Movie · 2008 · Fantasy, Action · 1h 32m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 1.2/10 (915.6K ratings)
There are heroes. There are superheroes. And then there's Hancock.
Overview
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?
Ratings
Curator score: 1.2/10
IMDb: 6.4/10
Letterboxd: 2.80/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 42%
Metacritic: 49
TMDB: 6.4/10
Director
Peter Berg
Production
Columbia Pictures, Relativity Media, Blue Light, Weed Road Pictures, Overbrook Entertainment
Cast
Will Smith, Charlize Theron, Jason Bateman, Jae Head, Eddie Marsan, David Mattey, Maetrix Fitten, Thomas Lennon, Johnny Galecki, Hayley Marie Norman, Dorothy Cecchi, Michelle Lemon, Akiva Goldsman, Michael Mann, Brad Leland, Trieu Tran, Darrell Foster, Liz Wicker, Taylor Gilbert, Caroll Tohme
Where to watch
Hulu
Curator Review
Verdict
A sharp, high-concept superhero riff with a strong first half, but it loses focus once the story pivots into mythology and melodrama. Worth it for the premise, Will Smith's offbeat antihero turn, and a few solid action beats; less so if you want a clean, coherent genre movie.
Best for
Viewers who like superhero deconstructions
Fans of charismatic star-driven action comedies
People who enjoy messy but interesting studio blockbusters
Anyone curious about early-2000s takes on the genre
Skip if
You want a tightly plotted film
You dislike abrupt tonal shifts
You prefer grounded superhero stories
You need the dramatic and action halves to feel equally developed
Overview
Hancock starts as a genuinely funny and promising twist on the superhero movie: a damaged, self-destructive hero whose public image is as battered as the city he saves. The first stretch has bite, personality, and a nice sense of comic irritation, with Will Smith leaning into the role’s swagger and self-loathing in a way that keeps it watchable even when the character is being deliberately abrasive.
Worth noting
The problem is that the movie keeps trying to widen itself into something bigger and more mythic, and that expansion blunts the original idea. The second half shifts tone hard, the pacing gets lumpy, and the film starts juggling too many concepts at once. What began as a smart, compact satire turns into a more conventional effects-driven fantasy with some awkward emotional detours.
Bottom line
Even so, it remains an interesting failure rather than a total one. There are enough amusing ideas, a few memorable action moments, and a strong central performance to make it more engaging than its reputation suggests. It’s best approached as a flawed but watchable studio oddity rather than a fully satisfying superhero film.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Frandi Peralta (3★) · 1363 likes
First half of movie good
second half is forgettable
Jackson_Baly (5★) · 738 likes
At the end of the movie Hancock has an eagle. No one explains where the eagle came from. It rules.
George Carmi (4★) · 517 likes
hear me out…
Bryan Espitia (2.5★) · 369 likes
Hancock will return in Avengers: Secret Wars
DirkH (2.5★) · 364 likes
It's always annoying when plot gets in the way of the action in films like this. Even though the concept is strong and most action sequences great, the narrative and the way Berg paces it completely kills it.
The result is an uneven mess without any flow, bouts of boredom in between some decent action and an uninspired and rather unconvincing Smith.
In the hands of a better director this could have been something, but Berg cuts corners here and doesn't manage to inspire his cast.
[insert cock joke here]
2004 · Action, Adventure, Science Fiction · 2h 7m · PG-13 · Curator 8.2/10 (2.8M ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Disney Plus, Hulu, fuboTV, Netflix Standard with Ads
A superhero sequel that understands the cost of power and the strain of trying to live up to a role.