Let's take a look at All Superman Hancock today, a 2008 action comedy film directed by Peter Borg, co-starring Will Smith, Charlize Theron and Jason Bateman.
As a superhero, Hancock (played by Will Smith) possesses great abilities and comes with great responsibility. Everyone knows that Hancock can solve everything, but because of Hancock's irritable, contradictory, and harsh personality, this has caused him a lot of misunderstandings. His heroic deeds, while saving countless lives, always seem to cause serious damage after the fact. The public finally couldn't stand the hero and wondered why they needed him. Hancock didn't care what people thought, until one day he saved the life of PUBLIC RELATIONS manager Ray Embrey and finally realized that he might have a vulnerable side after all. But for Ray's wife, Mary (Charlize Theron), this is impossible, and she insists that Hancock is a loser.
The film was not originally called "All Superman Hancock", but "He came tonight". The script was spent in Hollywood for more than 10 years, until it was finally recognized and finally filmed.
Warner Bros. originally planned to shoot the film, but then it gave up this opportunity, and Sony immediately took over and quickly created the film.
The scene in the film about the train collision was filmed in San Pedro, Canada. In collaboration with Pacific Harbor Line, the crew remodeled the front of the SD18 diesel locomotive to become the props in the film.
【The Hero Of All Expectations】
"Hancock is not the kind of superhero you imagine" Will Smith, the number one star of the action comedy, said that the reason why he initially loved the film was that it brought an unprecedentedly unique image to the screen - Hancock, which also added a strong human touch to this superhero genre, thus broadening the thinking of such films. "Now there's a conventional notion that summer films should be primarily action films, while autumn films are more focused on character interpretation and plot," Will Smith said, "So if we combine the rich character emotions and dramatic plot with the hilarious scenes that a July 4 movie should have, can you imagine what effect this will have?" Why can't we combine the best of these two aspects to produce the best results? ”
Will Smith and his partners, including producers Aziva Goldsman, Michael Mann, James Rust, and director Peter Borg, took an unused approach to the character of Hancock. Instead of focusing on how Hancock acquired his superpowers and how he used his superpowers, the film does not focus on how Hancock obtained his superpowers, but instead appears as an ordinary person, a person who encounters career bottlenecks, hates his job, and is eager to leave it immediately. His superpowers were no longer a gift of luck, but instead caused him a lot of trouble, causing the masses who should have been his super fans to leave him.
"There's only one person who can play this role well," Goldsman said, "Without Will Smith, there would be no Hancock." ”
"Will was incredibly excited about playing a superhero," says producer James Rust, "and when we got the script, we found it to be a great entry point for making this kind of film — a crude superhero that we've never seen before." Hancock is such an unusual and playful character that breaks all previous patterns. ”
Once Will Smith was identified, it became very easy to convince Peter Borg to direct the film. Peter Borg was widely acclaimed for "The Light of Victory" and "Change of Dynasty". "Will Smith is one of the few actors who combines multiple skills and qualities," Borg said, "and his genius, his fearlessness, his honesty, when all three come together, he can play any role, and Will is brave enough to take on any challenge." ”
For Michael Mann, the film is the perfect combination of superstar and plot, both allowing the audience to get the pleasure they want from Will Smith's performance, while at the same time bringing them a huge surprise. "We are determined to make a film that is both hilarious and cynical but warm and touching. Will Smith's ability as an actor ensures that he can grasp this complex role deeply and perform it to the fullest, in short, Will is the heart of the film. Mann said.
"Hancock was a very complex person," says Will Smith, "and every day he was angry about the world." He couldn't remember what had happened to him, and no one could help him find the answer. He acts with good intentions every time, but he always gets into trouble, and he seems to have a big communication problem with the outside world. ”
Will Smith believes the film is rooted in a complex human emotion, "Hancock is like a very talented high school football team quarterback, but lacking the right attitude," Smith explains, "he did not realize that the reason his team repeatedly failed was because he lacked enthusiasm and understanding of the game, he did not recognize the importance of teamwork." Being part of a team and actively communicating with team members is at the heart of it. Hancock finds himself alone, seemingly cut off from the world, until he meets Ray Ambury, who helps Hancock return to society. ”
Jason Bateman plays Ray Ambury, a public relations manager who works hard for Hancock. When Hancock saves Ray's life, Ray is determined to help Hancock learn how to behave and wash away Hancock's image stain, hoping to repay Hancock's life-saving grace through this. But for Ray, it's not just a simple PR management, he genuinely wants to teach Hancock how to be a good superhero. ”
"The character of Ray has a lot of room to study and discover, and he has a very sincere and kind heart." Bateman said, "Ray was naïve, always looked at things with an optimistic eye, and he always believed that he saw the soft and fragile heart underneath through Hancock's hard shell, until his relationship with Hancock became complicated later." These factors make Ray a very challenging and fulfilling character for me."
"Charlize Theron, along with Will Smith and Jason Bateman, is perfect and harmonious," Goldsman says, "and we need three characters and the audience wants all three to succeed; it requires a high level of balancing skills." ”
For Charlize Theron, there were many reasons that drew her to the film, first of all, of course, the opportunity to re-pair with Will Smith, who had previously worked together in "Return to Glory", "Will's acting skills are fantastic," Theron said.
Theron was also drawn to the script, and she found that many of the characters in it had rich and attractive personalities. In her husband Ray's eyes, Hancock is a superhero who will one day become a great instrument, while Mary looks at Hancock from the perspective of an ordinary Los Angelesian, "She is fed up with Hancock's behavior, and on the surface, many of Hancock's behavior is extremely destructive and irresponsible." "She insisted that Hancock shouldn't destroy the idyllic little family she had built with her husband and son, but when Hancock began to reform, she still refused to accept him, and you can't help but ask why." ”
A commercial film, just 85 minutes, can give us so many things, it is already good, so I still agree with this film, and I can also see the seriousness from the director to the actors. Recommend friends to take a look.
In the past Superman movies, or similar to this kind of savior movie, according to the needs of the audience, it is generally a reunion ending (it is said that this is a highlight that our creators must do to create best-selling works), and the so-called reunion is the end of beauty and fame at the same time. But in real life, the hero type of character is often lonely. What is a hero? Not afraid of death, just the appearance of a hero. Only the true meaning of the people can be a true hero. When you become a "hero", the reality that is deeply rooted in the people portrays you as an extremely masculine character. This kind of character often has zero performance in emotional life and family life.