Hancock: Review

stars: 3 out of 5

ranking: 7 out of 10

Director: Peter Berg Starring: Will Smith, Charlize Theron and Jason Bateman

This film had everything I expected from a typical summer action blockbuster movie. It kept me entertained through its entirety and had a significant twist that, thanks to proper marketing, I didn't see coming. I laughed, I cried, I jumped and I was glad to have seen it on the big screen. Thanks to Will Smith, I believe this will be Director Peter Berg's first blockbuster. Will Smith casted as the lead was essential for this film to be a summer hit and not a January filler. Without him, 'Hancock' had been passed around the studios. Smith and Theron are convincing with Bateman providing his brand of humor without being a one sided comic relief character. And the rumor that at one point Hancock asks a woman to stand back before he ejaculates, sadly untrue. The cinematography was focus-happy thanks to Tobias Schliessler who worked on action movies lacking significant substance, such as 'Smoking Aces'. Ultimately, out of focus, off center framing and random hand-held camera movement called too much attention to itself. It did not, however, take away too much from the film. The dialogue was all over the place, probably because the script had been shuffled around for a while. I say see it in theaters. It's worth the trip.