Summary:
The continuing adventures of Hellboy and his paranormal friends.
My Thoughts:
With the reportedly dismal “Hellboy (2019)” reboot now in theaters, I thought there would be no better time to avoid the remake in favor of going back to revisit Guillermo Del Toro’s (“Pan’s Labyrinth”) Hellboy movies. I was a fan of “Hellboy (2004)” when it came out, though before this last weekend it had been probably more than a decade since I had watched it. This weekend, Michigan was hit with yet another snowstorm, so instead of getting yard work done (as was my original intention), my roommate and I decided to spend the day prowling the underworld of New York City with Hellboy and his cronies.
Let me just say: day well spent.
“I would give my life for her… but she also wants me to do the dishes.”
Several years after the events of the first movie, Hellboy (Ron Perlman, “Pacific Rim”), Liz (Selma Blair, “Mom and Dad”), Abe Sapien (“The Shape of Water”), Tom Manning (Jeffrey Tambor, “The Death of Stalin”), and the other members of the BRPD are pitted against a mysterious elf Prince named Nuada (Luke Goss, “Blade II”), who has plans to find and use a mythical mechanized golden army. This time, assisting with the investigation as well as keeping a watchful eye on Hellboy is Johann (Seth MacFarlane, “Logan Lucky“), a man made of ectoplasm but contained in a special type of suit.
So first and foremost, I think that this is probably the best Hellboy sequel we ever could’ve hoped for, and again, I’m going to lament the fact that we will never see Del Toro’s third entry. This film continues the story started in first movie and brings you closer to the characters while expanding upon the fantastical world Del Toro only started to reveal in “Hellboy (2004)”. The story feels like a natural continuation in terms of character arc; the stakes are raised, but never to the point where things start to feel overblown; and we’re shown even more incredibly imaginative settings and characters. The writing and directing, while good in the first film, is also far better in this movie. Del Toro just seemed to be surer of himself and where he wanted to take his ideas.
I think one thing that makes this series stand out above other superhero and fantasy franchises is its attention to detail as far as the world building goes. This film is a treasure trove for fantasy fans; there are amazing settings, character and creature designs, cool magic systems, and even some great mythic fable elements. The world feels lived in and tactile; the fantastical things were shown make sense when viewed through the lens of the world, and best of all it builds upon the world that was already established in the first film and works to make both of them richer films. I think some of my favorite parts were seeing some of the creature designs in the Troll Market, an underground faerie gathering place. Many of the creatures that Del Toro shows onscreen are done primarily with practical effects an prosthetics, and then CGI was used to enhance some areas. Those effects look absolutely fantastic, and not at all dated. There are a few moments, particularly during fight scenes, where some of the CGI-smoothing effects aren’t quite as smooth as others, but for probably 85% of the film, the effects are nigh flawless.
Another thing I loved about this story in particular was the way that Del Toro built the characters. Hellboy is a character with a pretty bad attitude. He kind of does whatever he wants to do however he wants to do it, and if you don’t like it, well then tough luck, kid. The other characters in the film have to sort of dance around him or find ways to interact with him in ways that don’t poke the beast, and some of those character interactions are wonderful. For example, I love the fact that Hellboy is fed up with not being thanked for saving the world, so instead of hiding as the government and Agent Tom Manning want him to do, Hellboy instead poses for pictures whenever he’s out fighting crime. Though he is continually gyrated for his lack of secrecy, Hellboy shrugs off the criticism and continues doing what he’s doing. That kind of petty stick-it-to-the-man attitude is great, not only because Hellboy looks hilarious holding up a peace sign and giving us a big goofy smile, but also because it gives the viewers something to relate to. How many of us at our jobs have been fed up with the bureaucracy and wanted to do something petty just to get back at them? Another scene I loved in this film was when Hellboy and Abe converse about their love lives over a few beers and end up drunk. In a fantasy film, especially if your characters are a big red demon and a fish-man, it is important to give the viewers something they can relate to, and not only is that scene is easily the funniest part in both films, it really humanizes both of our non-human characters.
I think there are some great action scenes in this movie. There are a lot of magical items/gizmos that get used throughout this movie, so it’s a lot fun watching these characters use their own special traits or tactics to fight certain monsters. I think one thing I appreciated most about this film was that it didn’t try to outdo the original when it came to the climax. The original “Hellboy” end with a big CGI tentacle monster from a different dimension whipping Hellboy around an old Nazi fortress. This film does end in a CGI battle, but there is far more at stake emotionally. I felt far more connected to the characters at the end of this film than I did at the end of the first one, and that is certainly a sign of a good continuing story.
Verdict:
You know, both “Hellboy (2004)” and “Hellboy II: The Golden Army” are really solid superhero films, and I feel like, if they’d have come out five years later when the superhero craze had gotten into full swing, they probably could’ve done a little bit better in the box office, and maybe we would’ve wound up with a third Hellboy… maybe, but maybe not. If we had gotten Hellboy 3, maybe Del Toro’s career would’ve taken a very different path, and maybe we wouldn’t have gotten “The Shape of Water”… who knows… that’s for an alternate timeline to know. Here, in this universe, in this timeline, we received two Hellboy movies from Del Toro. Not only are those two films brilliant examples of urban fantasy, they are filled with complex and fun characters, and they’re an absolute blast to sit through. “Hellboy II” is even better than “Hellboy (2004)”, but both of them are worth watching.
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