Hancock

[Watashi]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0zhKUs2oe4

The hell? Well, um.... I think it looks funny and I like Will Smith.

So, uh... you never know.

[Winston*]

Ha. I'd see it.

[Wryan]

whale was funny as shit, rest was meh. Looking forward to seeing more of it though.

[Rowland]

I like Peter Berg, so I hope this turns out well. Still, I hope the overplayed anti-superhero stuff is played down in favor of whatever the movie is really about.

[Kurosawa Fan]

I predict cheese. Lots of cheese.

[Ezee E]

I predict cheese. Lots of cheese.
"Aw hell na!"

[MadMan]

Honestly I'm not sure what to think of it. Could be funny maybe but....

[megladon8]

Could be fun. I like the concept.

I've always wondered why no attention is ever called to the destruction and mayhem that superheroes cause. Sure they save lives, but they destroy entire sections of cities while they're at it.

[number8]

Uhhhh?!! What the fuck, they turned this into a comedy?

Damn. Now I'm curious if this is really the tone of the movie, or if it's just the trailer making it look like this.

If this is a comedy, then I guess Will Smith has struck again.

[Sycophant]

Uhhhh?!! What the fuck, they turned this into a comedy?

Damn. Now I'm curious if this is really the tone of the movie, or if it's just the trailer making it look like this.

If this is a comedy, then I guess Will Smith has struck again.This project has a history I'm not aware of? Apparently, roughly everyone who works for a studio has worked on the screenplay.

Meanwhile, this Berg guy would appear to be set to remake To's The Mission. I haven't seen any of his other work, but that still gives me concern.

[number8]

This project has a history I'm not aware of? Apparently, roughly everyone who works for a studio has worked on the screenplay.

Yeah, the script's been around since the 90s. They kept passing on it because nobody wanted to make a dark, R-rated superhero drama/romance.

[Dukefrukem]

loL!!!!!!!!!!! wtf is this?

[MacGuffin]

loL!!!!!!!!!!! wtf is this?

:|

This movie looks fun.

[Justin]

http://www.apple.com/trailers/sony_pictures/hancock/

Higher quality trailer, looks like a lot of fun to me, I will be looking forward to it.

[eternity]

That was lame. Especially since it's a drama. Hancock is a really bad name, too.

[megladon8]

That was lame. Especially since it's a drama. Hancock is a really bad name, too.


I think it's pretty safe to assume from that trailer that it's no longer a drama.

[eternity]

I think it's pretty safe to assume from that trailer that it's no longer a drama.:frustrated:

[Rowland]

I think it's pretty safe to assume from that trailer that it's no longer a drama.Not necessarily. It could be a drama with comedic elements. For instance, you could cut a trailer together for I, Robot that would look like a comedy (90% of Smith's dialog is one-liners), but the movie is still a sci-fi action movie.

[Ezee E]

Its pretty obvious that there's more comedy to it then drama. C'mon people.

[transmogrifier]

What's wrong with it being a comedy?

[number8]

What's wrong with it being a comedy?

Nothing, if they hadn't made it look like My Super Ex-Girlfriend.

[megladon8]

Its pretty obvious that there's more comedy to it then drama. C'mon people.


Yeh, I know.

There's no way that ad is for a drama. Even a big studio wouldn't mislead audiences that badly about a film with a big budget like that.

[Acapelli]

I think it looks good.

[Thirdy]

At first I thought it would be Will Smith doing a biopic of Herbie Hancock. Glad to have been proven wrong.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Yeh, I know.

There's no way that ad is for a drama. Even a big studio wouldn't mislead audiences that badly about a film with a big budget like that.

The Mummy begs to differ. As does Independence Day.

[megladon8]

The Mummy begs to differ. As does Independence Day.


The advertisements were misleading?

I can't think of how, other than the fact that the ads made the movies look good :P

[number8]

The Mummy's ads left out the fact that it's an action-comedy, made it to look like a horror film.

[Rowland]

This sort of thing is still news? Did that fake trailer for The Shining teach us nothing? Hell, The Death of Mr. Lazarescu was marketed as a screwball comedy!

[megladon8]

The Mummy's ads left out the fact that it's an action-comedy, made it to look like a horror film.


