Jack of Harts

So we’ve got a new movie coming out soon in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Black Panther. It’s been promoted by some press as the first black superhero movie. And others as the first black blockbuster movie. I’m certain it will be a good movie. I have yet to dislike a single one of the new Marvel movies, so I expect to enjoy this one as well.

But to get into the mood, I’ve been gong back and watching superhero movies of the recent past. Catwoman. Blade. I may have strayed into looking at Wild Wild West and Men in Black. Not exactly superhero movies. More in line with Lethal Weapon, but still fun to watch. The last one I watched was Hancock.

I have yet to see a Will Smith movie I did not enjoy. Hancock proudly continues that tradition. It starts in modern day Los Angeles, where a very drunk Hancock is spending most of his time not giving a crap over what people call him. He’s an a-hole, and he acts like it with a careless disregard for property. Unless someone shoots his beer bottle. Then he gets annoyed.

Long story short, he’s been around since the early 1900s. He doesn’t age, he can fly, he’s bullet proof, he’s really strong, and he can stop a train by just standing in front of it. And he’s the only one of his kind. Then he saves the life of a guy who specializes in image consulting for businesses. Which starts the “redemption” arc of the movie.

There’s more to the story, but that gets spoilerific, so I’ll just say that it is fun all the way to the end. Though unlike many superhero movies, Hancock’s only true supervillian is himself. It’s a surprisingly deep story, with some serious Kleenex moments. And it works. I could see Hancock in either the DC or MCU movies popular right now. It portrays him as both powerful and vulnerable, like most modern superhero movies do, giving it a truly human base to work with.

I give it two high-flying thumbs up as a thoroughly enjoyable film to watch from beginning to end.