Hellboy

Starring: Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, John Hurt, Karel Roden, Doug Jones

Directed by: Guillermo del Toro

RS: 2of 4 Stars

2004 Action

It's the eternal logic of Godzilla vs. Mothra: If watching human beings battle monsters is fun, watching monsters beat up other monsters is twice as much fun. So Hellboy, who comes into our dimension as a little imp that likes Baby Ruth bars, grows into a hulking do-gooder who fights other demon visitors. The title character, as invented by Mike Mignola and vividly played by Ron Perlman, is an amazing invention: a brooding bright-red anti-hero who eats huge platters of pancakes and is self-conscious about the stumps where he files down his horns. If the rest of the movie had half the energy of Hellboy himself, it'd be one of the best comic-book movies ever. Unfortunately, Selma Blair sleepwalks through her role as the pyrokinetic love interest, the ending fizzles, and instead of facing a whole bunch of demonic creatures, Hellboy keeps on tussling with the same CG hellhound over and over. Director del Toro does a nice job with the Nazi blade-freak assassin, but ultimately Hellboy offers only semithrills. Call it Heckboy.