Film: Hancock
Studio: Sony Pictures
Director:  Peter Berg
Principal Actors:  Will Smith, Jason Bateman, Charlize Theron, Eddie Marsan
Release: July 2, 2008
Film length: 92 minutes
Rating:  PG-13 

Reviewed By: Jenna Tung (Port Moody/Vancouver Correspondent - Canada) 

The Fresh Prince of Fourth of July is back, and Hancock is most definitely going to be one of this summer's biggest moneymakers. Will Smith is always entertaining to watch on the big screen, but I am a tad bit biased when it comes to his work; I find his versatility is expanding, his talent is phenomenal, and he has come a long way since the television series The Fresh Prince of Bel Air that aired from 1990 until 1996. Other previous Independence Day film releases were Independence Day (Duh!) in 1996, Men in Black in 1997, and Men in Black II in 2002. Due to the timing of their release, all films grossed more than $50 million in their opening weekend.

I came into the theatre with moderate to high expectations of the movie as a whole. I have read before that Smith is quite choosey in the roles he plays, so if he thought the script was decent enough for him, then it was certainly good enough for me to pay 11 dollars to go see! The first half of the film includes unexpectedly hilarious mutters from Hancock, and a few unbelievably funny scenes. 

As John Hancock, Smith has all the characteristics that a typical superhero should not have-he is edgy, sarcastic, careless and rude...worst of all, he hates everyone and everyone hates him back! An addition to the list of reasons why the citizens of Los Angeles despise him is that he is an alcoholic, anger/ego-driven waste of taxpayers' hard-earned cash with his expensive landings from the sky and irrational ways of ‘saving the day.' Since Hancock is an amnesiac, there is also the typical superhero film element of the hero trying to find out who he is.

Hancock has immense superhero powers that include incredible strength and impenetrable skin. When Hancock saves an appreciative and easily lovable Public Relations Officer named Ray Embry (Jason Bateman) from a train wreck, Hancock gets a chance to revamp his disliked public image. Ray promises that if Hancock spends a little time in the slammer (which is way overdue) and works on letting out his emotions, he can improve his behaviour and overall image. The pledged result will be the police begging for his help and the citizens of Los Angeles crying out to him as their hero. 

The direction of the film is diverted during the middle of the film. Personally, I believe that the second half of the film definitely lacks something, but I cannot quite put my finger on it. Perhaps the overuse of special effects in films these days has led me to believe that this film needs a little more phenomenon; however, Smith delivers a promising performance, and simply watching him on screen is mesmerizing.

Ray's wife Mary (Charlize Theron), and son, Aaron (Jae Head) also deliver convincing performances. Bad guy Red (Eddie Marsan) also fits the role well. The actors chosen for this film will definitely have an effect on its profitable abilities, since Theron won an Academy Award for her leading role in Monster, and Smith was nominated for best actor in The Pursuit of Happyness. For a film released over the Forth of July weekend, it meets my expectations, but primarily due to its cast. The unexpected wit and turn in events also makes the movie original in its screen play. It is entertaining and worthy of a second watch.