Will Smith teams with Jason Bateman in “Hancock” to bring a summer hit with solid acting, surprising humor and worthwhile action sequences. The unlikely pair provide audiences with endearing characters in this entertaining summer flick.
Plowing into theaters in the same fashion as his superhero, John Hancock, Will Smith’s Independence Day movie “Hancock” tears through the summer lull that is July in a smart and entertaining way.
Providing an interesting premise (that is revealed almost too late in the movie), Hancock offers good acting from solid actors, very funny scenes and impressive special effects.
John Hancock is a drunken superhero who insists on saving lives at the expense of the Los Angeles cityscape. He doesn’t seem to care about others and actually agrees that he is a disgrace to the public, but refuses to change. One afternoon, Hancock saves Ray Embrey, a public relations professional (played by Jason Bateman), who almost dies when he gets pinned in his car on train tracks.
Ray makes it his personal mission to change Hancock and make the public love him and need him as a respected superhero. This mission is not so happily accepted by Ray’s wife, Mary (played by Charlize Theron), but her reasons remain mysterious for much of the film.
One performance that cannot be overlooked is Jason Bateman’s Ray Embrey. Ray just wants to make the world a better place. This sappy, altruistic stereotype should come across as phony and illicit a natural gag reflex, but Bateman pulls the character off by utilizing humor and delivers a solid performance that is believable and endearing.
Throughout “Hancock,” Ray emerges as a sweet, down-to-earth and caring individual who remains essential to the film plot and conflict. Hancock and Ray interact in a unique fashion exploring a male relationship that is built on trust and honest intentions.
Also, Ray and Mary’s child, Aaron, provides a solid performance, the sweet kid coming off as genuine and charming instead of over-the-top and annoying.
Aside from the fresh twist on superhero tales, “Hancock” is loaded with very funny scenes. Watching the trailer for “Hancock,” it is not clear that this film is a comedy or even a dramedy, but it made me laugh more times than “Love Guru” and “Get Smart” put together. And those movies were made to make audiences laugh.
Smith and Bateman are an unlikely pair, but their acting savvy and unique characters combine to create an entertaining film that at least is fun when it is not trying to be funny.
The CGI and action scenes are worth watching as well. What would a Will Smith Independence Day movie be without awesome scenes of Smith doing crazy stunts and intense close up shots? It might get tiresome with all the glamour shots of Theron and Smith, but bear with the star appeal.
The verdict:
“Will Smith racks up another July 4 hit”
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