The closer we approach the summer film season, the more we start seeing animated , action and comic book films. Hey, Hollywood has to make sure they provide enough fare to get those 18-24 single males in those theater seats cha-ching! Since school will be finished rapidly soon, we will be besieged with a barrage of the aforementioned types of films. So, with this said, you have "Hellboy" to sink your teeth into.
Hellboy is back, and he's on fire. From the pages of Mike Mignola's seminal work, this action-packed story sees the legendary half-demon superhero (David Harbour) called to the English countryside to battle a trio of rampaging giants. There he discovers The Blood Queen, Nimue (Milla Jovovich), a resurrected ancient sorceress thirsting to avenge a past betrayal. Suddenly caught in a clash between the supernatural and the human, Hellboy, along with his adopted dad, Professor Broom (Ian McShane), Alice Monaghan (Sasha Lane) and Major Ben Daimio (Daniel Dae Kim) is hell-bent on stopping Nimue without triggering the end of the world.
Others to round out the cast are Stephen Graham as Gruagach, Sophie Okonedo as Lady Hatton, Alistair Petrie as Lord Adam Glaren, Brian Gleeson as Merlin, Penelope Mitchell as Ganeida, Mark Stanley as Arthur and Thomas Haden Church as Lobster Johnson.
This was intensely directed by Neil Marshall ("Dog Soldiers" '02, "The Descent" '05, "Doomsday" '08, "Centurion" '10, "Tales of Halloween" (segment- "Bad Seed") '15, "Poor Richard's Almanack" (TV movie) '16) plus TV and shorts. Since the 2004 version of "Hellboy" and its subsequent sequel "Hellboy II: The Golden Army" in 2008, this version certainly has a similar feel which makes this version that much more credible. The character of Hellboy by Harbour is executed well carrying the same persona that Ron Perlman did in the original film. Marshall is very much right at home with this genre as one can see by reading his resume, and with that, assuming there will be another "Hellboy" in the franchise, it should be as action-packed as any film can be. If you like his brand of directing, his "The Reckoning" is in pre-production. It was written by Andrew Cosby (TV series), and considering this writer only has TV to his credit, the screenplay was not badly executed. Don't get me wrong, the script had issues: too much going on to keep track, a fair amount of choppiness, and it was bit too long-in-the-tooth--it could of had 10-15 minutes cut and still got the point of the film. Whereas the 2004 version dealt with more with the origins of Hellboy, this version has Hellboy helping the B.P.R.D. (Bureau for Paranormal Research). This does leave the audience with the whole idea of another installment, but it will depend on how much this makes in the box office. We must remember that when the original film was released, the Marvel empire and DC Comics really were not that well known. They've been huge for the last 10+ years, so films like "Hellboy" back then were considered fresher and more original. So, with this perspective, maybe Hollywood should commission a more seasoned writer for the next installment for this franchise. The visual effects predominantly designed by Mr. X, Rhythm & Hues and RISE VFX were seamless, however were a little too much over-the-top. They seem to want to compete with the story too much.
The best thing about this was the fact that Harbour was amazingly effective as Perlman was in the original "Hellboy". I was concerned about that, because that character was so pivotal to the storyline. The casting of Harbour was spot on and, assuming there will be another installment, will make the next installment interesting as well.
Out of 4 Stars: 2.5 Rated: R 121mins.
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