I don't remember those ads at all, perhaps because I never really had any interest in that movie.

I just remember the ads on StarChoice showing bad one-liners and that scene where the sand turns into a big face.

Anyways, regardless of that, it's pretty damn obvious Hancock is not a drama.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Both The Mummy and ID4 were advertised as horror films. Neither delivered. I walked out of The Mummy, and would have ID4 as well had I not gone with my parents. It was a bit too far to walk home.

[MadMan]

I have seen and enjoyed Independence Day a good couple of times and I love the hell out of The Mummy which I went to see in theaters when it came out and has held up well on multiple viewings. I am the opposite of KF :P

[Ezee E]

The Mummy 1 is a very enjoyable movie. Probably along the same reasons why people like National Treasure. The Mummy Returns on the other hand......

[Watashi]

New trailer (http://www.aintitcool.com/node/36514)

Looks surprisingly fun.

Though early reviews have been somewhat negative especially regarding the huge twist revealing that Hancock is actually a God sent to Earth, but has amnesia and can't remember anything.

Hmmm... it has potential, but we'll see.

[megladon8]

Wow, that looks fun!

I loved that..."Do I have permission to touch your body? It's nothing sexual!"

[transmogrifier]

Has the potential to be the most fun of the summer blockbusters, with competition coming from Iron Man.

[Dukefrukem]

Has the potential to be the most fun of the summer blockbusters, with competition coming from Iron Man.

its gonna be a close one... but you're forgetting Indiana Jones, Dark Knight and X-files.... this is gonna be one hell of a summer

[transmogrifier]

its gonna be a close one... but you're forgetting Indiana Jones, Dark Knight and X-files.... this is gonna be one hell of a summer


IJ = nostalgia overload, retread city
DK = ponderous, overly serious
XF = :|

[MadMan]

The latest trailers make me actually want to give this a chance. But I have a feeling that it will be like I Am Legend: good/solid Will Smith performance, problems with the script, and a weak ending that closes the book on a second half that's disappointing. Leaving me yet thinking about the great first half, and wondering what might have been. In other words, "rental" comes to mind. A theater viewing still isn't out of the question.

[number8]

Looks all right. I guess I'm still hung up on the fact that this turned into a comedy.

[D_Davis]

I saw a trailer last night on TV that played it pretty straight. It looked cool.

This isn't based on an comic book, right?

I like that.

I like that there is actually a new super hero on the screen.

[number8]

I saw a trailer last night on TV that played it pretty straight. It looked cool.

This isn't based on an comic book, right?

I like that.

I like that there is actually a new super hero on the screen.

By straight, you mean like an action movie, right? Yeah, I meant that they've turned this into a popcorn action-comedy about a fallen hero finding the heroism within again. Who cares if it's a new character? The story is still old hat. The Incredibles did it. The original script for this was an uber-serious psychological drama about Hancock's relationship with a troubled little boy and his scandalous affair with his PR agent's wife.

There's nothing wrong with this version, and it's not like I think the more depressing the better, but I'm really tired of superhero movies all trying to be the next summer blockbuster. Shit, Blankman and Sky High were more creative than what this looks like. If comic book and/or superhero movies want to survive further than just another "trend of the decade" in Hollywood, they need to evolve and diversify.

[megladon8]

I totally agree, number8.

And this is why I am both excited and disappointed with the release of Iron Man next week.

Tony Stark is a character which could embody everything you are talking about. But from what I've seen/read, it's not going with his alcoholic asshole character traits the way it should/could have.

I still expect it to be an absolute blast, but it has room to be so much more, and I fear it won't deliver on those fields.

[number8]

Ehhhhh, I dunno, I see what you're saying, but at the same time I'm also not delusional. A flagship character like Iron Man is never going to get a treatment that's not the wide-appeal PG-13 tentpole that it is.

