Hancock DVD Review
Nothing irks me more than when a major film studio marketing department pigeonhole a a film and market it a certain way, and then when I see the film in question for myself, I have to wonder if I was even watching the same film that was marketed so superficially.
My Rating: 
Case in point: Hancock.
Yes, the film is about a superhero named Hancock, but this is not a goofy superhero type caper film full of villains and superheroes and not much else. Instead, Hancock is a serious ramadey (romantic/drama/comedy) that is more about the characters and their lives than it is about saving the world, superhero style.
Hancock stars Will Smith (I Am Legend, The Pursuit of Happyness, Hitch) as John Hancock, a superhero who fell off the wagon and is now drinking, sleeping and crass-ing his way through life. Not to mention the fact that he has amnesia, so not only does he not know who he is, but he doesn’t care, either.
When L.A. publicist Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman of Juno, The Kingdom, “Arrested Development”) steps in to handle Hancock’s badly-needed public relations, Hancock meets Ray’s wife, Mary (Charlize Theron of Sleepwalking, Battle In Seattle, In The Valley Of Elah), who is cold toward Hancock (but for good reason).
Talented actor-director Peter Berg (“Friday Night Lights”, The Kingdom, Friday Night Lights) takes Hancock from a shallow entertaining action flick into deeper waters, and although the film is rated PG 13, it’s message is probably going to fly above the heads of kiddos looking for superhero action and nothing more. There are plenty of laughs, but it’s less slapstick and more dark funniness (fans of Berg’s Very Bad Things will now what I’m talking about here).
Hancock is presented in 2.40:1 aspect ratio, with audio in Dolby Digital 5.1, an optional French Dolby Digital 5.1 track, and optional English, French and Spanish subtitles. Extras include the featurette “Superhumans: The Making of Hancock,” which is standard fare behind the scenes stuff; the featurette “Seeing the Future,” which covers the concept of the film; the featurette “Building a Better Hero,” which features the special effects work of John Dykstra; “Bumps & Bruises,” which details the action sequences; “Home Life,” which covers set design; “Suiting Up,” a look at Hancock’s “uniform”; and “Mere Mortals: Behind the Scenes with ‘Dirty Pete’,” which shows a lighter side of Berg.
Together with writers Vincent Ngo (Hostage) and Vince Gilligan (“Breaking Bad”, “The X-Files”), Berg brings out the best in Hancock (both the film and the character), and Smith, Bateman and Theron each turn in excellent performances.
As previously mentioned, Hancock is rated PG-13 “for some intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and language.” It doesn’t have enough action and it’s not silly-funny enough for kids, though. In fact, although there are very funny moments (such as in life), I wouldn’t even categorize Hancock as a comedy, but rather a drama (if I had to pick one category). But once I realized how wrong the marketing for the film was, I was able to enjoy Hancock for what it was—a well written, well-acted drama with a twist.
I give Hancock 3.5 out of 5 stars.