'Hancock' a superhero's switcheroo

Hancock should be a great piece of summertime escapism. All his fans want to see Will Smith playing a shabby, antisocial superhero, getting jiggy with bad guys while causing more destruction than he prevents. Preview trailers set to a Ludacris beat have stoked us for weeks, suggesting another Big Willie Weekend delight like Independence Day and Men in Black (I, not II).

That's the kind of movie Hancock is for about half its 92 minutes (counting end credits).

Then comes the jarring twist. Without being a spoiler, let's just say Hancock discovers his own personal Kryptonite. And the source of it drains all the fun from the screen.

No movie should depend so heavily upon a premise that already failed famously, and treat it so seriously.

Rules for how Hancock is affected by this source are established, then contradicted when convenient. Characters turn somber, the musical score becomes a fugue and Hancock's chief nemesis turns out to be himself. The final reel of Peter Berg's film is overwrought with the kind of Fresh Prince self-sacrifice that made I Am Legend such a noble drag.

This is a rare superhero movie that should spend more time on the character's origins — why someone so sour would help anyone — rather than spilling them with thrill-killing exposition. Hancock's superpowers are rooted in a past that could inspire interesting flashbacks and banter.

Hancock starts out as reasonably smart escapism. Smith is fun to watch, playing against type as an alcoholic with no patience for children or criminals. His drunk and cranky hero enables Berg to stage decent action sequences, as Hancock piles up collateral damage. Los Angelenos hate him for that, and he returns the feeling.

Hancock saves a corporate publicist (Jason Bateman) who proposes an image makeover, starting with a public apology for his reckless acts and a jail sentence. Capped by a hilariously crude sight gag, that prison sequence is Berg's final entertaining addition to what you've seen in the preview trailers. Soon, Hancock becomes The Pursuit of Happyness II, or a comic book version of 21 Grams.

The drastic tonal shift adds evidence to reports that Hancock was originally intended as an R-rated action comedy. More profanity and stronger sexual and violent content were reportedly trimmed to receive a more profitable PG-13 rating. That explains the short running time, and why there aren't enough scenes of Hancock doing his superhero thing before and after rehab.

Instead, we watch a charismatic actor suffocated by a role that becomes more downbeat than fans expect or deserve. After Hancock, Bruce Wayne seems like a happy-go-lucky guy.

Steve Persall can be reached at persall@sptimes.com or (727) 893-8365.