Hancock turns the standard superhero movie inside-out: The title character (Will Smith) can fly; has superstrength; and is invulnerable; but he's also a sloppy; alcoholic jerk who causes millions of dollars in property damage whenever he bothers to fight crime. When he saves the life of a public-relations agent named Ray (Jason Bateman; Arrested Development); Ray decides to improve Hancock's image--starting by having Hancock surrender himself to the authorities and go to prison for his lawless behavior. The idea is that once he's in prison; the crime rate will go up; and people will start to realize Hancock might be of value after all. This is only the first act of Hancock--from there; the movie takes several clever turns that shouldn't be revealed. Hancock isn't a great movie (among other things; director Peter Berg overuses close-ups with a hand-held camera to a degree that may cause motion sickness); but it is an extremely entertaining one. The script; which holds together far better than most superhero movies; has a propulsive plot; good dialogue; some compassion for its characters; and even an actual idea or two. The spectacular action at least gestures towards obeying the laws of physics; which actually makes the special effects more vivid. The three leads (Smith; Bateman; and Charlize Theron as Ray's wife; Mary) deftly balance the movie's mixture of comedy; action; and drama. All in all; a smart subversive twist on a genre that all too often takes itself all too seriously. --Bret Fetzer

Stills from Hancock (click for larger image)