"There are heroes... there are superheroes... and then there's Hancock"
Is 'Hancock' a typical representation of a superhero?
There is a clear separation, between a hero and a superhero a hero is someone that saves people but without any superpowers, these heroes could be anyone, heroes can be people police officers, fire men, doctors, surgeons, bystanders anyone that has the chance to save someone’s life "The real hero is always a hero by mistake; he dreams of being honest but afraid like everybody else." [[1]]. This basically shows how humans are afraid but they do what they have to do, in order to help. While a superhero is someone that has superpowers and can create hope. Representation has a clear connection with genre and as Collins once described genre as “multi-faced, hybrid and complex’ [[2]]'. Further Wales notes, that genre itself is “an intertextual concept” [[3]], showing that genre links in with a lot of other forms of media not just genre on its own. Additionally a superhero is someone with immense power “To know the pains of power, we must go to those who have it; to know its pleasures, we must go to those who are seeking it” [[4]]. Basically anyone can be a hero but to be a superhero, you need to have power and actually want it. 'Hancock' is a 2008 blockbuster, made by the ever impressive Sony Entertainment along side Columbia pictures; the film details a superheroes trouble in life, and exemplifies a mans struggle to be liked, this implies stereotypes of men's ego as well as the representations men are given with the patriarchal division between men and women. Further with other texts which portray superheroes in a "macho" light, it can be said that all superheroes are 'typical' as they conform to the stereotype of indestructible, unbeatable version of "man", "the film is a different take on the superhero genre and representation with an interesting, offbeat twist" [[5]]. More so 'Hancock' is seen as a person who does not care what other people think of him, however he still tries to help even though his good intentions lead to bad outcomes, therefore this displays the typical superhero, always trying to help. 'Hancock' further emphasises the patriotic side of himself with the eagle (bird of America) on his chest, it can be said that "'Hancock' creates a quintessentially American hero: flawed, frayed, but always sacrificing for the sake of others" [[6]], which at the end is what a typical representation of a superhero should do. Firstly with an overview and general glance over the superhero genre, it can be said that all superheroes are seen as the “saviors”, as a masculine entity controls the superhero genre, which further emphasis’s the suppression of matriarchal and additionally reinforces the sheer dominance of the patriarchal society with men on top. “For thy power standeth not in multitude nor thy might in strong men: for thou art a God of the afflicted, an helper of the oppressed, an upholder of the weak, a protector of the forlorn, a savior of them that are without hope. [[7]]” This quote portrays how ‘strong men’ look towards God for hope, however in modern days it seen that superheroes are the “saviors” the “upholders of the weak” “the helper of the oppressed”, so it can be said that superheroes are represented as ‘God’, thus suggesting how ‘Hancock’ fits in to the role of a typical superhero as: “I'm normally not a praying man, but if you're up there, please save me Superman” [[8]] this further representing how people do not look towards God for help and salvation but towards superheroes, therefore showing how ‘Hancock’ does not fit in to this typical representation at the beginning as he is reckless, destructive and an alcoholic. However ‘Hancock’ is seen as this “saviour” and conforms to this typical representation of a superhero, as he does the stereotype scenario ‘save the day beat the baddy’. This scenario can be seen through other male orientated films connecting with the superhero genre, such as ‘Superman’ and ‘Spiderman’; the film ‘Superman’ alone epitomises the stereotype and typical representation of a superhero. Additionally the film itself is very male and further patriarchy, as ‘Hancock’ represents the idea of a strong a dominant man: “Representation of the world, like the world itself, is the work of men; they describe it from their own point of view, which they confuse with the absolute truth” [[9]], this basically means that men are seen as the dominant power in the world, and that ‘Hancock’ is this type of man as he represents himself in a very “macho” way. Furthermore it can be said ‘Hancock’ is like this as well, it also can be said that audiences would want to relate to the character as they have a chance to be someone who has immense power, so a character like ‘Hancock’ could be used by audiences for personal identity as they may see themselves as the character; therefore the uses and gratifications theory by Jay G. Blumler and Elihu Katz (in 1974) is used to further enhance and portray the representation of a superhero through the eyes of an everyday person: "Far from imposing dominant forms of masculinity upon the