Critique of "Hancock"
04-21-10, 11:47 AM
#1
Needs to contact an admin about multiple accounts - perspectives
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Critique of "Hancock"
“Critique of Hancock”
I thoroughly enjoyed the movie Hancock, not because it is a superhero movie, or because it has a good plot, but particularly because it is an unusual superhero movie. Hancock not only gives you a great superhero movie with an excellent plot, it also shows you a superhero from a completely different vantage point from what we typically see and expect from this type of movie.
Hancock is not your typical superhero for a number of reasons. For one, he is not nice. He does not use nice language, he does not treat little kids well, and he has no respect for authority figures or those trying to maintain public safety. Our typical superhero is a friend to all, speaks kind words, encourages, and is an overall pleasure to be around. In Hancock’s case, however, people would rather be left to their own abilities than to have to cross paths with him. Throughout the movie, even after being rescued by Hancock, people were disdainful of him. Why? They were affronted by his vulgar language, how he looked down on police officers and other public servants, and he scared little children, as well as adults.
Hancock is also not your typical superhero for another reason. He does far more damage than good. Instead of simply stopping the bad guys from whatever they are doing and making sure no one and no thing gets hurt, Hancock comes through like the Tasmanian Devil. For instance, instead of simply stopping the armed men involved with the high-speed chase down the highway, Hancock felt it necessary to “toy” with them, resulting in their car, with them still in it, being skewered on the spire of a building. Our typical superhero would have stopped and restrained the criminals, and then handed them over to the authorities, no mess, no fuss. Another example of Hancock’s disruptive nature is what we’ll call his “landing gear”. Everytime Hancock made a flight landing he also made a crater. While he had the ability, as we learned later in the movie, to make a much softer landing, he did not do so. Our typical superhero never so much as leaves a scratch when landing.
Another thing that sets Hancock apart from our typical superhero is his drinking habit. Hancock not only drinks; he’s an obvious alcoholic. He drinks to drown out the misery of his existence and the memories, or lack thereof, that he cannot piece together to figure out who he truly is. In the example given above of Hancock’s damage causing abilities, a large part of that was because he was heavily intoxicated. Our typical superhero does not drink alcohol at all, and most certainly does not get drunk and then lash out in a stupor. Hancock’s drinking was a nuisance to him and to society.
With all of these differences between Hancock and our typical superhero in mind I would like to point out my favorite part of this movie – it’s redemptive nature. Hancock, though despised by everyone, is befriended by a man whom he saved from the train tracks. Though, in his typical style, Hancock destroys the man’s car and the train, this particular man sees the good in Hancock despite the cries of the witnessing crowd. He not only proceeds to publicly thank Hancock for his service, but goes even further by calling on the crowd to see the good through the bad. He even invites Hancock to his house for supper and offers him help in getting his life turned around and creating a new image for himself. This part of the storyline reminds me so much of the salvation story, of our forgiveness through Christ. We started out like Hancock, not like the perfect beings (typical superheroes) that God created us to be. We were crude and damaging and lost in our sin, searching for answers and trying to drown them out. We’ve been looked down upon and underappreciated as well. However, we were also seen (by Christ). We were seen in our lowly state, in our darkest hour. We were also offered help and answers, though undeserving. Like the man that Hancock saved, Christ has offered us the chance to become new, to become what we are supposed to be. In our case, that is to become followers of God, pure and holy. For Hancock, that was to become the superhero that everyone was expecting.
I thoroughly enjoyed the movie Hancock, not because it is a superhero movie, or because it has a good plot, but particularly because it is an unusual superhero movie. Hancock not only gives you a great superhero movie with an excellent plot, it also shows you a superhero from a completely different vantage point from what we typically see and expect from this type of movie.
Hancock is not your typical superhero for a number of reasons. For one, he is not nice. He does not use nice language, he does not treat little kids well, and he has no respect for authority figures or those trying to maintain public safety. Our typical superhero is a friend to all, speaks kind words, encourages, and is an overall pleasure to be around. In Hancock’s case, however, people would rather be left to their own abilities than to have to cross paths with him. Throughout the movie, even after being rescued by Hancock, people were disdainful of him. Why? They were affronted by his vulgar language, how he looked down on police officers and other public servants, and he scared little children, as well as adults.
Hancock is also not your typical superhero for another reason. He does far more damage than good. Instead of simply stopping the bad guys from whatever they are doing and making sure no one and no thing gets hurt, Hancock comes through like the Tasmanian Devil. For instance, instead of simply stopping the armed men involved with the high-speed chase down the highway, Hancock felt it necessary to “toy” with them, resulting in their car, with them still in it, being skewered on the spire of a building. Our typical superhero would have stopped and restrained the criminals, and then handed them over to the authorities, no mess, no fuss. Another example of Hancock’s disruptive nature is what we’ll call his “landing gear”. Everytime Hancock made a flight landing he also made a crater. While he had the ability, as we learned later in the movie, to make a much softer landing, he did not do so. Our typical superhero never so much as leaves a scratch when landing.
Another thing that sets Hancock apart from our typical superhero is his drinking habit. Hancock not only drinks; he’s an obvious alcoholic. He drinks to drown out the misery of his existence and the memories, or lack thereof, that he cannot piece together to figure out who he truly is. In the example given above of Hancock’s damage causing abilities, a large part of that was because he was heavily intoxicated. Our typical superhero does not drink alcohol at all, and most certainly does not get drunk and then lash out in a stupor. Hancock’s drinking was a nuisance to him and to society.
With all of these differences between Hancock and our typical superhero in mind I would like to point out my favorite part of this movie – it’s redemptive nature. Hancock, though despised by everyone, is befriended by a man whom he saved from the train tracks. Though, in his typical style, Hancock destroys the man’s car and the train, this particular man sees the good in Hancock despite the cries of the witnessing crowd. He not only proceeds to publicly thank Hancock for his service, but goes even further by calling on the crowd to see the good through the bad. He even invites Hancock to his house for supper and offers him help in getting his life turned around and creating a new image for himself. This part of the storyline reminds me so much of the salvation story, of our forgiveness through Christ. We started out like Hancock, not like the perfect beings (typical superheroes) that God created us to be. We were crude and damaging and lost in our sin, searching for answers and trying to drown them out. We’ve been looked down upon and underappreciated as well. However, we were also seen (by Christ). We were seen in our lowly state, in our darkest hour. We were also offered help and answers, though undeserving. Like the man that Hancock saved, Christ has offered us the chance to become new, to become what we are supposed to be. In our case, that is to become followers of God, pure and holy. For Hancock, that was to become the superhero that everyone was expecting.
04-26-10, 03:59 PM
#3
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Critique of "Hancock"
I'll say this about it, I enjoyed the ideas in Hancock. Their ancient backstory, the fallen hero that really does want to do good, the mortal human that sees the good in him. I'm not a big comic book reader, so maybe these are overused in the comics, no idea. But what I saw in Hancock, could have been something really interesting, just needed a little more work.
And the scene where he walks the car is iconic. There I said it, and I don't regret it.
And the scene where he walks the car is iconic. There I said it, and I don't regret it.
