Hellboy II: The Golden Army

A brief break from travel blogging today...

These are the top 3 things I decided while watching Hellboy II: The Golden Army:

1) Hellboy director Guillermo del Toro is the completely right choice for The Hobbit film adaptation - I now have complete faith in the project (BTW, Hellboy himself, Ron Perlman would be perfect as Beorn the bear man).

2) Hellboy II proves a live-action World of WarCraft film can be made, and made well.

3) Hellboy II features the most visually exciting collective of fantasy movie beasties in probably a decade.


Hellboy II: The Golden Army is the long awaited sequel to 2004's reasonably successful comic adaptation Hellboy. This time around though, the film shifts its focus from mad scientists and the occult to dark fantasy and folklore.

Hellboy II's plot focuses on exiled elf prince Nuada (Luke Goss), who, having witnessed firsthand how the human race is destroying Earth, decides to break a millennium-old pact and declare war on humanity. To ensure his success Nuada attempts to resurrect that masterpiece of goblin engineering, the Golden Army. It's up to Hellboy, with the help of his fellow "freak" paranormal investigators, and Nuada's sister Nuala, to stop the prince.


It probably has to be said at this point that Hellboy II is far from a perfect film. Tonally the film is all over the place - it veers from bloody horror to sweet romance to knockabout comedy in the blink of an eye.

The film's plot too is also very simplistic and a tad too coincidental for my tastes. For example, characters just happen to bump into each other in a massive subterranean Troll Market, and a mortally wounded lead just so happens to arrive at the "home" of the Angel of Death, the only being who can save them.

Oh, and don't expect any kind of character development in Hellboy II either. Things are kept very superficial in that department, leaving the gentler emotional scenes weak and unconvincing.

As I said the film is flawed.


However, all this aside Hellboy II is saved by a few things that definitely make it a worthwhile cinema experience - especially for fantasy fans. Although more different than better when compared to the first Hellboy, I enjoyed The Golden Army a great deal more.

A major plus is the film's healthy sense of humour. Nothing is taken too seriously, and that is reflected in the attitude of Hellboy, who, as a character, is always cracking jokes. Although an investigator by profession, he's definitely not a superhero detective in the mold of Batman. Hellboy solves mysteries more with his over-sized fist and over-sized pistol than his brainpower.

Really though, what really sells Hellboy II is the utter imaginative brilliance of the fairy tale world Del Toro reveals to viewers. Hellboy II offers eye candy of the highest quality - the film features a seamless blend of CGI-animation and traditional make-up and prosthetic work, which fans of Del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth will already be familiar with.

I challenge anyone not to experience a sense of childlike wonder every time a new beastie is introduced to the audience in Hellboy II. The only things I can really compare it to are Harry Potter's first few visits to Diagon Alley, and the Cantina sequence in Episode IV: A New Hope. Highlights include a tooth fairy attack, anything and everything in the Troll Market, an intriguing organic take on the elven people, a revolutionary reinterpretation of Jack's beanstalk, and, of course, the Angel of Death.

As one of the last big releases of the mid-year blockbuster season to reach us, Hellboy II is worth checking out before it slips from our cinema screens, and all we're left with is serious, cerebral Oscar bait. Disengage your mind, open your eyes as wide as possible - so as not to miss anything - and you should have a blast.

Comments

MJenks said…
The Angel of Death was pretty sweet, but the mist doctor annoyed me, as did some of the trolls in the troll market.

I do agree that del Toro is the perfect fit for the Hobbit adaptation. And Perlman would be a great Beorn.

I'm a little over the long, drawn-out sequences with either a protagonist or an antagonist practicing their awesome weapon skills by themselves. Maybe it's just my way of seeing things, but I find it a lot more impressive if you don't know that a character is a total bad*ss with a blade until he absolutely has to be. Plus, lots of flair with the weapon of choice should have died with Darth Maul.
Anonymous said…
I enjoyed Hellboy for the most part, but I really did feel that the movie dragged on for just that little bit too long. Too be honest, it is exactly the same problem I had with Batman earlier this year as well :(

Nevertheless, Ron Perlman is now officiall Hellboy. Nobody is going to be taking this bad boy's place!
Pfangirl said…
Mjenks, yeah, I did find the ghost doctor to be a little annoying - like the filmmakers decided halfway through that the film needed some extra laughs so they suddenly hauled him onscreen.

As for the solo weapon practicing, I completely agree - especially since these characters never actually use the complex moves when they're in combat with another person. But that's just like reality - thank goodness I practice a martial art that's pretty much free of ridiculous solo kata that become irrelevant when fighting someone who refused to stick to the "system".

Craig, I didn't find Hellboy to be overlong (except for the tedious beanstalk and baby sequence!). The Dark Knight definitely though... as much as I enjoyed it I did keep thinking, "What, it isn't over yet?" The film had about 4 possible ending points before the credits eventually rolled.

Excellent blog, BTW - just added you to my roll.

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