Hancock, round 2.

To pick up from round 1: Hancock has taken some punches - okay, a lot of punches - but it does have its champions.

"Some superhero movies, like Iron Man, amuse us by making their superheroes all-too-human," writes Godfrey Cheshire in the Independent Weekly. "Others - including a couple of my favorites in the genre, James Cameron's Terminator films and Bryan Singer's Superman Returns - emphasize the superhero's otherness, which makes him less similar to us than to the heroes and intercessors that have long populated the human imagination. Hancock starts out seeming a prime example of the former group - what could be more down-to-earth than a wino superhero? - but ends up solidly in the latter camp. That leap not only catalyzes the film's thrill-ride potential; it also leaves us with something to think about when the ride's over - an unexpected achievement that places it among the best of recent superhero movies."

Updated through 7/7.

"In a film marketplace where even the best superhero movies tend to do a lot of the same stuff - origin stories, winky self-reference, somber mythmongering, scenes set at charity balls - I really admire Will Smith and bad-boy director Peter Berg (The Rundown, The Kingdom) for trying something different here," writes Mike Russell. "Hancock has a surprisingly rude sense of humor, an improvisational vibe, immediate camera work and rawer-than-usual music on the soundtrack."

"[T]his is a movie that attempts to tackle very human issues by way of a very superhuman character," writes Scott Weinberg at Cinematical. "The themes most prevalent in Hancock are loneliness, isolation, loyalty, and commitment - but if you're paying close attention you'll catch some interesting ideas about racism, political correctness, and the importance of both morality and mortality. In some ways Hancock is a messy movie that goes in more directions then it manages to explore, but I'll take an overabundance of ideas over a lack any old day."

"Even by the standards of a maturing superhero genre, this is not a film for kids," notes Sean Axmaker.

"To cast the likable Will Smith in the lead role of the film and to release it at the Fourth of July - a hallowed tradition dating back to Independence Day - does not quite count as an idea unto itself, especially because, if in fact it were an idea, it would be negated by the folly of casting him in a role that thoroughly squelches his likability." Duncan Shepherd in the San Diego Reader.

Armond White's out to upset folks again. Here we go: "Smith can't escape the resonance of his singular black achievement, and this spectacle is an indubitable reflection of Obama's current ascension. It's what makes Smith's frivolity worth studying."

"Hancock isn't the only underachiever on the premises - the talented Berg settles for far less than he should," writes Slate's Dana Stevens. "The movie's final shot finds Hancock fully brand-optimized, complete with costume and mascot, atop the requisite skyscraper. Maybe in the sequel, he can rebrand himself as funny."

"Initially, it seems like Hancock is going to have some fun with the superhero paradigm, but this dark, muddled and tedious noise machine winds up being an inferior copy of that genre's highlights," argues Alonso Duralde at MSNBC.

"[I]t's a daring, even mildly challenging mixture for a superhero film, and while the pieces don't entirely add up, the puzzle is at least original," writes Tasha Robinson at the AV Club.

"Don't read anything else about Hancock before you see it," advises Joe Leydon in the Houston Chronicle. "Don't even talk to friends who take this roller-coaster ride before you do. Savor the surprises and enjoy the action before anyone spoils your fun."

Online listening tip. Ambrose Heron talks with Akiva Goldsman and Berg.

Updates, 7/4: "What went wrong? How can this big, expensive talent-laden movie possibly have gotten so bad?" asks Michael Wilmington. Also at Movie City News, Leonard Klady: "The problem with the script (and the film) is that it has a bad case of ADD dramatics." And David Poland offers a "Non-Spoiler Review" and a "Spoiler Review."

"I guess he had to come into being somehow, and this movie's explanation is as likely as most, which is to say, completely preposterous," writes Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times. "Still, Hancock is a lot of fun, if perhaps a little top-heavy with stuff being destroyed. Smith makes the character more subtle than he has to be, more filled with self-doubt, more willing to learn."

The Guardian's John Patterson riffs on the Smith/Obama thing.

Paul Brownfield profiles Jason Bateman for the Los Angeles Times.

Updates, 7/7: The latest addition to DK Holm's "Directors Project": Peter Berg.

"Peter Berg uses too much shakey-cam, edits incoherently, veers wildly all over the place in terms of emotional tone and can't seem to build up any momentum or dramatic tension for any appreciable length of time," writes Noel Vera, "yet the movie has enough of a subversive kick to be more interesting than Iron Man or the recent Hulk movie."

Posted by dwhudson at July 3, 2008 2:50 PM