Opening Day: 10 July 2008

Synopsis:

After an ancient truce existing between humankind and the invisible realm of the fantastic is broken, hell on Earth is ready to erupt. A ruthless leader who treads the world above and the one below defies his bloodline and awakens an unstoppable army of creatures. Now, it's up to the planet's toughest, roughest superhero to battle the merciless dictator and his marauders. He may be red. He may be horned. He may be misunderstood. But when you need the job done right, it's time to call in Hellboy (Ron Perlman).

Along with his expanding team in the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Development--pyrokinetic girlfriend Liz (Selma Blair), aquatic empath Abe (Doug Jones) and protoplasmic mystic Johann--the BPRD will travel between the surface strata and the unseen magical one, where creatures of fantasy become corporeal. And Hellboy, a creature of two worlds who's accepted by neither, must choose between the life he knows and an unknown destiny that beckons him.

Movie Review:

Hellboy 2 is another of Guillermo Del Toro’s weird, wonderful and charming fantasy masterpieces. Just as in the Mike Mignola comic, the movie is a mixed bag of mythologies and folk tales, combined with an elaborately invented mythology of its own. Ron Perlman continues to be the living embodiment of Hellboy, while the look of the movie alone does full justice to Mignola’s work. Like all Del Toro movies, it is peopled with memorable characters like Johann Krauss, who has to be seen to be believed, and the terrifying Angel of Death. And as ever, the sets and costumes are highly impressive, with longer and more elaborate set-pieces than the original. The Golden Army, in particular, is a sight to behold, and the way that Hellboy and co gain access to their secret lair must be a new landmark in CGI.

While the sight of Selma Blair in a sexy new pageboy haircut is certainly welcome, she isn’t given very much to do. In the comic, Liz Sherman is a literal ticking time bomb struggling with her immense power and the knowledge that she is responsible for the death of her family. Here, as in the first movie, she has a rather thankless role as the love interest, when her character has so much more potential. Speaking as a fanboy of the comic, the love story is just distracting, though it is used to fairly good effect to illustrate a key theme of the comic: the isolation and inhumanity that Hellboy feels. After all, in a world where everyone thinks you are a monster, shouldn’t the freaks stick together? Everyone has the ability to love, as illustrated by a hilarious yet strangely heartwarming scene where Hellboy and Abe Sapien sing. Nevertheless, Hellboy is rendered a tad too whimsical for this reviewer’s taste.

Del Toro also continues to single-handedly resurrect Luke Goss’ career, in his second collaboration with the faded popster. Considering that he was once a teen idol pin-up, it seems highly fitting that Goss should now make a career out of playing monsters. And he certainly displays an impressive dignity and physicality as Prince Nuada, especially in the final showdown with Hellboy, a showcase of graceful athleticism versus brute strength. His ability to be creepy also showcases itself in his (almost) incestuous relationship with sister Nuala.

Hellboy 2 also explores a key theme in almost all of Del Toro’s movies: the innocence of a former world passing into memory, versus the corruption of the modern world. The almost poetic scene where Nuada’s father dies, then turns into marble which shatters, is a perfect allegory for this. Nothing can last for long against the onslaught of the modern world, even though freaks like Hellboy and Liz fight for it. But Nuada’s warning to Hellboy - “The humans, they will tire of you, they will turn against you” – feels likely to be a theme that will return in later sequels.

Movie Rating:



(The pacing sags somewhere in the middle, but that is a minor complaint amidst the amazing visuals. As a comic-based movie, does not quite reach Batman Begins levels)

Review by Nicholas Yong