Hancock is a superhero whose ill-considered behavior regularly causes damage in the millions. He changes when the person he saves helps him improve his public image.Hancock is a superhero whose ill-considered behavior regularly causes damage in the millions. He changes when the person he saves helps him improve his public image.Hancock is a superhero whose ill-considered behavior regularly causes damage in the millions. He changes when the person he saves helps him improve his public image.
- Awards
- 4 wins & 14 nominations
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe original screenplay was much darker. Apart from being a low-life, Hancock was supposed to be sexually frustrated because he couldn't have sex with a woman without killing her. The MPAA actually cleared a scene involving Hancock's explosive orgasm, but it was removed from the final cut because a test audience didn't find it funny. The tone was lightened considerably for a summer release aimed at a wide audience, but the MPAA gave the film an R twice before language and violence cuts resulted in a PG-13.
- GoofsWhen the people are running away from the tornadoes, suddenly a strange character runs from the left to the right of the screen. The character is twice as tall as everyone else, and looks like a robot or an alien. It may be a street performer, on stilts and in costume.
- Quotes
John Hancock: All of you people, blocking the intersection, you're all idiots.
Rail Crossing Crowd #1: You're the one that threw the dude's car at her. And what's with the train?
Rail Crossing Crowd #2: Why didn't you just go straight up in the air with the car? You've obviously injured that poor woman.
Rail Crossing Crowd #3: She's right. She should sue you.
John Hancock: Okay. Well, you should sue McDonald's, 'cause they fucked you up.
- Crazy creditsA scene after the credits start to roll.
- Alternate versionsAn extended cut was released on DVD and Blu-Ray featuring several additional and modified scenes. The additional scenes include, but are not limited to: Hancock bringing a girl to his trailer to have sex, Mary Embrey driving to Hancock's trailer instead of flying there, and Hancock getting off a prison bus while chained to other prisoners whom he drags behind him.
- SoundtracksWhammer Jammer
Written by Stephen Bladd, J. Geils (as John Geils Jr.), Seth Justman, Daniel Klein, Magic Dick (as Richard Salwitz), and Peter Wolf
Performed by The J. Geils Band
Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corp.
By arrangement with Warner Music Group Film & TV Licensing
I have to say that I didn't think Hancock was a bad film as such, it was somewhat underwhelming and I'm sorry to say I do understand the criticisms against it.
Hancock does have a fair number of good points. It is stylishly filmed, with some well above average special effects, the music is dynamic and the directing is solid. The best asset about Hancock is the acting of the three leads.
Will Smith is very commanding, with a lot of subtlety amongst all the wisecracks/gags that don't feel forced(ie.flying under the influence). Charlize Theron shows a glowing presence while also showing a sympathetic side, and Jason Bateman's dry humour contrasts perfectly too.
However, Hancock is a very uneven film. I loved the first half, it was well paced, the script was witty and fresh and the scene where the titular character brings a speeding train to a halt as he can't be bothered to lift the car up from its path is one of the better and relevant scenes of the film.
It is in the second half where Hancock is less than successful. Here the film starts to drag, the script becomes soapy and heavily melodramatic and the film has one of the daftest twists of any film not to have M Night Shyamalan's name on it.
The story's tone isn't the only asset to feel uneven, the script is too, it has wit and freshness in the first half, but becomes mawkish in the second. I also felt that there were only three likable characters(Smith's, Theron's and Bateman's) and the others I barely noticed, with the villain especially flat.
So all in all, an uneven film but not a necessarily bad one. 5/10 Bethany Cox
- TheLittleSongbird
- Dec 17, 2011
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Languages
- Also known as
- John Hancock
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $150,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $227,946,274
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $62,603,879
- Jul 6, 2008
- Gross worldwide
- $629,443,428
- Runtime1 hour 32 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1