman) sees in Hancock a moneymaker and helps to reshape his image, a plan that includes a jail sentence for the hero. As the people realize the rise in crime in his absence, he is called back to action but his relationship with the publicist and his wife (Charlize Theron) uncovers a hidden past.
For about 45 minutes the film presents a unique, fairly fresh take on the superhero genre. Smith is typically funny and interesting as the sarcastic, bitter superhero. He and Bateman play well off of each other and there are some genuinely funny moments. The action isnt too bad either, but seems rather limited compared to recent comic book adaptations. Things begin to become muddled with the introduction of Theron and the film simply cannot recover. Chalk it up to the checkered production past, but it doesnt help that director Peter Berg simply isnt a good fit for the project. His previous efforts Friday Night Lights and The Kingdom were solid, but his trademark visual style conflicts badly with the comedy elements in the first half of the film. Hancock has its moments, but in the end is a confusing affair that will leave most wondering what could have been.
Bobby: Confusing film that can't seem to find a direction.
Genre: Action, Comedy, Drama
Running Time: 92 min.
MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for some intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and language.
Directed By: Peter Berg
Starring: Will Smith, Jason Bateman, Chalize Theron
Summer of 08 is all about the superhero. Whether hes red or green, a dark knight or an iron man, it seems everyone wants to see someone save the world. What would a superhero movie on the 4th of July be without Will Smith, the man that brought us Independence Day classics like Men In Black, and well, Independence Day? Any other weekend, any other star, and another other situation might have saved Hancock. Unfortunately the combination of man, moment, and movie has produced an unwieldy project with grand ambitions that ultimately falls flat.
In development over a decade, the film is the result of a conglomeration of ideas and themes that dont exactly mesh. The movie models itself as a dark comedy but is dragged down by a confusing back story and eventually falls apart towards the end, where things just get really depressing. John Hancock (Smith) is an alcoholic superhero, a curmudgeon who racks up collateral damage while helping people. A struggling ad man (Jason Bateman) sees in Hancock a moneymaker and helps to reshape his image, a plan that includes a jail sentence for the hero. As the people realize the rise in crime in his absence, he is called back to action but his relationship with the publicist and his wife (Charlize Theron) uncovers a hidden past.
For about 45 minutes the film presents a unique, fairly fresh take on the superhero genre. Smith is typically funny and interesting as the sarcastic, bitter superhero. He and Bateman play well off of each other and there are some genuinely funny moments. The action isnt too bad either, but seems rather limited compared to recent comic book adaptations. Things begin to become muddled with the introduction of Theron and the film simply cannot recover. Chalk it up to the checkered production past, but it doesnt help that director Peter Berg simply isnt a good fit for the project. His previous efforts Friday Night Lights and The Kingdom were solid, but his trademark visual style conflicts badly with the comedy elements in the first half of the film. Hancock has its moments, but in the end is a confusing affair that will leave most wondering what could have been.
holamyhob wrote: