Two stars

Hancock. Oh where do I begin? I was entertained. I was annoyed. A lot. Hancock is a movie with an intriguing premise that is poorly written and presented in a rushed, haphazard fashion. It has zero percent internal logic. Basically, it’s a mess that’s counterbalanced by its extraordinarily likable cast. Jason Bateman is charming and Charlize Theron does fine, but the big gun here is the miracle man, Will Smith.

Will Smith is the American dream. A kid who gained prominence as a rapper, he got to learn how to act while starring in a network TV series (if you have any questions about the “learning” part, check out any early episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) and he went on to become one of the most popular movie stars in the world. When Americans think of the Fourth of July, they think about patriotism, picnics, fireworks and the latest Will Smith blockbuster.

Some of Smith’s July 4 offerings have been less than stellar, to put it mildly, but it appears that the public doesn’t care. They look forward to Will Smith July 4 movies, they go to them expecting to have a great time and they overlook anything that might get in their way. That’s how much they like Will Smith. I’ve no doubt the same thing will happen this weekend. Some people will shake their heads over the film’s numerous problem areas, but they’ll do so with a smile on their face. Hancock will be another massive Will Smith hit.

Fine. As I said at the start of this essay, I was entertained too. So why am I carping? Because Team Smith should turn out better movies than this. Hancock starts with a workable idea: What if a guy with superpowers who saves the day on a regular basis was a surly bum? What if his antics were so vulgar and destructive that the public can’t stand him despite his heroics?

Smith plays Hancock, who is virtually invulnerable, super-strong and able to fly. One day he saves a guy from being hit by a train and everything changes. The rescued fellow is Ray Embrey (Bateman), a public-relations man with a great attitude and boundless enthusiasm. To thank Hancock, he decides to help him remake his horrible image. Hancock doesn’t like the idea. Ray’s wife, Mary (Theron), doesn’t like the idea. But Hancock finally goes along with Ray, because hey, that’s the premise.

Except it’s so badly executed. Director Peter Berg tries to give the movie an edgy feel with shaky, hand-held camera work. Eh. The special effects are right on the line between cool and cheesy, but there is no internal logic to what we are seeing. Even alternate realities should have their own rules and this world makes no sense. When Hancock takes off and lands, he smashes concrete. When he fights, he trashes cars, walls, portions of buildings — if he’s been doing this so long, why isn’t the city in ruins? In the crudest scene in the movie, he literally shoves one guy’s head up another guy’s ass. Later we see the men talking and one of them dejectedly complains of being “sore.” Shouldn’t one or both of them be complaining of being “dead”?

I could go on — there’s so much more — but you get the idea. About the plot — there’s a twist in the story, which is surprising and promising, but it leads to a melodramatic climax that snuffs any remaining hint of that edginess Berg was shooting for. And then there’s the running time. Hancock is only an hour and a half long and it feels hurried and choppy, especially towards the end. It’s as if great chunks of the story were taken out to keep the movie at a crisp running time. Why?

Bottom line: Hancock is a wreck. But thanks to the Will Smith magic, it’s an entertaining wreck. Proceed with caution.