Watching HANCOCK something dawned on me. Will Smith is currently not only the biggest movie star in the world, but like his character in that movie I might even argue he’s the only one of his kind left.
Now when I say movie star, I’m talking about the kind we had many of back in the 1990’s, the kind whose presence in a film could single-handedly guarantee at least a $20 million draw at the box office. We’re talking Jim Carrey, Harrison Ford, Tom Hanks, Will Smith, Tom Cruise, Adam Sandler, Mel Gibson, Bruce Willis and Julia Roberts. These were stars that could get people to see a movie solely based on the fact that they were in it, and would make loads of money. Sure, admittedly, a lot of those films they starred in were high-profile summer blockbuster, which helps things considerably. The spectacle of the movies catered perfectly to the spectacle of their movie stardom.
These days though stars of that caliber seem to have all but disappeared, and I can think of a few reasons why. Some of those above mentioned stars have fallen prey to controversy and/or made idiots of themselves (Mel Gibson, Tom Cruise). Some have distanced themselves willingly from the public or projects (Harrison Ford, Julia Roberts). Some are starting to outstay their welcome, or unsuccessfully struggle between branching out and predictably pigeonholing themselves into the same old shtick (Jim Carrey, Adam Sandler). Throw in the fact that special effects have emerged as stars themselves, tabloids have reached new levels of overexposure, and the rising costs of movies (and hence greater risks) and you have a few more reasons.
There’s a scene in HANCOCK where the invulnerable reluctant super-hero played by Will Smith stops an oncoming train by standing directly in front of it. The sheer force of a speeding train ramming into an immovable object causes it to not only stop dead in its track but to be crushed, and all the cars behind it completely derail and scatter everywhere, making a huge mess.
It’s a perfect encapsulation of what goes wrong with HANCOCK halfway through the film, and what makes the Peter Berg directed movie the second Will Smith project (after I AM LEGEND) in a row that starts of promisingly and then violently and destructively derails. What’s more, in both films it happens after a very particular turning point that marks an abrupt change in each films’ narrative status quo.
Till that turning point occurs HANCOCK proves to be a somewhat refreshing, maybe even unique, take on the super-hero movie genre, by providing a distinctly anti (super) hero. John Hancock is a petty, alcoholic, abrasive, inept self-involved super. He’ll commit heroic acts, but it’s such an obligatory burden to him that he does it with callous disregard of property (ringing up millions of dollars in damage to the city) and others. As a result people have come to hate him, so he treats them and his surroundings with equal – and perhaps vengeful – distain. Hancock is a welcome spin on the superhero mythology by somewhat subversively suggesting that even if “with great power comes great responsibility,” if that responsibility isn’t accepted with the right intensions – or through only a sense of obligation – it’s perhaps more destructive than not accepting it in the first place.
During the summer everyone is always talking about anticipating this film or other, but a lot of times the reason we’re looking forward to a particular film is not just its concept, but the acting performances it promises. So with my Top 10 Most Anticipated Summer Movies list already up, I thought I’d highlight a few of the actors – in no particular order - whose work I’m most looking forward to seeing this summer season.
Will Ferrell/John C. Reilly, STEP BROTHERS
These two are a perfect comedic duo, and the concept of STEP BROTHERs – purportedly devised by the two actors themselves – is a perfect, simple vehicle to let their humor shine. Above all else, I’m just so happy to see John C. Reilly finally breakout, even if after years of solid character roles it turned out to be comedy that would get him noticed.
Robert Downey Jr., TROPIC THUNDER
It’s really hard to imagine Downey Jr. could top his performance in IRON MAN, but I’m incredibly curious to see how he is going to pull off playing a white Australian actor who in the film is in turn playing an African American. Inherently it seems like a politically incorrect disaster (then again, the Wayans did turn themselves white a while back), but based on all the trailers it looks like he pulls it off perfectly and – most importantly – hilariously.
Heath Ledger, THE DARK KNIGHT
Before you get the wrong idea, I’m not morbidly looking forward to Ledger’s performance in THE DARK KNIGHT because it was his last. I’m looking forward to it because it looks phenomenal. Based on the trailers, it just blows my mind how Ledger all but disappears into the role of the Joker, both in manner and appearance. It seems like such a seamless melding with the psychopathic spirit of the villain, that HYPERLINK “http://www.cinematical.com/2008/05/14/discuss-could-heath-ledger-land-an-oscar-nod-for-his-dark-knig/” some are already wondering whether it may deserve an Oscar nomination.
Before reading any further, both this clip and my comments below contain numerous SPOILERS to the film I AM LEGEND, so if you have not seen it yet, venture no further.
All set? Okay.
I AM LEGEND was conflicting film for me, largely because I loved the first half of it, and completely hated the second half. The dividing point for me was the death of the dog. It’s not just because I absolutely adore dogs and hate to see them hurt in film, largely because mine had to be put down at the young age of five several years back (in fact, she was lying in my lap much the same way Will Smith’s character’s dog was). It was also because after that gut-wrenching moment the movie completely derailed from its rather astounding and engaging set-up and environment and devolved into stereotypical Hollywood shlock. In other words, it turned into a Will Smith film when before it wasn’t entirely. In fact, it wasn’t unlike CASTAWAY, just with Will Smith, who proved himself as able to hold his own as the sole person on screen as Tom Hanks did.
So does this alternate ending help at all? A little. In the original theatrical ending I felt Will Smith’s sacrificial death was too forced, milked for the shock effect of seeing Smith (our hero) die, rather than anything related to the character. By that I do not mean it was an action that didn’t make sense for the character. It did, given that the film spent a fair amount of time setting up his sense of guilt over unfulfilled obligations. It just felt that the creators chose that ending because “Oh no, Will Smith died!” instead of the more dramatic reasons to have Neville die.
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