A Movie Review

I promise my blog won't be entirely movie reviews, just... I have a few held up that need to be released into the wild. This is my review of the second Hellboy movie...


Hellboy II is a visual feast that you cannot take your eyes off of. The script is not particularly strong, but Guillermo del Toro puts so much in to the film that you just cannot wait to get to the next set piece and see all the amazing detail put in to the creatures, buildings, whatever.

The film is the sequel to the modestly successful Hellboy, which I enjoyed very much, about a demon from hell made to destroy Earth that does not want to. He finds more in common with humans than anyone else and forms a bond with them. Hellboy II is fantastic and moves with grace from place to place and everytime you feel a scene is beginning to drag del Toro makes you wish you had not even thought that by giving you an awesome action scene, an awesome looking creature, or a nice, subtle character scene (gasp!).

It is safe to say I loved the film, and almost all its aspects. The score and music choice was great. The cinematography, while slightly disappointing coming off of Pan's Labyrinth, was impressive and unique for a 'Hollywood Blockbuster' type film. The special effects were the most notable good point, what they lacked in realism (though they were quite good in that department, what with this film's supposedly 60 million dollar budget) they definitely made up for in the creative department. I think I'd call Hellboy II's effects the most aesthetically pleasing I have ever seen.

One scene in particular impressed me. The troll market scene, where our main characters enter an area full of imaginative characters so lifelike and original we can't find a place to rest our eyes. While I was watching the film I thought I was clever by making a comparison to the Star Wars cantina scene ("on steroids" I would have said) only to come home, read some reviews, and find out that is what every one else thought too.

The acting was also fantastic. I do not like Ron Perlman, in Alien: Resurrection he was horrible (though many other things in that film were too), but here he just completely rocks. Selma Blair is also someone I am not too fond of, but she is fitting in her role as a flaming beauty. It all just works wonderfully in the film.

Basically, if you like your films unique and imaginative, Hellboy II is for you. Even if you did not like the first film, I recommend this one, it's one of the better films of a great year; 2008.


7/10