Movie Review: Who the hell is "Hancock"?

Superheroes have been jumping out at us from the newsprint page for so long now that it's easy to forget there's no rule stipulating they have to be born in the comics. But it's a nice surprise when some new and mighty force for justice (and entertainment) can come swooping out of the silver screen to capture our imaginations.

"Unbreakable" is a great example, though much more understated than the most recent entry into that all-new hero territory: "Hancock."

Now, I'm a giant comic book geek -- both in height and scope -- so I ought to warn those of you unfamiliar with my particular peculiarities that I tend to fall in step behind anyone who can fly, bend steel with their bare hands or otherwise pull off wearing a cape...

So yeah, I loved "Hancock." It was exactly what it needed to be... and then some.

For an admittedly obsessive nerd such as myself, it's refreshing to step into a superhero flick with no idea where it will take you.

John Hancock (Will Smith) is an alcoholic, grubby misanthrope who also happens to be nigh invulnerable, ridiculously strong and able to fly. While he does have heroic impulses, his crass and unconcerned methods have the public seeing him as nothing more than a massive pain in the ass. Enter: Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman). Ray is a public relations agent who decides to shape Hancock into a respectable hero after Hancock saves him from becoming railroad kill. Ray's wife, Mary (Charlize Theron) is none to keen on this and harbors a pronounced dislike for the, er... hero.

There's action, and even a comic-style villain after a while, but the meat of the movie is in Hancock's interactions with the Embrey family.

What can we say about Will Smith at this point, really? The guy knows how to be a hero, whether it's the cocky new guy from "Men In Black," the isolated survivor struggling for sanity in "I Am Legend" or the pissed and emotionally crippled superman of "Hancock." Solid all-around.

Jason Bateman, however, may not be known to many of you. For the uninformed, I will tell you this: the man is goddamn hilarious. He starred in "Arrested Development," which is one of the funniest shows ever canned by a network, and I'm thrilled to see his name up on the marquee of a summer blockbuster alongside someone as huge as Will Smith.

And speaking of which, the humor is excellent. Rather than forcibly inserting gags into the story, the humor comes from the characters themselves (gasp!). Oh, genuine fun in a movie theater, how I've missed you. Wait... didn't I see you at "Iron Man"? And "Indiana Jones"? And --

Nevermind that. It's been a good summer for moviegoers who let themselves have fun.

There are other 'props' and 'kudos' and whatnot that I'd like to hand out, but it would involve spoiling at least some of the plot, and I'd rather it not come to that. It'll have to suffice to say that there's plenty of badassitude to go around. And "Hancock" definitely wins the award for most offbeat uses of superpowers.

See "Hancock" if... y'know what, individual taste be damn'd: just see "Hancock"!

4.5 out of 5

-Thad out.

Thaddeus is a faceless nerdbomb who wants nothing more than to live on The Moon. He spends his valuable free time writing, editing and doodling things for Three Geek Review and whining to strangers about the world's general lack of jetpacks.