Hancock

Just think how bad this could have been. It could have been The Fresh Prince
with superpowers. It could have been all hip and street, and play on the fact
Will Smith, unlike most superheroes, is black. So it's rather a relief that
it's actually a very good film.

So, Hancock is, in effect, Superman. No laser vision in evidence, but other
than that, that's the skillset. As we find him, he's washed up, he's a drunk,
he's depressed. He's still trying to be a hero, but he's sloppy and careless,
so he makes mistakes, causes a lot of damage, so everyone hates him, and
reckons the city would be better off without him. Which makes him more
depressed, and as a consequence, more drunk.

He saves the life of a PR guy (who's actually a nice guy, and trying to do
charitable stuff), who in return decides he's going to save Hancock, help him
get back his good name, and put things to right.

Will Smith's got his acting head on for this one. Hancock isn't the kind of
smartmouthed character Will Smith does on spec, he's surly, he's brooding, and
he's visibly hurting. You feel for him, and you want him to turn his life
around. Jason Bateman's a bit closer to his Arrested Development type, but
that's not exactly a bad thing.

This is a good thing for a lot of the things it doesn't do. It doesn't spoof on
any existing superhero movie, this is as an original a take on the Superman
idea as you'll see. It doesn't poke fun at the superhero concept, while at the
same time doesn't let it pass unexamined. It's not a deep movie by any means,
it's a summer blockbuster, but on the other hand, it's not a cartoon either.

I feel, somehow, I've got more out of it than a lot of people; it's getting a
lot of "average" reviews, and I think it deserves a lot better than that.