Hancock

A drunk superhero discovers who he is and finds meaning in helping other people, particularly a struggling PR man and his wife.

Will Smith has achieved many great things, but none so fantastic as holding together a plot that was so full of holes you could drain spaghetti from it. You come out of watching Hancock thinking, ‘well, that was a bit different’ and it definitely does not follow the Hollywood pattern which one would expect. For its difference and tension, it is an amusing and captivating film and Will Smith’s protagonist is likeable even when totally destructive.

The most entertaining scene in the film is an argument Hancock has in the kitchen with the stunning wife of the PR man. I loved the tension at that point and the humour created was simple but gripping. Visually the most captivating scene, where two gods fight each other is also the point of most questions and plot holes. I think it was a mistake to make that fight so public and the timescale makes the scene look like an inserted afterthought. As a writer it showed me that people don’t have to be throwing buses at each other to have a heightened sense of tension, but simply knowing something that you don’t want someone else to find out is truly compelling.

Hancock stands as exactly the kind of film you would want it to be. The self-sacrifice at the end is typical, but no less powerful and I think it is a very well written drama, with perhaps a few major creases.