6.3 | / 10 |
Users | 3.9 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.9 |
There are heroes... there are superheroes... and then there's Hancock. With great power comes great responsibility — everyone knows that — everyone, that is, but Hancock. Disgruntled, conflicted, sarcastic, and misunderstood, Hancock's well-intentioned heroics might get the job done and save countless lives, but always seem to leave jaw-dropping damage in their wake. The public has finally had enough — as grateful as they are to have their local hero, the good citizens of Los Angeles are wondering what they did to deserve this guy. Hancock isn't a man who cares what people think — until the day that he saves the life of PR executive Ray Embrey, and the unpopular superhero begins to realize that he may have a vulnerable side after all.
Starring: Will Smith, Charlize Theron, Jason Bateman, Jae Head, Eddie MarsanAction | 100% |
Fantasy | 32% |
Crime | 21% |
Comedy | 10% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
French: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
Thai: Dolby Digital 5.1
English, English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Indonesian, Korean, Mandarin (Simplified), Mandarin (Traditional), Thai
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Digital copy (on disc)
Bonus View (PiP)
BD-Live
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
You have a calling. You're a hero, Hancock. You're going to be miserable the rest of your life
until you accept that.
With the deluge of superhero movies to smash through theaters this decade, several of them
first-rate films, Hancock comes as something of a refreshing, if not terribly odd, take on
the
genre.
Hancock presents audiences with a superhero unlike any before, a character seemingly
devoid of personality, incapable of spiritual or emotional growth, and representing the worst
qualities of man despite abilities that would otherwise set him apart as a larger-than-life, lovable,
dependable, heroic citizen. Make no
mistake, virtually every franchise delves into the not-so-pretty side of life as a superhero; The Dark Knight in
particular sets the standard for the exploration of the deep inner conflicts
that come with extraordinary abilities. Hancock sets itself apart thanks to its sobering,
perhaps even disturbing, look at an anti-hero, a man with the abilities of a Superman, but
standing
for anything but "truth, justice, and the American way." Surprisingly deeper and somewhat
more serious and intelligent than the advertisements might suggest, but ultimately not a terrific
movie, Hancock is nevertheless a film with some twists, turns, and a heart, one that
does its best to play as a meaningful look at the bonds of love and the importance of trust and
self-image.
In 'Hancock,' Will Smith plays (a) a vagrant; (b) a drunk; (c) a super hero; (d) all of the above.
Hancock saves the day on Blu-ray with a very good, but not exceptional, 1080p, 2.35:1-framed transfer. The image sports tremendous detail but offers a color scheme that sometimes pushes particular colors, including greens, reds, and yellows, giving the film a rather uneven look. The movie is also just a bit dark, obscuring some of the fine detail throughout. Also hindering the visible level of detail is unsteady camerawork, the image not always able to focus and revel in its imagery, leaving many of the backgrounds, and some of the foregrounds, blurry and undefined. The film's prison sequence is highly stylized, the image awash in bright whites and a hint of bright blue, accentuated by only Hancock's orange jump suit. Still, when the film slows down enough, the level of visible detail is generally extraordinary. A scene where a basketball escapes from the inside of the prison fence particularly stands out. As Hancock retrieves it, the dirt on the ground features great texture and detail as every granule is seemingly visible, and the wear-and-tear on the prison yard basketball lends to the image a nice vitality and level of realism that brings the scene to life. A fine layer of grain is retained over the entirety of the image, lending to the transfer a nice cinematic look and feel. The transfer exhibits nary a blemish, as expected of a recent release. Black levels are also incredibly rock-solid throughout, but flesh tones feature a rosy tint. There is enough good here to make the transfer an overall pleasing experience, and it has the look and feel of being true to its source, a rather dark, jumpy, perhaps even at times messy look, and it is replicated rather well on this Blu-ray disc.
