Hellboy II: The Golden Army
Starring: Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones, Jeffrey Tambor, Ladislav Beran
Directed by: Guillermo del Toro
2008 Universal Pictures Action
Granted, Guillermo del Toro's sequel to his 2004 Hellboy is not a work of art like his Oscar-winning Pan's Labyrinth. But his latest spin on Mike Mignola's vividly drawn Dark Horse comic series sure is a surprise package of fun, fright and untamed imagination. If you're looking for a creature feature, you've found nirvana. Things that go squish in the night? Del Toro's got a million of them, and I mean that literally. There's a scene at the Troll Market that almost equals the cantina scene in Star Wars, the first one when George Lucas still knew how to do it. "I'm not a baby, I'm a tumor," sasses something being coddled in a mother's arms. Yowsa! Then there's the cigar-chomping, crimefighting superfreak Hellboy himself, played again by Ron Perlman with face red, fist massive and horns that just can't stay filed down. Red, that's what his pals call him, still fights against demon spawn for the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense. And he's taken the next step in his relationship to the pyrokinetic Liz (an incendiary Selma Blair), who is infanticipating. Also back and most welcome is Abe Sapien, a walking, talking fish, played with the grace of a courtier by Doug Jones. When Abe and Red do a drunken duet to Barry Manilow's sappy "Can't Smile Without You," the result is funny and oddly touching. The movie could have used more of those human moments. But there are dragons to slay, not to mention Prince Nuada (Luke Goss, the coolest of villains) out to bring a golden army of robots back to life to destroy the world or some such nonsense. Hellboy II grows repetitive but never boring. You can't go wrong in the company of visionary like Del Toro, who is scheduled to direct The Hobbit, a prequel to Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy. Bring it on.
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Review 1 of 6
jamesco writes:
this movie fucking rocked,not only is it the best movie of the summer so far,it might give dark knight a run for its money,not in how good it will do in the box ofice,but how good it is as a movie.
Jul 16, 2008 17:48:36
Review 2 of 6
Dale15 writes:
Excellent movie, I really enjoyed seeing this movie and would recomend seeing it to anyone who enjoyed the first hellboy
Jul 15, 2008 18:25:20
Review 3 of 6
therealTC writes:
I enjoyed this film quite alot. Surprizing, since i didn't much care for the first Hellboy film. Bring on THE HOBBIT.
Jul 15, 2008 12:25:54
Review 4 of 6
gnicole13 writes:
I was relatively disappointed in Hell Boy II. Don't get me wrong, the movie was VERY visually stimulating. I enjoyed how the characters & effects came across on screen just as I did with Pan's Labyrinth. However, this movie lacked the depth of both del Torro's most previous film and the prior Hellboy movie. The dialog was at times campy, over-acted or dry. Taking into consideration some of the other movies either already out or upcoming, unfortunately Hellyboy 2 will not end up at the top of my list.
Jul 14, 2008 21:05:44
Review 5 of 6
jaroflies13 writes:
Spent Saturday afternoon at the theatre, needed to get out of the house and stay there for a few hours, if you know what I mean.
Never saw the first "Hellboy", but figured that a double feature might be best for the common good.
Saw the trailers, Hellboy 2 looked funny, so what the hell(boy)?
Guillermo del Toro will be a great director for the upcoming "Hobbit" series. I absolutetely laughed my...(can I say 'balls' here? Better not)... ASS off! The special effects reminded me of "Return of the King", and the Troll Market was uneasy as Mos Eisley Spaceport ever was.
I was wishing for some better quotes from Hellboy, but I MUST try that "TECATE" beer.
I gave the movie a 3, but on a 4 star scale its a 3.6, you GOTTA check it out!
P.S. Anybody got some Barry Manilow on vinyl? Burn it now, Its Hellboy's Kryptonite!
Jaroflies13
Jul 14, 2008 19:59:53
Review 6 of 6
zeekthegeek writes:
I liked the first Hellboy film, but it wasn't great. Hellboy2 takes about 15 minutes to get going (young Hellboy looks pretty stupid), but then its great. As a huge Star Wars fan, I agree with the reviewers comparison to the cantina scene. This film is way, way better than any Star Wars movie that came out after 1983.
Jul 11, 2008 17:31:58
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