‘Hellboy II’ is an Exceptional Mix of the Superhero and Fantasy Genres
-----‘Hellboy II’ is the sequel to its’ 2005 genre movie predecessor. It excels in taking you to another world, full of unsung superheroes from the mind of ‘Hellboy’ creator Mike Mignola, and fantastic creatures brought to life in the capable hands of Guillermo Del Toro. Seldom is there a movie as imaginative and fun as ‘Hellboy II’ is.
-----Acting as a somewhat lighter take on the mythos than the original ‘Hellboy,’ this brilliant sequel is still full of character moments and awesome action. Though not a strict adaptation of the original comics by any means, I feel the spirit of the character is still exemplified well enough. Mignola had a hand in both movies so you know they’re not overstepping his bounds too much. Inspired sequences reminiscent of the bar scene on Tatooine in ‘Return of the Jedi’ take the imagination to places previously unexplored. From a comic fan’s standpoint, it holds up nicely and there are only a few minute changes to character personas, such as a somewhat goofier Hellboy, and somewhat brainier Abe Sapien. And of course, the romance between Hellboy and flame Liz Sherman is all new. That being said, I’ve never felt the films disserviced the comics in any way.
-----The film starts with the continuing romance between Hellboy and Liz, and of course, a new threat for the team to battle. There has been an uprising by an evil Elf known as Prince Nuada in a hidden underworld society. Planning to raise the mechanical Golden Army, he didn’t count on his sister, Princess Nuada, gaining the attention of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense. And who better to aid in the fight to stop the raising of this unstoppable army than Big Red himself.
-----The cast is enthusiastic and clever. Ron Perlman’s Hellboy is one of the more entertaining and authentic latex covered characters ever to grace the silver screen. Selma Blair is adequate and occasionally inspired as fire starter Liz Sherman, though there are some scenes where makeup or someone should have helped her out a little. Call it lighting, call it stress, call it what you will but there is definitely a scene or two in this film that made her look a little worse for wear. Doug Jones is entertaining as fish-man, Abe Sapien, this time providing not only the physical acting, but the voice of said character too. Not to mention his roles as the Angel of Death and the Chamberlain in the film, both of which I was oblivious to until I saw the credits. That fact alone is a tribute to the many designers and makeup artists and prop builders who contributed to this film. Jeffrey Tambor also reprises his often comedic role as the Bureau’s PR man. Newcomers include John Alexander, James Dodd, and Seth McFarlane as the disembodied man known as Johann Kraus. As you can see, it took three people to bring this character to life on screen, not to mention all of those off screen who aided in bringing the character to life. That in itself shows the commitment placed on bringing Mignola’s drawings to life.
-----The music is well done, with a few contemporary pieces here and there; though I wish a bit more had been salvaged form the original score. The main theme from ‘Hellboy II’s predecessor seems to be irrelevant, and it was something I really enjoyed about the original. The cinematography is excellent, capturing every creature Del Toro and Mignola can bare to think up. The film never skips corners with faulty production values, and ultimately this is one of the better films of 2008. The choreographing for the action scenes is also original and fun, with skillful incorporations of set and story alike. In the shadow of films like ‘Iron Man’ and ‘The Dark Knight,’ many people may have overlooked this one. I assure you that you are missing something if you don’t check this one out. It’s visually stunning, full of humor and good action, and I think you’ll enjoy it even if you were unsure about its predecessor. I recommend you give both films a try. I’m sure you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
-----Oscar Watch: This one’s sure to get a nod in the area of Best Makeup, and hopefully also in Best Art Direction, and Best Effects.
-----Tidbit: Be sure to check out the special features on the DVD/Blu-Ray. It’s amazing how much of the film is real when the majority of films these days rely solely on computer generated effects.
