Hellboy II: The Golden Army is like the product of a little kid left alone at a candy store : it’s wild, imaginative, chaotic and full of things flying everywhere. Guillermo del Toro has struck again! The genius behind the critically acclaimed Pan’s Labyrinth has given us a sequel that seems to exceed expectations…at least in the visuals department. I came into the film not really expecting much, except for the fact that it was going to look good, because del Toro is known for his captivating scenery and sweeping visual effects. I got what I expected.
I was never really a fan of Hellboy to begin with. I had never picked up the comics, and I didn’t particularly find the first film exceptional. Yes, I have it on DVD and it’s good to watch when you’re bored and want some mindless entertainment, but it doesn’t excel in the hero movie department for me, only because I feel like it’s too light and airy. What I mean by this is that the movies never seem to have that gripping, oh-my-god-is-the-hero-going-to-survive moment when the audience is almost on their knees, wondering whether their beloved hero will emerge unscathed. The Hellboy movies are served kid-friendly, with pedestrian humor and of course, a major romantic plot line. Oh, and did I mention there was some singing? The first movie was blah, and the second movie was a little bit better, but I still don’t get that overwhelming urge to rush to the nearest Borders when the DVD hits stores to buy it.
Abe Sapien/Blue (played by Doug Jones) trying to sense the enemies about
I found myself getting sleepy somewhere in the middle of the movie. I felt that there wasn’t that much of a focus on the script and that the delivery was a bit disjointed. There was this one part where new character Johann Krauss (who is essentially a mass of gas that can only inflict damage if it takes the shape of some container of sorts) tells Hellboy that he knows what his fatal flaw is: his temper. I thought they would expound on this and use it as some sort of plot line towards the end when Hellboy and Prince Nuada would finally face off, but it seemed like they just mentioned it and forgot about it along the way. What a shame, because I felt like it would have been a better movie had that been explored.
On the upside, the movie is overall like a work of art. The visuals are absolutely stunning. The make-up department in particular should be commended for pulling off such intricate and believable work on these quirky characters. The fight scenes were better choreographed this time around and the props were so detailed and believable. I also liked the performance of Doug Jones, who plays Abe Sapien (Blue), and Luke Goss, who played the indomitable Prince Nuada, hellbent on destroying the human race with an unstoppable Golden Army of what appeared to be hulking robot-like things running on molten lava. Del Toro also seems to call on the same inspiration that he had from Pan’s Labyrinth to create this awesome demon:
Brothers from another mother, perhaps? One of del Toro's memorable creations from Pan's Labyrinth has an uncanny resemblance to another creature in Hellboy II
And this guy:
This guy terrorized our little heroine in Pan's Labyrinth.
Overall, it was a good movie in that it succeeded where no other superhero sequel (except maybe for the new Batman franchise or the newest Hulk movie) has succeeded: it was better than the original. The visuals were stunning, the fight scenes were sharp and precise, and the props and costumes were commendable. Other than that, all I can say is, it’s light and airy fun.