Plus, Tony Stark's alcoholism is widely exaggerated anyway. It's not like his character is defined by him being a drunk--it was just one particularly depressing story which, to be perfectly honest with you, I don't really want to see a movie made out of. 90 minutes of Tony Stark having his company stolen, refusing to be Iron Man even when his friends need him because he'd rather sit in a bar, being a blabbering dick, boozing himself to death, making a pregnant lady his drinking partner, and then watching said preggers lady die in childbirth? Yeah, no. That's not the way to introduce Iron Man to the public. It's just that having a superhero fall into alcoholism was such an unusual idea when Iron Man did it that the lore kind of stuck even decades after he stopped drinking. Same problem with Ant Man--he'll always be the wifebeater superhero no matter what.

What I was saying mainly concerns new heroes. Because Davis was right. It is pretty exciting when movies start to make their own superheroes not based on existing properties. But what I want to see is not necessarily dark-themed superheroes taken seriously, but simply a generation of filmmakers taking the superhero archetype and playing with genres and possibilities. Hancock could've been just that, but they opted to go the safe route by delivering the big spectacles and turning the alcoholism into a joke. It's sad.

[Sycophant]

Perhaps I'm forgetting how bankable the indomitable Mr. Smith really is, but is anyone else totally expecting this flick to flop?

[Rowland]

Perhaps I'm forgetting how bankable the indomitable Mr. Smith really isYou are.

[MadMan]

Perhaps I'm forgetting how bankable the indomitable Mr. Smith really is, but is anyone else totally expecting this flick to flop?Nope. If I Am Legend, which featured him largely by himself and seemed like a different film than what he had done in the past can succeed, so can this movie.

[Ezee E]

I think Will Smith might be the most bankable star in Hollywood right now. His last few movies: I Am Legend, Pursuit of Happyness, and I, Robot all looked like flops to me, but each made well over $100mill. For a movie like Pursuit of Happyness to do that is pretty shocking.

Hancock is a 4th of July movie. It'll be huge.

[Dukefrukem]

I think Will Smith might be the most bankable star in Hollywood right now. His last few movies: I Am Legend, Pursuit of Happyness, and I, Robot all looked like flops to me, but each made well over $100mill. For a movie like Pursuit of Happyness to do that is pretty shocking.

Hancock is a 4th of July movie. It'll be huge.

I agree. The only other actor right now that puts up that kind of scary numbers for horrendously bad movies is Adam Sandler....

[megladon8]

New trailer (http://www.apple.com/trailers/sony_pictures/hancock/trailer2/large_trailer.html)


And...I really want to see this now.

[Dukefrukem]

so he's fighting a woman?

[megladon8]

Has there been any more about his origin, where he is apparently...

A Greek God on Earth among mortals?

It looks like that could still be the case here.

Especially with the very weather-inspired set pieces it's showing.

[Dukefrukem]

no one saw this?

[Grouchy]

no one saw this?
I did. I'll post a review tonight.

[Dukefrukem]

I did. I'll post a review tonight.

Sweet. I was looking on Google Trends and saw that 'Hancock Spoiler' was the number two searched phrase today. I'm guessing your review is not going to be positive.

[Grouchy]

Sweet. I was looking on Google Trends and saw that 'Hancock Spoiler' was the number two searched phrase today. I'm guessing you're review is not going to be positive.
Heh. No, to tell you the truth, it's not positive.

[Dukefrukem]

Looking forward to reading it.

[Dukefrukem]

did i miss the review?

[Grouchy]

did i miss the review?
No, I just didn't write it. Heheh.

Will do soon, I promise!

[Sxottlan]

no one saw this?

It was pretty average. The first half is entertaining enough. Acting is fine.

Then it just takes this silly turn and then tries to get all dramatic on us. I hate when comedies do that. The whole twist seemed contrived and disconnected from what went before. And it seemed kind of obvious that Theron wouldn't be in a little supporting role without there being something more to it.

[Grouchy]

And it seemed kind of obvious that Theron wouldn't be in a little supporting role without there being something more to it.
I didn't think about that but for some reason it became obvious for me that she had powers. Since they weren't going anywhere with the affair angle and she seemed to know something about Hancock she wasn't telling, I ended up connecting the dots early on.

And yeah, the review is up! Link on my signature.

[Dukefrukem]

It was pretty average. The first half is entertaining enough. Acting is fine.