The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack that accompanies Hancock never quite reaches the level of reference quality one might expect from a high profile popcorn action movie. Nevertheless, it is a good soundtrack, but not quite as robust or engaging as other, similar soundtracks. A rap song that plays the first time Hancock takes flight lacks a bit of punch, but comes through with excellent clarity and spacing, flowing nicely from each speaker. Surrounds are also active through most of the picture, generally in support of the front, carrying much of the atmosphere, and offering some discrete effects during the action sequences, though there is sometimes not a sense of total immersion. The track features several standout moments, such as when Hancock takes off like a rocket, breaking the pavement beneath his feet, perhaps even surpassing the speed of sound, the audio forcefully pushing through the soundstage full-throttle. Each of the film's in-flight sequences, for that matter, are engaging and bass-heavy. A multi-tornado, extreme weather event sequence in chapter 12 is especially exciting as the sound englufs the listening area with its destructive force, the scene as good as anything Twister threw at Blu-ray audiences earlier this year. A police shootout sequence in chapter seven is also well done. While there isn't as much rear channel activity as one might expect form this sort of scene, the shots reverberate through the soundstage with nice impact, clarity, and volume. A dialogue sequence in chapter nine between Hancock and a bank robber features solid dialogue reproduction, including an echoing effect that reverberates into the back. Hancock presents listeners with a mix that is far more than adequate, but it feels like a slight letdown next to some of the best action-oriented soundtracks on the market today.
Hanckock lands on Blu-ray with a supplemental package smaller than one might expect of a summer blockbuster. The main attraction is a picture-in-picture (Blu-ray profile 1.1) feature entitled On Set Visual Diary. Appearing in a rather small box on the bottom right hand corner of the screen, the secondary image remains on for the length of the feature. Viewers are taken behind-the-scenes of the making of most every major sequence, featuring interviews, pre-shoot dialogue, green screen effects, and plenty more. Several featurettes are next. Superhumans: The Making of Hancock (1080i, 12:51) features interview snippets with cast and crew, and the piece looks at the origins of the story from the early screenplay, the choice of a director, the casting (and plenty of back-patting), and the themes of the film. Seeing the Future (1080i, 15:11) offers a look at a series of pre-visualization sequences for several key moments in the film, framed around the context of the scene and the usefulness of the technology as recounted by members of the cast and crew. Building a Better Hero (1080i, 8:15) looks at the tedious process of bringing the film's special effects to life. Bumps and Bruises (1080i, 10:28) examines the making of several of the film's key effects sequences. Home Life (1080i, 10:48) takes a closer look at shooting the film's scenes that take place at Ray and Mary's home, as well as the trailer where Hancock resides. Suiting Up (1080i, 8:22) looks at the film's costumes. Mere Mortals: Behind the Scenes With "Dirty Pete" (1080i, 3:57) shows director Peter Berg's lighter side. Also included are 1080p trailers for The House Bunny, Lakeview Terrace, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, Men in Black, and Hitch. Hancock is a BD-Live (Profile 2.0) enabled feature that allows access to Sony's homepage that offers information on the studio's rewards program, trailers, and the possibility of movie-specific bonus content at a later date. Finally, Hancock is D-Box equipped. Disc two of this set contains a digital copy of the film for playback on personal computers and select portable video devices, though it does not appear to be iTunes/iPod compatible, at least on a computer running Mac OS X.
Hancock is a solid, but not spectacular, film, one that is worth the effort thanks to a surprisingly focused and meaningful story. Parts of it work, others don't, but the underlying themes make the Hancock character one of the more interesting in recent memory. Will Smith turns in an adequate performance as the film's title character, and the film also features a seemingly endless supply of impressive visuals, if not a bit obscured by the jerky camera movements. Sony's Blu-ray presentation is certainly good, but not quite the reference material one might expect of a brand-new, effect-laden Will Smith blockbuster. Both the video and audio are well above average, but both seem lacking that last bit of polish to push them over the top and into the upper-tier of Blu-ray transfers. Likewise, the supplemental package is fine, certainly less than expected, but the material included is of a high quality. Hancock is an enjoyable summer popcorn movie with an unexpected and welcome depth to its main character, and is at least worth your Blu-ray rental dollars, and the disc is good enough to warrant a purchase by fans.
Bonus Disc
2008
Unrated | Blu-ray Essentials
2008
2008
2012
2008
Extended Cut
2013
2008
2020
2007
The Complete Final Season
2010
2003
2011
2007
2005
2010
2017
1992
2015
2013
2012
2014
2022
2013