Hancock (Blu-ray Disc, 2008, 2-Disc Set, Unrated Special Edition)

Movie description
Peter Berg (THE KINGDOM, FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS) directs this story of a reluctant superhero, John Hancock (Will Smith). Like the best superheroes, Hancock can fly, is bulletproof, and has insurmountable strength. He uses these gifts to fight crime in Los Angeles and save people in distress, Unfortunately, he also is a drunk who leaves a trail of costly destruction behind during his lifesaving pursuits, and his constant sarcasm fails to win him friends. But after Hancock randomly saves his life, public relations executive Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman) decides to give him a makeover and help the superhero change his image so that the police and citizens of Los Angeles will realize how much they need their seemingly inappropriate hero. All the while, Ray's wife, Mary (Charlize Theron)--who seems to simultaneously have a strange connection and aversion to Hancock--worries that her do-gooder husband will end up disappointed by Hancock's antics. The special effects are quite impressive, as Hancock flies through Los Angeles crashing into buildings, bursting through freeway signs, and flipping automobiles around as if they were wet noodles. Smith evokes a depth and warmth in Hancock; even when he's unpleasant and anti-social, it's clear that there is more to him. Bateman is well cast as a man who really does want to change the world for the better. And Theron is quite touching in her role as a wife to Ray, a mother to Aaron, and ultimately a savior to Hancock. Be forewarned that this rather lighthearted film takes a rather sudden dark turn about three-quarters of the way through, and gunplay and fight scenes abound.

Credits
Producer: Akiva Goldsman, James Lassiter, Michael Mann, Will Smith
Cast: Charlize Theron, Eddie Marsan, Jason Bateman, Will Smith

Details
Edition: Unrated Special Edition / 2-Disc Set

Editorial reviews
"[T]his superhero story comes with some bite....HANCOCK makes for one unexpectedly satisfying and kinky addition to Hollywood's superhero chronicles."
New York Times - Manohla Dargis (07/02/2008)

I finally got the opportunity to see the movie Hancock during a free preview this past weekend on DirecTV :

I had wanted to see this movie when it came out, but the stars never aligned for me ... c'est la vie.

Boy, am I glad I didn't pay money to see it.

About the only thing that kept me interested was the special effects and in places it looked like they ran out of money and had to add a few flying shots here and there - the quality of the flying sequences effects is comparable to the 1979 Superman.

One of the things I like to look at is box office totals vs production costs:

USA: $227,946,274
+ Foreign: $396,440,472
= Worldwide: $624,386,746

Hancock did very well - it's budget was $150 Million. This is obviously an instance where Will Smith was a large part of the reason it did so well. It has the "I'll see it because it's got Will Smith in it" factor.

The story centers around a mysterious homeless drunk (Hancock played by Will Smith) who has super powers. He's often called upon to save the day, but usually ends up causing millions of dollars worth of damage and public outcry is usually greater than the call for help.

The plot kind of gets lost and mixed up when a character tries to explain Hancock's powers. The references to angels and Gods muddies the waters of identifying with the characters. What is he? An Angel? A God? Demon (or fallen Angel)? An alien?

The ending will have you asking, "why didn't he die"- as it's established that he can die and his kind is all but gone.

I was surprised by the amount of cursing - especially the swearing - by Will Smith in the movie.

I mentioned that to my wife, adding that I thought Will Smith was pretty religious. She reminded me that Smith was a Scientologist. I had forgotten about that and remembered that he tried to deny it. After a quick Google search I found he's made several hundred thousand dollars in donations to the church of Scientology.

Cursing only comes to my mind if it's unnecessary. One way to tell if it's unnecessary will be to see when Hancock comes on national television. Most of the cursing and swearing will be taken out.

It's almost like, if I'm watching a movie about the mafia, I expect blood and swearing. This movie didn't need it and the swearing seemed out of place.

This movie had children in it and a lot of the cursing seemed out of place.

If you like Will Smith, he's very out of character here, and I don't recommend it.

Certainly not worth the difference to buy or repurchase on Blu-ray

If you like Will Smith, he does it again with his great acting ability. This is a different kind of movie where the superhero starts out unknown, but by the end he is the greatest! Lots of action and comedy. The special effects and surround sound were amazing! If you decide to buy this Blu-ray movie, be sure you pay close attention to the story. The first time I viewed it, I missed alot of the little details. Watched it again and low and behold I figured it out! Gotcha!

If you are not sure about buying this movie and don't want to shell out the bucks, search for the lowest price on ebay. That's what I did!

I liked this movie; too again, I love Will Smith. Critics and Sony have bragged about blu-ray for more than a year now and I fell for it, like many others. I went out, but a 46 inch Sharp Aquos and a Sony blu-ray player and I bought Hancock among many other blu-ray dvds.

While the movie is just as funny as it was in the theater, I was pleased to see that the blu-ray version comes with an unedited version as well, which sort of fills in the gaps on Hancock's character, showing the veiewer just how much of a jerk he actually is.

However, what I didn't like about this Blu-ray is that there aren't really any "makings" of the movie. And, the quality is NOT blu-ray. It is comparable to the dvd version in EVERY respect.

In fact, I actually liked the dvd version. The ONLY thing that was crisp were certain scenes that showed craters in the actors and actresses faces. Gross! I always thought Charlese Theron was beautiful. Not on blu-ray! You can see every wrinkle, crack and crevice on her face. Wil Smith isn't all that handsome either.

Thanks Blu-ray. I spent $5.00 more than the dvd version just so I can see how unattractive the actors actually are.

I don't understand all of the criticism this movie is receiving. Everyone take a second and realize this is not a Marvel or DC comic book superhero movie. Now think about that again. It is a different story entirely and has some very unique elements.

Hancock isn't action packed. It doesn't have a Superhero vs. Supervillan plot. I would probably describe it as a character study of the superhero. I think this movie does a better job of addressing some of the issues (and vices) a superhero probably would have if they existed today. The biggest conflict in the movie is within Will Smith's character's attitude, not necessarily good vs. evil.

I think much of the criticism I have read about is motivated by expectations that were not met, which isn't fair at all. If you watch Hancock with only the expectation of being entertained, you will leave happy. Its a good movie, don't jump on the bandwagon of not liking it just because you can. Give it a chance and take it for what it is, a July 4th action/comedy.