Hancock is a down-and-out superhero who's forced to employ a PR expert to help repair his image when the public grows weary of all the damage he's inflicted during his lifesaving heroics. The agent's idea of imprisoning the antihero to make the world miss him proves successful, but will Hancock stick to his new sense of purpose or slip back into old habits?
As popcorn movies go, this is fleet, funny, and even thoughtful: its central question, nicely underplayed by director Peter Berg, is why power and altruism never seem to intersect.
– J. R. Jones,
Chicago Reader,
3 Jul 2008
fresh:
A peculiar and occasionally charming poke in the ribs of the superman myth.
– Ella Taylor,
L.A. Weekly,
3 Jul 2008
fresh:
It's definitely a mish-mash, but really good performances.
– Richard Roeper,
Ebert & Roeper,
14 Jul 2008
rotten:
Train wrecks are intrinsically spectacular, and Will Smith's new movie offers a doozy. Two of them, in fact.
– Tom Charity,
CNN.com,
18 Oct 2008
rotten:
The strain of messianism in Will Smith movies is becoming ever more pronounced.