Hancock

Starring Will Smith, Jason Bateman, and Charlize Theron
Directed by Peter Berg
Rated PG-13

Of course, Hancock is something else entirely. Here, Smith plays an actual superhero who is devoid of charm, unrepentant about his bad attitude and the property damage he invariably causes while in the line of duty, and a generally unlikable guy.

Hancock is the only one of his kind. We are not peopled with too many superheroes. In fact, unlike the worlds of Superman and Batman, where cities like Gotham and Metropolis fill in for New York, Hancock takes place today in Los Angeles, a city that desperately needs a superhero. Hancock can't be injured by bullets or bullet trains, and because he feels underappreciated in his work, he begins drinking...but of course he can't get drunk. When that doesn't ease his pain, he starts swearing at the people he's obligated to assist. He is nothing short of a public relations nightmare.

And that's exactly the thought that occurs to struggling PR man Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman), who decides to fix Hancock's image and get Los Angeles behind him again.

It's an interesting premise, which includes an unexpected twist, and Will Smith is certainly the guy for the job. So what's wrong with Hancock?

Well, for starters, it's not necessarily that there's a lot wrong with Hancock, just that there should be more that's right with it. I preferred the surly Hancock over the one the movie tries to mold him into. It's just a more fascinating story if Los Angeles has to accept that their savior is kind of an ass rather than seeing him conform and play nice. I thought the public relations angle was good, though, certainly novel, and really liked Jason Bateman; he might be the highlight of the film.

If there are two flashing warning lights, though, it's the ridiculous action scenes and the lack of a strong villain.

There are times when Hancock is fighting crime or flying around L.A. that you just wish director Peter Berg had toned it down. You can't even make out a lot of what's going on, and every time Hancock takes off or lands rubble goes flying everywhere, an unnecessary expense that doesn't add one thing to the experience of the movie.

Hancock is a superhero and what do we need superheroes for? To defeat supervillains. Not only is there no supervillain in this movie, the villain they chose doesn't even appear to have a world-altering plan of attack. Any cop could beat this guy.

There are still a few laughs, and the chemistry between Smith, Bateman, and Charlize Theron (who plays Bateman's wife) is quite good, but Hancock feels decidedly undercooked once you get past the initial concept.