Hancock

Will Smith's Hancock is a superhero by way of an unnatural disaster, a caustic street drunk who is faster than a speeding bullet and more powerful than a locomotive. It's a toss-up whether this impetuous being of great power and little responsibility leaves more damage in his wake than he prevents. But for all the dark humor of "Hancock," this film puts a more serious spin on the superhero genre by shifting into myth and archetype. I'm a sucker for the eternal hero and for the tragic ironies of the ancient heroes. Both are here in a strange, sometimes awkward but always intriguing spin on the modern comic book hero movie, an adult drama with fierce conflicts and fatal consequences, which director Peter Berg delivers with an unnerving intensity. Even by the standards of a maturing superhero genre, this is not a film for kids. Jason Bateman is an idealistic publicist who dedicates himself to rehabilitating Hancock's reputation, and Charlize Theron co-stars as Bateman's wife, who has a pretty substantial secret of her own.

All the DVD releases include five featurettes on the making of the film and the special effects (including a brief portrait of Berg). The "2-Disc Unrated Special Edition" DVD and the Blu-ray edition include: two additional featurettes; both the PG-13, theatrical version and the extended, unrated version of the film; and a bonus digital copy of the film that can be downloaded to PC, iPod or other compatible players. Exclusive to the Blu-ray edition is the "On-Set Visual Diary Bonus View Picture-in-Picture Track," a nonstop visual track of behind-the-scenes footage that plays like a simultaneous making-of documentary that begins with studio logo and ends at the credits roll –- no dead space here. These visual tracks are often indifferently produced, but this one is substantial and informative and effectively applied.