audience, film heroes allow the subject space to identify with an ideal self of either gender who embodies desired power" [[10]]. This quote reinforces the whole idea of personal identification, as someone may want to be the character as they may “desire power”. Further I feel that this quote shows how superheroes are seen as the “saviours” but only because they ignite the belief that they are the hope of “the world”, this can be seen to show how all superheroes are represented, further ‘Hancock’ is one of these superheroes as it is seen that he is the only hope. On the other hand ‘Hancock’ is not a typical representation of a superhero, as he fights his own personal battle which is his drunkenness vs. soberness; this is a binary opposition (Claude Levi Strauss), which can also represent his human side and the more hero side of him rather than the superhero side: "Complete masculinity, ("heroes") and stupidity are often indistinguishable” [[11]], this quote shows the human side and masculinity is linked with stupidity which can be said is what ‘Hancock’ is doing with his drinking. Which in addition shows that ‘Hancock’ faces his own problems and is burdened with more, as the city needs help. Further ‘Hancock’ not being a typical superhero links with ‘The Batman’ as he is not a superhero, and just a hero, as ‘The Batman’ has no superpowers and is human so therefore this represents him as being morally unsuitable to be a superhero which also connects with ‘Hancock’. Furthermore as stated by Felix Adler: "The hero is one who kindles a great light in the world, who sets up blazing torches in the dark streets of life for men to see by.” [[12]] This further reinforces that ‘The Batman’ even though is just a hero he is still seen as “a great light in the world” – the hope of people. ‘Hancock’ and ‘The Batman’ are very similar as they both do not conform to the stereotypical representation of a superhero. However ‘Hancock’ soon changes and starts to become a typical superhero, as he ‘suits and boots’ up. His old raggedy attire soon disappears and he begins to wear a superhero outfit. "Poofs can look like real men...therefore real men look like poofs." [[13]], this quote depicts how ‘Hancock’ begins to look more feminised as he goes from looking like a stereotyped version of a “real man”, to a more feminine clean looking, well-dressed “poof” like image becoming the ‘new man’. Now he is starting to become a typical superhero, as he’s become this stereotyped superhero; he now has the persona to actually help people and fulfil and secure his patriarchal status as the “protector of Earth”. This brings in his masculine side and further portrays and symbolises how men are the powerful ones: "Masculinity is not something given to you, but something you gain. And you gain it by winning small battles with honour" [[14]], this quote emphasises the fact that ‘Hancock’ may be a superhero but he has to earn his honour with the people, and further prove his masculinity. Even though he has learnt that: “With great power, comes even greater responsibility", he now knows that he has people to look after. This therefore shows how he is a typical representation of a superhero as he helps out people no matter what the consequences are.
More so the films trailer further supports how he is a not a typical superhero as firstly the film is a hybrid genre of the action/ adventure scenario, however it has elements of a parody genre with the ‘spoof’ elements strong in the film . Further the sound at the beginning is slow and is classical, non diegetic sound, the slow classical music at the beginning reflects upon the moving image on the screen, as the camera goes through the sky and gives the audience the feeling that someone or something is coming down (heaven bound). While the camera goes through the sky typography is seen, the writing is plain white and bold and it comes towards the screen making it more eye catching and therefore emphasising the main captions in the film. The camera suddenly points down and the audience see the caption 'Hancock' and the CGI effect of the land down below. The camera does a fast zoom towards the earth; and then we see the feet of someone lying on the bench, the music suddenly turns in to a more rock type of song, as the complexion of the scene changes.
In addition there is a montage of shots showing his destructive path, it ends with the caption 'this summer' on a plain black background with white writing. Also there are natural sounds (diegetic), these are the ones of the characters speaking while the scene changes, making it seem more realistic and not as boring, as it would be with just music and no diegetic sounds. Furthermore Columbia, Sony pictures entertainment; the makers of this movie have shaped it towards their own personal view, as Columbia pictures have had numerous successes such as 'Casino Royal' (2006), 'Spiderman' (2003 - 08), 'You don't mess with the Zohan' (2008), 'Saawariya' (2007) etc. They also our known as one of the 'big 6' therefore showing they have the money and power in this industry, as well as having the ability to show off their digital effects.
