Oh, Guillermo del Toro!
Hellboy II picks up mostly where the first left off. The paranormal team is still fighting the good fight sans Harry, who was shipped to Antarctica, and a new member comes aboard. Johann Krauss is a German ectoplasmic man in a steampunk looking suit and he’s a stickler for rules and regulations. Naturally, he and Hellboy don’t get along well.
In other parts of the world, Prince Nuada of the elves has returned from exile with a mission — to unite all the pieces of a long forgotten crown broken apart in a truce between elves and humans in order to reawaken an indestructible Golden Army. As fate would have it, Hellboy and friends are the only ones who can stop Nuada from extinguishing the human race.
I don’t know if there’s another director out there who can top Guillermo del Toro, who directed this, the previous Hellboy movie and films like Pan’s Labryinth, Blade II and others, for flawless style. Del Toro’s films are almost always jam-packed with rich and stunning sets with laborious details.
Hellboy II is odd because it’s an inviting action/sci-fi flick. It’s filled with warm reds and golds as well as these crazy sets and creatures that del Toro dreamed up.
Beautiful, striking features only carry you so far and that’s where Hellboy II stumbles. The story is nothing new or inventive, of course, but the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Blah Blah Blah is so tiresome, so banal that you wonder why the camera lingers with them for so long. Selma Blair’s Liz Sherman gets a new haircut and some new power control but remains the same wishy-washy sort of girl from the first movie. Hellboy obsesses over Liz but refuses to do dishes, griping about it all the way. Abe Sapien has a childish crush on an elven princess. These stories are engineered to make an audience feel receptive or sympathetic but all they do is grate on one’s nerves.
The slog through the boring character arcs is worth it for the gorgeous visuals; no expense was spared on special effects and sets and it shows. If Hellboy II had reached a little higher on the characters, it could have been much better, though.
Must agree.I loved it when I first saw it, but the more I watch this the flimsy story and characterizations drag it down. Which is sad, because the Hellboy movies are imaginative and have a great tone, and are beautiful to watch.
I think the only character that was actually interesting to me was the Prince.
Which is sad, because the Hellboy movies are imaginative and have a great tone, and are beautiful to watch.
Exactly! (So can we blame this on Mike Mignola, then?)
I’m starting to think I’m the only one who loved this movie. I especially liked the angle about Red wondering whether or not he’s fighting on the right side.
You’re right – pretty visuals can only carry a movie so far, but this movie seems stuffed with especially pretty visuals. Doesn’t that carry it a little further for ya?
Mad, I really like it but it’s a solid B or B+. I’d say that I love big chunks of the movie, but the character interaction is just so exhausting to me that I’d rather just fast forward.
The really pretty visuals carry it a lot farther for me than most other movies. :D
I didn’t find any of the stories to “grate on one’s nerves” and really like all the characters. I just found the whole thing a little thin, I expected more from it.
fandango, I think Liz Sherman is the one that really grates on my nerves. Her whole “I need space!” and “No, I don’t need space anymore!” drives me crazy through both movies. Plus, the Abe love story feels so rushed and childish that it’s strange.
Fair point about the Abe story but I don’t think Liz is intended as much more than a foil for Hellboy. Therefore her actions and attitudes are designed to contrast those of Hellboy rather than be totally autonomous. You could say it is a fault in the writing but I see it as more a device than a fault, it doesn’t really bother me.
Hellboy is hot. There. I said it. If no one else agrees, I can be the cheese. I will stand alone….
On a more serious note, the movie is brilliant to look at, with all the creature costumes and special effects. Plus, there are a few scenes that are unexpectedly touching, such as the drunken singalong between Abe and Hellboy.
M. Carter at the Movies
Hellboy is hot. There. I said it. If no one else agrees, I can be the cheese. I will stand alone….
Niiiice Buffy reference. And I don’t find Hellboy hot, but I like me some Ron Perlman. (That’s okay. Everyone finds my old-man fixation to be odd. I’ll stand with ya.)
such as the drunken singalong between Abe and Hellboy.
I had forgotten about that! Yes, that was actually really nice. It’s a gorgeous movie for sure. Guillermo del Toro makes me feel all warm and fuzzy, I think.