‘Hancock’, directed by Peter Berg, is the third superhero movie of the summer. Honestly, you’d think I’d be getting bored of these by now, but something about Hancock piqued my interest. I’d like to think it was the original premise, or the way the movie was filmed that interested me, but if I’m honest it’s probably just my unconditional love of Will Smith.

The movie is named after the main character, John Hancock (Will Smith), a homeless alcoholic who just happens to be a superhero. Hated by the people of Los Angeles for his ‘heroics’, Hancock is a very unwilling hero, almost to the point of not caring about himself or others. That all changes after meeting Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman), a public relations spokesman, who claims that he can change the way people think about Hancock by improving his public image, a plan that causes friction with wife Mary Embrey (Charlize Theron). While I felt the beginning of the film was well done, funny and original, the plot soon starts trying to do too much, and ends up feeling a little scrapped together. It’s like there were ten different writers who all wanted to have equal input into the films plot, even though most of them had vastly contrasting ideas, and all of them refused to back down.

For the most part, the comedy in the movie is great; the comic timing of the three main characters is perfect, and the visual comedy (which mainly involves Hancock breaking things) is very good. But there are a few repeated jokes that after the second time were a little embarrassing, never mind the fourth and fifth.

As you can expect with a scrapped together plot like this one, there are a few inconsistencies, but one in particular has been bugging me for a while. There are certain points in the film where Hancock shouldn’t be able to use his powers, for various reasons, but we see him using them anyway. I know that the action blockbusters are meant to be stuffed with fight scenes and CGI, but when they’re included at the expense of the plot, it tends to get on my nerves.

The highlight of the film is definitely the performances from the three big stars. Smith is brilliant, despite playing a different kind of character than the charming characters we’re used to seeing him play, and his comic timing is absolutely superb. Bateman, who I am a big fan of, is excellent, as is Theron. Individually, these three are very good, but together they have great chemistry, which made the film incredibly enjoyable whenever they were all on screen together, which is thankfully very often.

If I’m honest, there’s really not much to this film, but it can still be enjoyable. While the plot is one of the most nonsensical I’ve ever seen in a film, everything else very good. It’s got action, comedy, originality, and some genuinely touching moments, particularly at the end, which I felt made up for the lack of substance. Just don’t think too hard about the movie, or you probably won’t enjoy it.

See the trailer here