As the trailer continues the clouds at the beginning begin to represent someone coming down from heaven or flying, like a typical stereotype of a superhero. Additionally as the little kid tries to wake up 'Hancock' this symbolises innocence, it could further symbolise the good intentions of 'Hancock'. However 'Hancock' is a heavy drinker this portrays how he has issues and the drink seems to be the only thing that keeps him going and keeps him feeling free which can be said is his form of escapism. Further the film seems to appeal to everyone including females and males from a very wide range however the certificate of the film is 12 so any males or females over the age of 12 can watch it, further the age range in my opinion is 12 - 21. However with the patriarchy beliefs as it is a man who is the hero, it can be said that the dominant ideology is the one of the patriarchal society, with the men on top. The trailer seems to be in a linear narrative as it does not jump from one bit to another, it has a clear and noticeable chronological order making it easy to follow and not get confused with the plot without really giving too much away. The whole trailer in my opinion suggests that he is not the typical type of superhero, however he has the potential to be one and further show how ‘Hancock’ can be categorised as a typical representation of a superhero.
Conversely the film ‘Hancock’ is not how a typical superhero is represented as the film itself comes across as a hybrid genre, as action adventure. However there is another genre it can be placed under and that is a ‘spoof’ also known as a parody, which basically is a composition that imitates or misrepresents a films style (in this case the superhero genre), usually in a humorous way. Due to ‘Hancock’s’ constant drinking as well as his destructive path which connects with the drinking it can be said that: “the square-jawed one grew stubble, hit the whisky bottle and flicked peanuts at barmen, you may get flashbacks when watching ‘Hancock’” [[15]] meaning that ‘Hancock’ reminds people of a person going to the pub, therefore showing his human side. It can be said that the directors and Columbia pictures wanted to show that ‘Hancock’ is not your average superhero, as even the tagline says: "There are heroes... there are superheroes... and then there's Hancock" [[16]]. This showing how he is not a hero or a superhero but he is just ‘Hancock’, a complete and different person. Further this ‘spoof’ genre links with the film ‘Superhero Movie’ which is basically a 2008 comedy film written and directed by Craig Mazin and produced by David Zucker and Robert K. Weiss; ‘Superhero Movie’ is a ‘spoof’ of the superhero film genre. Both the films enjoys in exploiting the stereotype of the traditional superhero, as they both mock the genre, this therefore shows hot ‘Hancock is not a typical representation as the film can be seen as a spoof; which most superhero films are not. Further Alfred Hitchcock once said “The more successful the villain, the more successful the picture” [[17]], this basically means for a film to succeed the villain has to look like he may win, which can cause a ‘moral panic’ as in modern day society, the term ‘moral panic’ is widely seen and I believe that the old villains in the 1960's TV series ‘Batman and Robin’, show the era the world was in. The character ‘Joker’ in the TV series is seen as very comical looking, and the TV series itself is shown to be comical with the words “bang”, “smash”, “kaplaam” etc appearing every time ‘Batman’ or ‘Robin’ attack, this shows how at that time there was no real major issues concerning people back then. Which relates to ‘Hancock’ as the parody of the film makes it entertaining which makes ‘Hancock’ a typical representation of a superhero as he suppresses the ‘moral panic’ with comedy.
However as time has gone society has changed, and the 1989 ‘Batman’ movie was made; the film itself is very dark as time has changed more issues have been made which is reflected through the film. The character ‘Batman’ has become more serious looking unlike the TV series one, while the ‘Joker’ has become much more sinister as his character is more demented. Which is the same with the newest ‘Batman’ movie ‘The Dark Knight’ as the ‘Joker’ in this film is psychologically unstable, and purely mental. As time has gone by villains in most superhero movies have become more crazed looking as they represent all the rapists, paedophiles, murders, terrorists basically everything in modern day society that creates a ‘moral panic’, subconsciously (the unconscious mind by Freud in the eighteenth century) the directors of these superhero movies make the villains look and act like this to inform everyone that there is a growing problem. And ‘Hancock’ is not different as he recklessly destroys buildings and because of this frightens the people there, which can link this to all the issues that have happened recently; like 9/11 as this created worldwide fear which was that no one was safe.
