Hancock is advertised as a movie about a drunk, rude superhero that just needs some good publicity and a little make over.  It starts this way, and even begins to develop into something deeper around a character you really begin to care about.  Unfortunately though, Hancock derails halfway through and becomes an entirely different film.

Directed by Peter Berg, Hancock has a confused style to it that seemed a little too “Michael Bay” for a lot of the movie.  There was even the occasional odd, out of place line reminiscent of a Bay movie.  I really enjoyed Berg’s style on Friday Night Lights and The Kingdom, so I was surprised to find myself distracted by it here.

The middle of the film sags, even though the running time is only 92 minutes.  And while the actors are all stellar, they can’t save the unusual turn this movie makes.  What starts as a solid, character driven plot is destroyed by a twist that feels like an excuse for heavy handed action. 

So How Does It End? 

So I’m going to spoil, because that’s what I do, so stop reading if you want to.  Turns out Charlize Theron’s character Mary is also a super hero.  She’s also Hancock’s wife.  They were created as a pair thousands of years ago and they’re drawn to each other.  Oh, but when they hang out, they lose their powers (seems like a design flaw to me, but whatever).  The loss of powers does not occur immediately though, only when it works with the plot.  By the way, Mary is also married to Ray (Bateman), Hancock’s new PR guy.  When Hancock discovers Mary’s powers she gets really angry, puts on a wicked black outfit and extra eyeliner and the two super heroes duke it out for no reason at all.  See how this movie is falling apart? 

When Hancock discovers he’s losing his powers, something Mary might have considered mentioning before he took some bullets to the chest, she rushes to his side at the hospital and explains everything.  Except she doesn’t.  Somewhere between scars and the inconsistent line between mortality and immortality my brain exploded.  Actually, I got it, I just stopped caring.