WHAT if a movie superhero was a drunken, misanthropic idiot rather than a buffed, rubber-clad fighter for truth and justice?
The eponymous Hancock, played by Will Smith, is loathed by the public he half-heartedly tries to help.
He's more interested in downing booze than downing baddies and suffers from a major PR problem.
Luckily, one of the recipients of his sporadic life-saving efforts is – who would have guessed it? – a PR man (played with real charm by Jason Bateman).
He decides, as a thank you, that he will revamp Hancock's public image and turn him into the kind of superhero that crops up in the comics – despite the 'mysterious' lack of enthusiasm of his wife, Charlize Theron.
Given instructions to wear a suitably heroic outfit, say 'good job' to the cops on a regular basis and quit boozing, Hancock does his best.
However, what starts out as a reasonably smart satire about fame, popularity and the media suddenly spins 180 degrees half-way through the film to become a far more pedestrian superhero flick.
The film, despite some fine performances from the leading trio and a few smart lines, suffers from a surfeit – superhero, action, spoof, comedy, love story – and unfortunately the first half of the film is more successful than the rather 'busy' second half.