In addition it seems to be that people have forgotten that: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself - nameless, unreasoning, unjustified, terror which paralyses needed efforts to convert retreat into advance” [[18]] This basically highlights how people should have nothing to fear except fear it self, and how people are now getting afraid due to unforeseen circumstances. Which also relates to ‘Hancock’ as everyone believed they weren’t safe due to his destructive nature, this therefore showing that he is not a typical superhero as he scares people, and subconsciously points out modern days ‘moral panics’. All in all ‘Hancock’ in many ways is seen as a typical representation of a superhero as he helps people and at the end of the day gets the job done. However his eccentric style of carrying out his heroic deeds, leads people to believe that he (‘Hancock’) is not so typical after all, and his human side seems to be more apparent then his superhero status is: "Heroes take journeys, confront dragons, and discover the treasure of their true selves.” [[19]], this basically summarises what ‘Hancock’ is, he fights to help everyone but at the end he only discovers who he really is and actually finds his “true self”. ‘Hancock’ relates to a lot of other superhero genre films as they mostly conform to the typical representation of a superhero like ‘Superman’ and ‘Spiderman’, however their alter-ego’s are not the typical stereotype as ‘Clark Kent’ is timid, clumsy and shy, while ‘Peter Parker’ is a college student and a fits the “nerd” stereotype. Additionally there is ‘The Batman’ who in many cases alter-ego is not like the others, as he is even as ‘Bruce Wayne’ is still fearless and incredibly smart, but ‘Batman’ has no superpowers making him just a vigilante hero: "A hero is someone who understands the degree of responsibility that comes with his freedom." [[20]] ‘Batman’ knows what his responsibilities are and because if this he is “free” in the sense that he can make the decision to help people. ‘Hancock’ and every single superhero and hero are just hope; they are people that other people rely on for help, comfort, and salvation. “Hope begins in the dark; the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: You don't give up” [[21]]. This basically meaning how people look for hope, they look out for it because it shows them the right thing to do and gives them the belief to “never give up”, this creates the feeling of the hero factor as if they never give up then they’ll some day will be able to do something to help and even save someone’s life. Finally in my opinion ‘Hancock’ is the typical representation of a superhero because he provides hope to people and makes them believe that no matter what they can be saved, even though his methods are over the top and the film itself is comical: “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow” [[22]], essentially meaning that hope can let people see something to aim for in the future. It still does show what and how a typical superhero should be represented and further how they ‘Hancock’ is seen as the protector of the not only the city but the world.
Bibleography:
[1] Umberto Eco (1932) ‘Travels in Hyper reality’ (Harcourt) – pg 28 [2] Collins, Jim (1988):'The Musical' in Wes D. Gehring, Handbook of American Film Genres, New York: Greenswood Press. P.269 [3] Wales, Katie (1989): A Dictionary of Stylistics. London: Longman p.259 [4] Charles Caleb Colton (1780 - 1832), ‘Lacon’, 2004 – pg 101 - 130 [7] Bible quote - Judith Chapter 9 - 11 [9] Simone de Beauvoir – from the book ‘The Age Of Sex Crime’, 1987 by Jane Caputi pg 24 - 45 [10] Jones A (1993) 'Defending the Border: Men's Bodies and Vulnerability' Cultural studies from Birmingham, pg 256 - 263 [11] Henry Louis Mencken –‘ In Defence of Women’, 1963 – pg 81 - 125 [12] Felix Adler (American educator and founder of the ‘Ethical Movement’) 1851-1933, [13] Healey M. (1994) 'The Mark of a man Masculine identities and the Art of Macho Drag Critical Quarterly' 36 (1) 86 - 93 [14] Pittman F. (1994) ‘Man enough: fathers, sons and the search for masculinity’ pg. 15 - 28 [16] ‘Hancock’ – The films main tagline (seen on posters) [22] Albert Einstein quotes (German born American Physicist who developed the special and general theories of relativity 1879-1955.) -
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