Rating of
3/4
A Silver Medal for the Golden Army
Chris Kavan - wrote on 07/13/08
Visually, Hellboy 2 is my favorite film so far this year. Guillermo del Toro has an imagination that takes the best of fantasy and horror and manages to create creature designs that are original and unforgettable. Like Pan's Labyrinth before it, the design is spectacular.
If the story and characters were as interesting as the design, this would be a home run. As it is, the stunning creatures can't make up for roughly the same thing we've seen before. The characters are fleshed out better, but nothing that blew me away. Ron Perlman is still perfect as Hellboy. He's embraced the role and made it his own. Selma Blair is still a literal fireball and Jeffrey Tambor is still the guy in charge who can't control anything. A new German addition - made of gas - adds some humor, but didn't really add much.
The fun lies in the villains anyway. A rogue elfen prince has come home looking to annihilate mankind by unleashing an unstoppable golden army. He brings along some mean-tempered tooth fairies, so named because the carnivorous tiny beasts enjoy eating teeth the most, along with a troll and, for good measure, a giant plant god that makes everything green.
The high point in the film is the visit to the troll market where del Toro's imagination is in full force. Creatures great and small roam - each looking like they walked out of someones nightmare, or possibly a Dali painting. Not since the Star Wars cantina have there been such a gathering of unique creatures in one place.
Action fans will be pleased. I don't think 15 minutes goes by without some kind of fight or destruction of property. It's intense, but as said, doesn't leave much room for a lot development. There are some sweet scenes between Blair and Perlman, as well as an unforgettable Barry Manilow sing-a-long, but it's overshadowed by the amazing visuals. It leaves room for a third installment - and I will definitely line up again, but I only hope the look stays but the story has more bite.
