LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- A Will Smith movie packs in millions of people over Fourth of July weekend. No surprises there.

Yet Smith's "Hancock," the tale of an anti-social boozer who happens to be a superhero, comes with an abrupt plot twist, one that has divided critics and the moviegoing public in the real world. (Critics and everyone else can't agree. Now there's a real surprise.)

For those who have yet to see "Hancock," we won't give the secret away, but it has something to do with why Charlize Theron's soccer-mom-style character doesn't want Smith's surly superhero anywhere near her family.

Critics generally thought the turn the movie takes halfway through was a cheat, spoiling what had been a promising idea that was a fresh twist on the superhero genre in its own right. (CNN.com's Tom Charity described the twist as coming "so far out of left field you would need a crystal ball to see it coming."

The people who turned "Hancock" into an instant blockbuster beg to differ -- to the sum of $185 million worldwide at the box office in just a few days.



The plot twist in "Hancock" won't go down in cinema history alongside (SPOILER ALERT!) Darth Vader revealing he's Luke Skywalker's pappy in "The Empire Strikes Back" or Anthony Perkins turning out to be a slasher in his mom's housedress in "Psycho."

However, it does give us a chance to buzz once more about the really great curve balls -- and maybe a wild pitch or two -- that Hollywood has tossed our way.

Here's a look at some of the most memorable screen surprises, in no particular order: