"Hancock" Review - Written by Spaldy

It is not that often that I get to go to the summer theater of my youth. The single screen Uptown theater in Washington, D.C. is where I saw "Ghostbusters," "E.T.," and "Back to the Future."* So I was more than a little excited to get to see a summer movie at the Uptown with my family. The dark red curtains lining the walls and the magnificent curved cinemascope screen always make me a bit weak in the knees and giddy with excitement. So as I walked through those creaky old doors, I was more than ready to enjoy the movie.

I suppose it is an incredible bit of unhappy luck for "Hancock" that prior to its release, the wonderful "Iron Man" and "The Incredible Hulk" were released earlier this year. Those movies were unexpectedly good, which was a pleasant surprise to moviegoers but an unfortunate turn of events for "Hancock." This is because on a basic level, "Hancock" is not that bad a movie. A lot of the dialogue is funny and Will Smith and Jason Bateman are as likeable as always. Though the idea of a slovenly, destructive superhero is fairly unique, the plot did not seem to have any special, unique spark to it. That is not say that the movie is not any good. On the contrary, "Hancock" is fun. It is not the most memorable movie, but you do not regret the cost of admission either. It is a light, enjoyable summer flick. It is just difficult to review since "Iron Man" and "Hulk" raised the bar so high for superhero movies so recently.

Forgetting about what hit theatres earlier this year and speaking strictly on the merits of "Hancock," I would have to say it stands out pretty well. I could easily nitpick this movie to death, but honestly I did not go to this movie expecting anything truly special. I simply went to have a little fun, and this movie delivered on that for me. There is nothing especially memorable, but you are left satisfied thanks to some unexpectedly humorous moments. In fact, this movie was a lot funnier than the trailer led me to believe. I did not quite understand the dynamics of Bateman's family or Hancock's place in it (or his backstory for that matter), but for me, the movie was less about plot than character. I really liked the main character, and even though the story underwhelmed me, I found the time spent watching the movie worthwhile. This was partially because of the great venue, but I have to give a lot of credit to this movie, which is a total delight.

It is not the kind of Will Smith blockbuster that makes you stand up and cheer, but it does make you smile a bit. And really, you could not ask for more from the glut of action movies you normally sit through on any give summer movie year. I think as moviegoers we've been pretty lucky so far this season, and "Hancock" gives me the hope that there is still some more quality yet to come. After all, it doesn't get much better than sitting in the Uptown and hearing the theme from "Sanford & Son" blasted out in Stereo. Oh no it doesn't.

(*Fun and embarassing fact about America: the #10 grossing movie in 1985, the year of "Back to the Future," was "Spies Like Us." Yeah. That happened.)