Hellboy II: The Golden Army
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Sort of the Mike Hammer of crime-fighting demons, Hellboy (Ron Perlman) is as irascible, quippy and unflappable as ever. Now firmly entrenched as the head honcho among the odd assortment of weapon-wielding champions living under the roof of the super-elite Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (BPRD), the self-indulgent superhero finds himself pitted against an unstoppable army.
Based on a comic book character originated by Mike Mignola, Hellboy — actually, that's Anung un Rama to you, fella — is a teton-tall devil-red fiend sporting an arrowhead tipped tail, two huge, filed-down horns on his forehead, and a massive hammer claw called The Right Hand of Doom. Hellboy's right-hand man (or fish, as the case may be) is Abe Sapien (Doug Jones), a near-sighted but brainy telepathic two-legged trout who lives and breathes thanks to a modified "aqua-lung" and an unbending drive to do what's right. Hellboy's lady-love, pyrokinetic humanoid Liz (Selma Blair), is back for more adventure, as is a new character, the robotic, wisecracking Johann Krause (voiced with an uppity Austrian accent by Seth MacFarlane).
"HB" or "Red" as he's mostly called (hello, PG-13 rating and toy tie-in market!) gathers his crew and girds his loins after an ancient truce between mortals and magic-makers is broken, and one pissed-off pixie (Prince Nuada, well played by an intense Luke Goss) decides to make our earth a living hell. Standing in his way — aside from Hellboy & Co., of course — is Nuada's own twin sister, the peace-keeping Princess Nuala (Anna Walton, a dead ringer for Calista Flockhart minus the miniskirt and Harrison Ford).
A battle between good and evil (misunderstood, misguided evil; but evil nonetheless) ensues, love blossoms, and one-liners are bandied about with reckless abandon.
As Hellboy II: The Golden Army kicks off with an ultra-cool clockwork lock-n-load graphic title sequence, you will feel your pulse quicken. And when the whirlwind recap reminds you just why you loved the first Hellboy movie (evil Nazis! A devilish do-gooder! John Hurt!), your heart will pound. You'll laugh when you see Hellboy as a young'un already addicted to TV and candy bars. Seeing sweet-souled aquatic superhero Abe Sapien again will no doubt bring a nostalgic smile to your face.
But eventually, the charming "remember when's" must fade and a solid new story should come sharply into focus. It does, but in some respects Hellboy II comes off like writer/director Guillermo del Toro's sugar-high trip to the candy store with a limitless credit card — with way too many detours into trolls' troves, ungodly underworlds and middle-like earths, there are times when this movie brings to mind a prize-fight between George Lucas and J.R.R. Tolkien as refereed by Ray Harryhausen.
Much more about the ensemble than the hero, Hellboy II is a great creature feature for fans of monster movies. There's not only the ethereal elves, but cat-crunching trolls, a seedling that sprouts into a terrifying tree, an all-knowing Angel of Death, and of course, the fabled Golden Army itself. Much of the fanciful populace is portrayed through puppetry and artful makeup effects, but there is also some impressive and well-placed CGI. I'm not opposed to all this ga-ga gadgetry; I just think the eye-pops distract too much from the heart-beats.
Still, the actors' prowess is very much in evidence as Perlman and Blair banter pulp-like, and Jones and MacFarlane go head-to-head with wit and flair. The beyond-brilliant Hurt makes a brief but welcome appearance, and Jeffrey Tambor is back to be the butt of more jokes.
One of del Toro's most endearing talents is in giving monsters palpable pathos — my memory is forever seared with the pathetic blood-lapping of the starving vampire in Cronos; the wrenching sadness of the little ghost lost in The Devil's Backbone; and the anguished heroine's impulsive acts in Pan's Labyrinth — and in Hellboy II, he does it again. There's a bit of romance in the air, and some funny buddy-buddy moments between HB and Abe (believe me, you might even become a Barry Manilow fan after a certain silly but sweet scene between the demon and the merman!), but for me there was nothing significantly affecting. While there is a lot of feel-good humor and tons of massive action, Hellboy II doesn't have the weight or gravitas of some of del Toro's previous efforts. It's just a big, bold monster movie which has his signature look in spades, but not the emotional experience I was hoping for.
In sum: All that glitters is not gold; I would have preferred fewer effects and more Hellboy, but overall, fans of this freakish family fathered by the gifted del Toro should be fairly fulfilled by this bigger and badder sequel.
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Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson
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