Reviewed by Max Foizey.

Release Date: July 2, 2008
Directed By: Peter Berg
Starring: Will Smith, Charlize Theron, jason Bateman
Rating: PG-13

You wake up in a hospital. You're not sure who you are, but you discover you have super strength, and can fly. What do you do with these powers? You start saving lives, but along the way you damage buildings, houses and cars. Years pass and no matter how many lives you save, it's not good enough. The public wants more. So you get alienated. You get depressed, you get angry. You decide to hell with the people, you'll save who you can, property be dammed, and you'll drink a whole lot of whiskey while you're at it. You're John Hancock.

Or rather, Will Smith is Hancock, and seeing him play a superhero feels like some sort of manifest destiny. The Fresh Prince as Superman. It fits. It says something about how much comic book culture has infiltrated pop culture consciousness that audiences can watch the opening scene featuring a flying Will Smith without batting an eye.

After he is rescued by the high flying madman, public relations maven Ray Embrey (Bateman) convinces Hancock he needs to get his life together. Bateman continues his winning streak with his performance, I hope he gets his chance to sink his teeth into something a bit meatier in the future. As Ray's wife-who-is-hiding-a-secret Mary, Charlize Theron is wasted in a role that induces groans more than anything else.

Not quite as edgy as the script it was based on ("Tonight, He Comes") this PG-13 flick is still two-thirds worth of fun, mainly due to Will Smith. Hancock's back-story is iffy, and I'm kind of OK with that. The more they explain it the murkier it becomes, and honestly nobody really cares where he came from or how he got his powers. He's a funny character because he's flawed, which makes the film is entertaining up until the final act.

Watching Hancock straighten up and fly right is interesting, but, like some girls I've dated, once he sobers up he becomes boring. Spider-Man has Venom, Hulk has The Abomination, and Iron Man has Iron Monger, but after Hancock successfully battles his inner demons, there is no great villain for him to take on, and the finale suffers.

Hancock wants to have its cake and eat it too, lampooning superheroes while creating a new one. For the sake of argument, let's say Hancock isn't supposed to be a superhero spoof, but its own film, not a commentary on the genre but simply the story of one Mr. John Hancock. If that's the case, I wish it was a more interesting story to tell.

Ready for a new kind of radio? Check out the award winning Max On Movies, every Saturday from 2-4pm on 97.1 FM Talk. You'll hear breaking news about upcoming films, reviews of the latest theatrical and DVD releases, and interviews with your favorite actors, directors, and writers. Max On Movies was awarded a Certificate of Merit in the Special Program category from the Missouri Broadcasters Association in 2007. A member of the Saint Louis Gateway Film Critics Association, Max has written about film for various print and Web media, and appeared as guest critic on nationally syndicated radio shows. Check our M. Night Shyamalan's "Unbreakable" for a more sober take on a superhero's origin. E-mail Max at mfoizey@stl.emmis.com