Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)
Genre: Action
Format: Theatrical Release
Director: Guillermo Del Toro
I never really get the demon as superhero concept in the Hellboy movies. So he's big and red with a tail on his back and two "trimmed" horns on his head. He doesn't have wings but he has a huge, malformed right arm that looks like it might be cancerous. His super powers seem to be limited to super strength/agility and nothing else. Shouldn't he able to breathe fire and transport back and forth between realms? Shouldn't he be able to possess an innocent girl and make her head turn 360 degrees? Maybe it is his sarcastic wit that enables him to go by undetected for being merely a tough, lovable guy. That and his more interesting superhero team members: his pyrokinetic girlfriend, Liz, and the slimy amphibian psychic, Abe. I guess sandwiching him between more typical superhero types make him one as well.
But enough about the lackluster original idea that birthed the man/demon he is today. This sequel follows Hellboy's quest into the hidden mythical portion of the world in the hunt to stop an evil elf prince from reviving the Golden Army that is capable of destroying mankind in its entirety. The elf prince grew tired of humanity's flourishing ways of life when it was his race that should have inherited earth a long time ago. The focus of the storyline is more on love-themed character interactions so the movie never gives that epic feel that is always a bit obligatory in the superhero genre. Still, there are great action sequences in the entire movie and there's always something interesting going on to keep everything moving at a brisk pace.
The Golden Army is definitely a better movie than the first one with improved CG works and more imaginative scenes. The make up effects done on Hellboy himself is great but it can't even hold a candle on the terrific job they did on Abe with his large, moist eyes and sticky, life-like skin texture. The Incredible Hulk could have benefited from the special effects team from this movie instead of relying on cheap CG - just rehire Lou Ferrigno as the green guy and make him wear prosthetics for Galaxy's sake! The kung-fu inspired fight scenes get a bit distracting after a while, but what are you going to do with a superhero with no real super powers? At least we get to see his team members use their powers a bit more this time around. Unfortunately, a bit more is just simply not enough.
RATING: 3 out of 5
2 comments:
Hellboy 2 was fun; for sure that director has an amazing imagination, reminded me a lot of his work in Pan's Labyrinth
I thought Hellboy 2 was visually thrilling much like Pan's Labyrinth but lacked the depth in story and character development. It was quite entertaining though.
Post a Comment