2004’s Hellboy was a highly anticipated and exciting ride. Director Guillermo del Toro was coming off of Blade II (which was mediocre) and was yet to receive real critical acclaim in the states (his previous big-budget movie, 1997’s Mimic was, in a word, terrible).
Hellboy changed that. It led to enough cred to make Pan’s Labyrinth (which I have not seen but have heard nothing but good things about) and then to Hellboy II: The Golden Army (which, you can tell, takes the lessons and creativity learned making Pan to a whole new level).
Hellboy II once again stars the prolific Ron Perlman as the title character, who again does a great job of bringing a surly, angry and confused Hellboy to life. He’s just as wonderful as he was 4 years ago, but unlike the original, Hellboy II focuses on more characters, and seems to suffer from the same problems that plagued the 90’s Batman series – too many heroes. The story centers on Liz and Hellboy’s relationship, but also includes Abe and a new character, Johann Krauss, an ectoplasmic being voiced by the hilarious Seth MacFarlane.
Anyway, all that “professional reviewer” sounding crap aside, Hellboy II is good. It’s a fun ride. It’s got some great hand-to-hand fight scenes, and some incredible creature creation. It’s also got a hilarious love-lorn drinking scene and, unfortunately, a “romantic-depths” musical montage. Ick.
And yes, Selma is smoking, as always (pun intended). But she get’s second fiddle, really, and Liz’s issues in this film just don’t seem to have the weight of the first film.
So, I enjoyed it. I’d see it again. I’d buy it. But was the original better? Yes.