It’s a high-concept premise that must have had studio execs seeing dollar signs: Will Smith stars as a surly, alcoholic superhero.
Sad to say, but that concept is all there is to Hancock, a Hollywood product in the worst sense — devoid of a compelling story, relying instead on star power, gimmicky direction and the de rigueur assemblage of CGI effects typical of would-be summer blockbusters.
As the titular hero, Hancock has a penchant for drinking excessive amounts of whiskey and causing millions of dollars’ worth of destruction during his rescues and crime-stopping endeavors. Some might consider his reluctant, clumsy superhero a novel creation — until one realizes that Hancock the character could just as easily be seen as little more than a profane update based on a nearly three-decade-old sitcom, The Greatest American Hero.
This article appears in Jul 2-8, 2008.