After a frenetic and funny first half, 'Hancock' falls apart, devolving into a sentimentalized and scattershot piece short on integrity and sense.
Comment
07/07/08
Hancock (2008)
40
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:210
Fresh:84
Rotten:126
Average Rating:5.4/10
Consensus: Though it begins with promise, Hancock suffers from a flimsy narrative and poor execution.
Australian Theatrical Release:
Jul 3, 2008 Wide
US Box Office: $227,946,274
Synopsis: There are heroes… there are superheroes… and then there’s Hancock (Will Smith). With great power comes great responsibility – everyone knows that – everyone, that is, but Hancock. Edgy, conflicted,... [More]
Starring: Will Smith, Jason Bateman, Charlize Theron, Eddie Marsan
Director: Peter Berg
Reviews for Hancock
41 - 60 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
A strange hybrid of a movie; a film that never congeals and is the first misstep that I can recall Smith making since he refused to kiss Eric Thal on screen in Six Degrees of Separation 15 years ago.
07/07/08
It feels like a couple of reels are missing... devoting an enjoyable first hour to our dirtbag crusader's unlikable antiheroics, before jumping to the conclusion without benefit of a second act.
07/06/08
It's certainly the most complexly ornery superhero flick we're likely to get this summer.
07/06/08
The special effects feel rather synthetic for a big-time summer blockbuster. When the smoke finally clears Hancock emerges as just another routine riff on the superhero genre
07/06/08
An interesting idea, but it falls a bit short of being a compelling story.
07/06/08
While by no means a perfect film, I still found a lot to enjoy here. There have been at least two dozen superhero movies in the last six or seven years. It's kind of nice to see one that looks at things from the other side of the coin.
07/06/08
With only an inter-personal story driving the picture, this becomes a sorry case of big concept, small movie.
07/06/08
Uma variação interessante sobre um gênero que vem surgindo com freqüência cada vez maior nas telas... e ver um super-herói massacrado pelo peso de sua responsabilidade é um conceito que, por si só, já merece aplausos.
07/05/08
While it may rake in big bucks, it's definitely not toppling the likes of Iron Man and Batman...
07/05/08
A disappointing mishmash.
07/04/08
... the bottom line is that, as far as botched movies go, Hancock is a painless way to pass a couple of hours enjoying a mindless summer popcorn movie.
07/04/08
...a tale of redemption hard-won, and all the more rewarding for that.
07/04/08
Morally bankrupt. And this is coming from someone who thinks Ted Bundy was misunderstood.
07/04/08
The acting matches the action
07/04/08
The more we get to know about Hancock and how he acquired his name and mysterious powers, the less entertaining it becomes.
07/04/08
There are lots of interesting ideas and some fine work on display, but it never gels into a fully satisfying movie experience. Like its titular super-anti-hero, it only works sometimes.
07/04/08
The dynamic between the sullen Smith and sincere Bateman may be the best thing in the Peter Berg's movie, but it's a tough call because the whole popcorn fest is flat-out fantastic.
07/04/08
See-saws between straight superhero movie and parody, with layers of soap-opera fudge in between. A lot of solid scenes - but Hancock lacks the power of super-coherence.
07/04/08
Top CriticHis symbol is the eagle. He beats up on little Frenchmen. He is 'the only one of my kind,' the world's lone and lonely superpower. Hancock is a clever metaphor for America in the world.
07/03/08
Latest News for Hancock
September 11, 2009:
Will Smith and Charlize Theron on Board for Hancock Sequel 
We've already heard that a "Hancock" sequel is in development; now Peter Berg tells MTV that "everybody's going to come back." More...
August 28, 2009:
Weekly Ketchup: Hancock Sequel Script Started, Bioshock Scaled Back
We are firmly in the dog days of Summer, as Hollywood sneaks a couple of end of the menu horror movies into theaters, and movie news this week came to a near standstill. There... More...
August 25, 2009:
Columbia Hires Hancock Sequel Scribes
Looks like Peter Berg's recent comments about a "Hancock" sequel weren't just idle speculation: Columbia has hired scribes Adam Fierro and Glen Mazzara to write the script for a... More...
August 19, 2009:
Peter Berg Talks Hancock Sequel
There aren't any definite plans yet, but if a "Hancock" sequel ever comes to pass, Peter Berg has a few ideas about where the story might lead. More...
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