Then it just takes this silly turn and then tries to get all dramatic on us. I hate when comedies do that. The whole twist seemed contrived and disconnected from what went before. And it seemed kind of obvious that Theron wouldn't be in a little supporting role without there being something more to it.

it does seem like every comedy ends very very poorly...

perfect examples; Anchorman and Blades of Steel, two terrible terrible endings.

[Henry Gale]

it does seem like every comedy ends very very poorly...

perfect examples; Anchorman and Blades of Steel, two terrible terrible endings.

*minor spoilers*

But those don't really get "serious" like Hancock does. The Smith movie actually turns pretty grim at a certain point towards the end. Only to switch it back after everything wraps up for a silly bit in the credits with Mike Epps.

Yeah, it's a mess of a film, but I can say that I actually enjoyed it here and there. Maybe knowing the twist in advance helped for me not to be taken completely out of the movie, so that I was just more interested to see where it would go with it. But really there could have been so many better ways to do a lot of what it wanted to do.

Also, as much as I like Berg, he didn't really seem to be the best guy for this. I'm glad he has a big hit with this and can basically make whatever he wants now, but for me, things like his shaky-cam style didn't really gel at all with the look of the more expensive FX-type shots, the way he played the humour against the more serious things and just the tone overall felt off from scene to scene. The dramatic stuff feels like it should really work (with Smith, Bateman and Theron's performances especially), but it just doesn't in the movie it's in.

If they actually do decide to make this a franchise of sorts, I think they'll be far more successful to go in the "superhero with real world consequences" comedy direction like this felt like it was going early on, something more like the bonus scene in the credits, rather than what we got this time.

[Sycophant]

I'm pretty sure I saw three or four different movies when I saw this. They did not blend well.

[megladon8]

I love how the R2 Blu-Ray cover has an advertisement for "Dexter".

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/4267/44252087ve7.jpg

Subtle.

[Morris Schæffer]

That is awesome Meg! :)

[Ezee E]

I'm pretty sure I saw three or four different movies when I saw this. They did not blend well.
This basically sums it up.

There was a part that was good. Too bad they pretty much had My Super Ex-Girlfriend mixed in with it.

At least it was short. That's rare for a summer movie.

[number8]

I love how the R2 Blu-Ray cover has an advertisement for "Dexter".

That's hysterical, especially since it's most likely unintentional.

But it's not as bad the R1 cover that spoils the twist.

[Ezee E]

That's hysterical, especially since it's most likely unintentional.

But it's not as bad the R1 cover that spoils the twist.
I didn't even know the twist, and it still wasn't very amazing.

Just amazing at how stupid it went afterwards I guess. Ugh.

[megladon8]

Really? The R1 cover spoils the twist?

[The Mike]

Yeah, the description on the back of the box explains it too.

[number8]

Yeah, the description on the back of the box explains it too.

Haha, I missed that the first time, but I just read it. So I guess it's not a twist anymore.

[Kurosawa Fan]

That plot twist was blatantly obvious in the commercials. If they thought at any point they were hiding that from audiences, they're moronic.

[Grouchy]

http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k145/jmooser/Sci%20fi%20list/planet_of_the_apes.jpg

[Dukefrukem]

so glad I didn't see this or Wanted in theaters. The two biggest dissapointng movies I think i've ever watched in my entire life. Is it now the new cool thing to do is give away the entire movie in trailers?

Although, like 8 said about the Wanted Blu-ray, Hancock also has the same 'on set timeline' thing which is kinda cool.

[Robby P]

Watched this last night. Started off fairly promising (how many times in your life will you get a chance to see The Fresh Prince say "that's 'cuz I've been drinkin', bitch"), but I think I facepalmed at least five times during the course of the third act. Terrible, awful movie.

[The Mike]

Will Smith Says Hancock 2 is Happening
Source:JoBlo
December 4, 2008


JoBlo caught up with Will Smith, who revealed that a Hancock sequel is "definitely" happening:

When we asked Will if he'd ever be up for playing another superhero he replied that there were a lot of unexplored characters in the HANCOCK universe that would be ripe for a sequel and confirmed that we'll definitely see the rumored HANCOCK 2 in a few years.

The Peter Berg-directed film, which was made for $150 million, earned $624.4 million worldwide.

http://www.joblo.com/excl-hancock-2-coming

[Dukefrukem]

figured as much....