Studio: Universal Pictures
Director: Guillermo Del Toro
Producers: Lawrence Gordon, Mike Richardson
Starring:Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones, James Dodd, John Alexander, Seth MacFarlane, Luke Goss, Anna Walton,Jeffrey Tambor & John Hurt.
Rated: PG13
RT: 110 min
Hellboy is visually stimulating and deliberately layered as well as satisfyingly humorous thanks to the awkward and ironic performances of Ron Perlman.
Based on the comic books by Mike Magnolia, Hellboy finds out that he is about to become a father from his seditious girlfriend who doesn’t disclose the news until much later into the film.
The movie plays well not because of Hellboy’s innate paternal instincts but because of Del Toros magniloquent genius at creating stylishly grotesque elements, his neurotic obsession with detail ( as seen with “Pan’s Labyrinth”) , and his ability to converge the state of the art technology with the blueprint of the antique, gothic, Catholic aesthetics.
He is a genius at work and Hellboy is effectively humorous beginning with the flashback to the 1955 Christmas when baby Hellboy is awaiting Santa Clause. His father reads him a story about the Golden Army created by the ancients that had to be retired to the humans and the ancients because of its cold hearted nature. The crown was therefore divided. This elaborate tale is in fact a bedtime story…during Christmas?!?! This odd tale cleverly lays the foundation of Hellboy’s mission 50 years into the future.
Fastfoward to present day where Hellboy works for the Bureau of Paranormal research and defense where his work is supposed to be discreet even though he is a 300 pound red devil looking creature.
Prince Nuada initiates the battle with the humans with his desires for his people to regain their place of power within the ancient kingdom. Princess Nuala, his twin sister–sides with the humans and hides the key to the crown causing additional mayhem.
Nuada is assisted in his journey by some extremely interesting looking creatures as they battle it out with Hellboy for the key.
The film goes on to take us to Ireland where the Golden Army dwells and overstays its welcome a bit but aside from this sort of downward spiraling ending and you will not be disappointed with Del Toro’s ingeniously creative visual tour de force that marks this film.
Personally, I will be venturing off to see “Meet Dave” to support my friends at Friendly Films and Fox– this is not an official plug, but “Hellboy” can wait in my book.
1 Comment
July 14, 2008 at 5:55 am
[...] Doesn’t Meet Expectations 14 07 2008 This weekend in the box office “Hellboy II“ raised the roof in the box office beating out Will Smith’s Hancock with a gross of [...]