Comic book films are all the rage these days and with new benchmarks in artistry and psychological depth being reached by The Dark Knight and to a lesser extent Iron Man the genre is growing and maturing at an unprecedented rate. The bulk of these movies are indeed based on existing comic book series so there’s a built in audience with a large enough appetite to which these films can tap into. Then there’s the odd exception such as Will Smith’s newest vehicle, Hancock, that invents a new superhero and attempts to spin an origin tale unlike any other.

At first glace the setup is actually quite refreshing. Will Smith plays the title character, John Hancock, who does not come from any existing hero archetype. He’s not the shining example of justice ala Superman nor has the brooding psyche of Batman. Instead, he’s a deadbeat drunkard outfitted in disheveled clothes replete with less than exemplary hygiene. When crisis erupt he has a nonchalant attitude that borders on complete disinterest. While he does finally “get off his ass” and take out the perpetrators his antics result in more damage than the criminals themselves leading to protests by ordinary citizens demanding his arrest.

Though his actions are motivated by doing good deeds he has no tact whatsoever as he constantly gets into situations where his impulses get the better of him over common sense. There’s a montage sequence where Hancock is shown some of his past deeds of justice going awry such as when he tries to save a whale by throwing it back into the ocean. Unfortunately, the soaring mammal comes back down right on top of a luxury yacht. Then there’s another instance when he puts out a fire but then stops to get some ice cream as a reward totally oblivious that he’s butt naked below the waist while kids stand aghast at his ass cheeks.

Enter Ray Embrey a down of his luck public relations consultant played with appropriate gusto by Jason Bateman. After being saved by Hancock, Ray takes it upon himself to help improve his image. In his eyes, Hancock is merely misunderstood and with a bit of schooling can turn things around and become a shining hero for the world at large.

This setup works remarkably well for the film’s first act as we’re treated to a much different take on existing superhero mores. Will Smith, almost always likeable in past roles, does his best to make Hancock into a malcontented man who is literally attempting to piece his life back together since he has no memory of his past save for a ticket stub to the movie Frankenstein. The movie clicks early on as we’re sucked into Hancock’s initial struggle over his own importance to society as he slowly comes into the realization of his potential worth. This first act has moments of broad comedy that punctuate the more serious aspects of Hancock’s self-assessment though most jokes have already been seen from the movie trailer. Still, with the exception of one poor taste head-up-the-ass joke, they work to showcase Hancock’s dour personality.

Then, the movie jumps the shark and with it the whole endeavor literally collapses under its own weight. What starts out as a rather nifty play on our super hero expectations suddenly morphs into a strange combination of sappy melodrama punctuated with fits of brain deadening exposition.

It is not often that you can feel a movie slipping away but it's succinctly visible here as the movie changes gears, not in a gradual manner but by literally doing a 180. Without spoiling the big twist that is introduced the film adds story elements from out of thin air that delve deep into Hancock’s nebulous past. Before he was just a hero with amnesia, after he’s suddenly much much more as his history literally sprawls out over the millennia. As bad a metaphor as it is, this is akin to the film giving you drops of information about him suddenly becoming a raging torrent of water and it all comes out in a blink of an eye.

This would not seem too debilitating as the twists and turns of the story reveal a serious attempt at building a comic book mythos but the execution is just painfully hackneyed. Characters who at first seemed to be window dressing suddenly gain prominence including a villain who has got to be the lamest desperado ever committed to film. Batman has the Joker. Superman has Lex Luthor. Hancock has a failed bank robber with a hook for a hand. Battle of intellectual or physical titans this is not.

Making matters worse is Hancock’s back-story that has numerous holes in logic. These are actual story problems that arise through dialogue that make you wonder if anyone pointed out the contradictions during a screenplay meeting session. The entire second half of the film is a complete tonal shift from the first giving the film a Frankenstein atmosphere where the filmmakers have cobbled together disparate story elements together in a strange concoction. Characters go through what seem to be dense descriptions literally explaining their motivations but leave out the most important elements as to their justification.

Action sequences spring up for no apparent reason and are buttressed with overblown effects that aren’t even caused by our protagonists. Take the huge fight that takes place while huge tornados rip through downtown Los Angeles. We’re never given an inkling if they were just freaks of nature that occurred during a fist fight or rather the creation born from one of the participants. There’s no rhyme or reason other than trying to make it look cool.

For a film with a massive production budget the actual effects are sloppy and unconvincing. Flying sequences are less than impressive and the green screen work seems slapdash at best. It’s a wonder that they couldn’t at least equal the work in recent films such as Superman Returns or anything from the Matrix. I almost fell off my seat thinking I was watching the Greatest American Hero.

Once Hancock makes the change from sardonic boozer to reformed superhero in tight black leather the movie loses whatever originality it had managed to portray. Will Smith is not given much to show off his considerable acting chops and as such settles into your typical heroic stereotype once he’s set on the noble path while poor Charlize Theron is pigeonholed into a ludicrous role that could have been pulled off by any other actress. You’d never guess that these two thespians were previously nominated for (and one won) an Academy Award.

The movie ends with a thousand questions still unanswered which leaves one thinking an inevitable sequel is on the way. Judging from the way this movie managed to turn a high concept setup into a haphazard incoherent mess it’s definitely not something to look forward to.

*1/2 out of ****

2008, USA, 92 Minutes, PG-13, Columbia
Directed by Peter Berg
Writing credits Vincent Ngo, Vince Gilligan
Produced by Akiva Goldsman, James Lassiter, Michael Mann, Will Smith
Executive Producer: Ian Bryce, Jonathan Mostow, Richard Saperstein
Co-producer: Allegra Clegg
Associate Producer: Eric Heffron, Michelle McGonagle, Tracey Nyberg
Original Music by John Powell
Cinematography by Tobias A. Schliessler

John Hancock: Will Smith
Mary Embrey: Charlize Theron
Ray Embrey: Jason Bateman
Aaron Embrey: Jae Head
Kenneth 'Red' Parker Jr.: Eddie Marsan
Man Mountain: David Mattey
Matrix: Maetrix Fitten
Mike: Thomas Lennon
Jeremy: Johnny Galecki
Hottie: Hayley Marie Norman

© 2009 The Galactic Pillow