Forgettable superhero

If any actor were to receive an award for owning the box office, Will Smith would take the honor. Regardless of how good his movies are, audiences show up to the theater and buy a ticket for Smith’s latest movie. His most recent picture “Hancock” proves this point fully. The film has racked up almost $228 million since its release in July, but is one of the most uneven action films in recent memory.

The film follows lone superhero Hancock (Smith) who saves crime but destroys everything in sight in the process. The public is fed up with his tactics, and PR executive Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman) offers his service to help Hancock create a positive, new image. When Hancock agrees to terms, Ray’s wife Mary (Charlize Theron) brings more controversy to the table.

The first half makes it seem like “Hancock” is building up to something huge, but once the second act ends, everything falls steeply downhill. It’s rare to see a film where the public hates the superhero for damaging so much property, and “Hancock” provides that in the first half. But because that problem gets solved early, the second half leaves the audience with nothing but boredom.

Every twist in “Hancock” is either dumb or predictable. Normally twists make the audience think, but the turns here are meaningless. And, at the end, when everything is explained, it’s difficult to understand or care.

The extra features are much better than the film, but still not great, mostly because there’s not much reason to care about the making of a movie that sucked. However, film buffs will enjoy the in-depth look at the scenes and at Peter Berg’s directing style as well as the special effects features and the stunt features.

Although “Hancock” racked up more money than most summer flicks and has a solid first half, the horrendous conclusion and lack of coherent plot make it next-to-impossible to enjoy.