MOVIE - HELLBOY - Review Rating $$$$$ $$$ (OUT 0F 10)
STARRING - Ron Perlman (Hellboy), Selma Blair (Liz Sherman), John Hurt (Prof. Bruttenholm), Jeffrey Tambor (Tom Manning), Rupert Evans (John Meyers), Karel Roden (Grigori Rasputin), Corey Johnson (Agent Clay), Doug Jones ("Abe" Sapien) & Bridget Hodson (Ilsa).
DIRECTOR/CO-WRITER - Guillermo del Toro (Mimic, The Devil's Backbone, Cronos & Blade II)
Based on the comic book by Mike Mignola.
While most movie previews give too much away and make going to most films almost redundant the previews for Hellboy don't do the movie justice. This is one film you have to see to appreciate.
Hellboy is based on a relatively obscure comic book. The difficulty that presents, especially for an action adventure movie, is the need to quickly engage the audience while simultaneously taking the time to faithfully recreate the comic book's ambiance and introduce the main characters.
Hellboy does gets off to a shaky start. The opening sequence, meant to capture our attention, is pretty unbelievable. The audience, without much preparation, must not only buy into a wild premise they also have to believe that the massive secret Nazi compound in Scotland would be adorned with Third Reich paraphernalia. This weapon of mass destruction was at least easy to find.
What saves Hellboy is the fact that it never loses sight of its comic book roots. In fact, it relishes in them. Even without being familiar with the original comic book the viewer senses director del Toro's passion for the original format. Reminiscent of the Dick Tracy movie, which relied on vibrant colors and appropriate costume design to capture the spirit of the original material, every scene in Hellboy reminds the audience of the comic book panels which its based upon.
The effect produces two benefits. First, it allows the audience to forgive the obvious loopholes in the story because both the viewer and the movie never forget Hellboy is just a comic book hero and not a living legend. Hellboy's infatuation with Liz (Selma Blair) is a prime example of the movie not taking itself too seriously. Despite the earth's impending doom the movie takes the time for a very funny "jealousy" scene. This moment of levity amidst the chaos is just one of the little touches that separates Hellboy from other comic book adaptations.
The second benefit, of recreating the feel of a comic book, is that we are treated to masterfully crafted sequences. The funeral scene is particularly noteworthy. The cascade of black umbrellas conveys the somberness of the moment with comic book majesty yet, at the same time, feels like a scene out of a much more serious film. For those who appreciate true visual artistry this scene alone is worth the price of admission.
Further evidence of del Torro's fondness for his material is the attention to numerous other details. When this supernatural hero chases villains through city streets the crowds, which should be present are, and they panic accordingly. The Hulk and The League Of Extraordinary Gentleman, two very poor adaptations of comic books, were most notable for their lack of attention to similar details. These two films were also guilty of an over inflated sense of self-importance that Hellboy never succumbs too.
The only real fault with Hellboy, over and above its length which is partly due to the need to introduce us to the various players, is its lack of originality. Many aspects of the story and several of the characters (Liz Sherman & Abe Sapien) will remind you of other sci-fi stories. However, like Pirates Of The Caribbean, Hellboy puts the pieces of the action adventure movie genre together properly.
Hellboy, despite a few plot holes, is a hellava of a supernatural action adventure.
Running time - 132 minutes
Alternative Reviews:
Roger Ebert's Review
Peter Travers / Rolling Stone Review
Rotten Tomatoes Reviews
Hellboy Official Web Site
Comments by Halo Scan:
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