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‘Hellboy II’ burns brighter than the original
I wasn’t a great fan of the original Hellboy, but I am definitely a great fan of Hellboy II: The Golden Army.
The 2004 film was wild and original, but maybe a little too original for its own good. More than anything else, it struck me as a weirder, loopier version of X-Men. It was too caught up in being offbeat and not caught up enough in making me care about the characters.
That error has been mostly rectified in this wildly thrilling follow-up. Watching it, I got the sense that the first time around, Director Guillermo del Toro held back somewhat, and for whatever reason, his vision didn’t reach full flower. It has this time around, with a vengeance.
Since the first movie, del Toro’s stature has grown. The ads state that the movie is “from the visionary director of Pan’s Labyrinth.” That’s not to say that this sequel is equal to the genius of Pan’s Labyrinth, but it is to say that film gave the director more freedom on Hellboy II, allowing his imagination to run wild.
It runs so wild, in fact, that I can’t fully explain the plot without sounding silly, so I’ll boil it down to the essentials: An evil prince (Luke Goss), wanting to wage war on humans for long-ago misdeeds, plots to reawaken the immense mechanical golden army. He needs a certain piece of a crown to do it, but his twin sister, (Anna Walton), wanting to keep the peace, tries to shield it from him. Enter Hellboy, (Ron Perlman), the ultimate bodyguard.
One reason Hellboy II outshines its predecessor is that the emotional pull is much stronger, with higher stakes for Hellboy and his fiery lady Liz (Selma Blair). The movie even ups the ante by having Abe Sapien (Doug Jones) finding himself attached to the princess. It’s strange, but it works. An added benefit is that this film is self-contained; one does not need to see the original to understand this one.
When I first heard that del Toro was making this movie, I feared he was just spinning his wheels, and I suppose he was, but nobody can spin them quite so vividly as he can. The film overflows with one outrageous set piece after another. His use of mechanical effects is especially ingenious, and I can’t think of anyone else who has successfully created a character who’s made entirely of gas. Suffice it to say this movie has to be seen to be believed.
Hellboy II may still be a little more frenzied than it ought to be; I kept wishing the movie would slow down and let me catch my breath a little. Still, any film that’s nutty enough to use a Barry Manilow song as its love theme, and get away with it, is nothing if not inspired.
GRADE: A-
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Comments
By Allie D.
July 14, 2008 1:40 PM | Link to this
What a visual master del Toro is! I saw this yesterday and was very impressed. I do admit, however, I did suffer from a little bit of sensory overload from it, and I think the screenplay was weak in parts. I’m not sure if I’m exactly in love with Hellboy as a character, either, but I think that’s because of what Bud said. It simply felt like he was starting to take a backseat after awhile with everything that was going on. Overall, I’d give this effort a B+.By Bud Norton
July 14, 2008 1:09 PM | Link to this
I’m not sure which movie I liked better yet. The second one had so much action and so many creatures that Hellboy started to take a back seat. Also David Hyde Pierce voiced Abe Sapien much better in the first movie than Doug Jones did in the second. But both films are well worth seeing — IMHO, del Toro is the only director to have translated successfully the look and feel of comic book illustration into film.By Kim
July 14, 2008 9:20 AM | Link to this
I saw this over the weekend and I did quite enjoy it. I loved the campy bits that showed it didn’t take itself too seriously - like the Barry Manilow bit - that was hilarious. And I loved the references to YouTube -ha! There was definitely better characterization in this one. It actually left me interested in knowing what turn their lives will take next - always a good sign! :)