Hellboy 2 - The Golden Army (Blu-ray)

Hellboy - a big, red, house-trained demon plucked from another dimension, now working for the US government... just in case you didn't know.

The original Hellboy film (released back in 2004) had mixed reviews and generally fell into the realms of a 'love-it-or-hate it' type of movie. I personally wasn't particularly enamored with it at first, and only on subsequent viewings did I begin to appreciate its quality. Nowadays, I find it ...
...of the matter is that Hellboy and his unusual band of friends (including fire-starter Liz, and Aqua-man Abe) must once again save the world from the sinister underworld creatures who are threatening its very existence.

Mexican director Guillermo Del Toro returns to direct Hellboy's second outing, and this is perhaps the best thing which could have happened to the franchise. Del Toro is sympathetic to the old-skool methods of creating ... more

Hellboy - a big, red, house-trained demon plucked from another dimension, now working for the US government... just in case you didn't know.

The original Hellboy film (released back in 2004) had mixed reviews and generally fell into the realms of a 'love-it-or-hate it' type of movie. I personally wasn't particularly enamored with it at first, and only on subsequent viewings did I begin to appreciate its quality. Nowadays, I find it to be an underrated and enjoyable film, which is as visually impressive as it is entertaining. The question is, does the sequel continue the good work, or is it merely a shameless cash-in?

In 'Hellboy II', Elf Prince 'Nuada' (Luke Goss) - yes the same guy from 80's boy-band 'Bros', decides to reassemble the 'Golden Army' - a bunch of unstoppable mechanical warriors who were created many years ago to fight against us humans. Anyway, the crux of the matter is that Hellboy and his unusual band of friends (including fire-starter Liz, and Aqua-man Abe) must once again save the world from the sinister underworld creatures who are threatening its very existence.

Mexican director Guillermo Del Toro returns to direct Hellboy's second outing, and this is perhaps the best thing which could have happened to the franchise. Del Toro is sympathetic to the old-skool methods of creating special effects, and his work doesn't rely solely on an abundance of CGI. This creates a non-mainstream look to proceedings, and when combined with Del Toro's love of the Mike Mignola Hellboy graphic novels, the end result is a visually pleasing film.

You don't need to have seen the first Hellboy to enjoy the sequel, as the characters are subtly reintroduced, and first time watchers won't feel alienated. Also, the majority of the cast return, and as a result, the chemistry which made the original Hellboy movie a joy to watch is happily still present.

As an action-packed movie, Hellboy II certainly delivers - there are a consistent amount of set-pieces which utilise both high-paced fight sequences and also humour. That's not to say it's all pleasing viewing, and there are parts of the movie which I wasn't necessarily impressed by - the early scene with the 'child Hellboy' is badly handled, and here, the character doesn't look quite right - perhaps not Del Toro's finest hour. From here on in however, things do improve dramatically, especially in terms of the special effects. The director's trademark 'puppetry' is in evidence throughout the movie, with fantastical creatures which look like they could have been taken straight out of his other great work 'Pan's Labyrinth'. There is even a scene (set in a 'Troll Marketplace') which has a strong 'Return of the Jedi' feel about it, featuring a certain nostalgic quality - yes, the insistence on make-up and latex does make the characters look a bit rubbery and odd, but I suppose that's all part of the charm. There *are* elements of CGI scattered throughout the production, and whilst these are mainly used for the larger monsters, they blend in quite nicely with the rest of the effects, and don't look too out of place.

On reflection, the main difference between Hellboy and the sequel, is that before, there were only a small selection of fantasy characters involved in the plot, and all the action was based in the city - wheras now, literally hundreds of unusual creatures exist, and during the movie we are introduced to a whole new fantasy kingdom. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as it gives Del Toro scope to experiment with a wider variety of wonderful creatures and landscapes.

The use of comedy made the first Hellboy film fairly unique, and this is again the case with Hellboy II: The Golden Army. Whilst much of the humour stems from a (mostly) well crafted script, the rest is derived from the timing and strong performances from the main actors. That said, the movie does feature some lines which are decidedly dodgy in places, but I'll forgive these occasionally cheesy moments due to the fact that they didn't really detract from my enjoyment of the film.

Ron Perlman dons the big red suit once again to play the sarcastic, moody, but ultimately loveable title character, and he certainly does it with style. Perlman seems to be a decent actor, both in and out of a crazy-costume, and he certainly has made the character of Hellboy his own - I couldn't imagine anyone else playing the role. The film's heroine and Hellboy's love interest Liz Sherman is played by Selma Blair, and whilst occasionally annoying, she puts in a good performance overall.

I previously mentioned the fact that Luke Goss plays the main 'baddie' Nuada - and surprisingly enough, he does a decent job, portraying the happy medium of evil and 'misunderstood' quite nicely. Actually Goss has appeared in Del Toro's work before - in Blade II if I remember rightly, and he seems to be pretty decent at twirling a big sword around.

My favourite of the characters has to be the Seth MacFarlane voiced 'Johann Krauss' who is not only visually unusual, but also very funny. Krauss is basically a creepy divers suit filled with gaseous ectoplasm, and it's great to watch his entertaining yet awkward relationship with the other characters.

All in all, I enjoyed Hellboy II: The Golden Army more than I expected, and whilst it's not a perfect film by any means, it has a lot of character, and doesn't feel like a rushed studio production - yes, it's got some pretty big flaws in the plot, the script is not all that amazing, and it's a bit predictable - but it's definitely fun to watch, and is ultimately a pleasing superhero movie which kept me entertained throughout. If a third Hellboy film is made, I hope it will retain the character and charm of the first two titles.

The blu-ray version of the film is actually one of the best high-definition transfers to date - the sharpness is stunning, and the level of detail is very impressive. The black levels are excellent, and actually, there is a natural film-like quality to the overall picture which you don't often see on this type of media. Similarly, the quality of the soundtrack is very good - with the option to play in 7.1 surround if you're lucky enough to have such a system - unfortunately I don't so I have to suffer in 5.1!

In terms of the extra's, there's all the usual stuff plus more - Director's Commentary (and a 'cast commentary'), Concept Art Gallery, a series of featurettes - including the 'Troll Market Tour', where Del Toro talks about the creation of the impressive set. All the extras are in standard definition, yet due to their entertaining nature, it's not an issue, and all the featurettes are fun to watch. I would certainly recommend investing in the blu-ray version if you've got a player, as the picture quality alone makes for a worthwhile purchase.

Lead Roles
- - - - - - -
Ron Perlman - Hellboy
Selma Blair - Liz
Doug Jones - Abe Sapien / Chamberlain / Angel of Death
Seth MacFarlane - Johann Krauss (voice)
Luke Goss - Prince Nuala
Anna Walton - Princess Nuala

You can currently purchase Hellboy II: The Golden Army on blu-ray from amazon.co.uk for £13.98

*I have also posted this review on dooyoo under the user name JJJJ* 

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