Directed by:
Guillermo del ToroScreenplay:
Guillermo del ToroCinematography:
Guillermo NavarroComposer:
Danny ElfmanCast:
Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones, Luke Goss, John Hurt, Roy Dotrice, Jeffrey Tambor, Anna Walton, Jamie Wilson, Matt Rippy, Colin Ford, Seth MacFarlane (more)VOD (5)
Plots(1)
After an ancient truce existing between humankind and the invisible realm of the fantastic is broken, hell on Earth is ready to erupt. A ruthless leader who treads the world above and the one below defies his bloodline and awakens an unstoppable army of creatures. (Universal Pictures US)
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Reviews (14)
For having a budget of eighty-five million, del Toro delivers an incredible piece of theatre, but the plot itself gets somewhat lost. Gone is the flamboyance of the first film, when the in-love "red man" was spouting dry catchphrases, and in the dark alleys he would fight other monsters from time to time. It does go into some of the depth of the mythology, but del Toro would have had to take an extra half hour to really get the whole colossus rolling and not just jump from place to place to blow it all away in two hours. Fortunately, it's still done with that passionate creative love for the comics and it's enjoyable all the way through. I give it a weaker four stars. PS: I believe that under Jackson's patronage, The Hobbit will be a smash hit.
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The magic about “Hellboy" for me was always in its short, punchy stories. In longer stories, his strength, atmosphere and links with myths and legends fades, like it or not. Then it has to be scotch-taped together with a quickly thought-up mythology that is as dull as it is shameful. Unfortunately, Del Toro took the this path the second time around too. You can see that he concentrated on every last detail of this, but in doing so he forgot about the main thing. Entertainment. Despite action and humor aplenty, it just doesn’t work, even with a ton of tongue in cheek humor. If it weren’t for the central trio and the Ireland trip at the end (you see legends work better in myth-rich parts of Europe than on neon-lit Manhattan), so despite its pleasant visual aspect and a few nice ideas here and there (singing over a beer), it falls apart like Sparta Football Club did at Camp Nou Stadium in Barcelona. It’s good to watch, you certainly won’t get bored, but when the final credits came up I found it hard to remember what in fact happened.
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The shallow and awkwardly simple clash of good and evil wrapped in the most clichéd motifs. Good characters, evil characters, an old king, a young hot-blooded lad and heir to the throne, a princess, love, monsters, a final battle, etc. We've had something similar at least a thousand times before, and if it weren't for the solid wisecracks, the beautiful costumes and make-up (it's clear that del Toro loves colors and is not afraid to experiment), the high-quality visuals and Luke Goss, who knows how to kick ass, as fans have known since the days of Blade 2, there would be almost nothing here, because this boring tale didn't appeal to me even halfway as much as I expected.
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Perhaps the best possible sequel I could have hoped for! The Golden Army surpasses the previous adventure in every respect, whether in its straightforward and spectacular execution, its stylish story, or its approach to the main characters, which is perhaps even more human and distinctive. Del Toro again literally revels in his work, getting the absolute most out of his characters, and his world full of diverse monsters is portrayed as breathtakingly as only a certain gentleman named George Lucas could. His direction is much more assured and less cluttered than in the first one, the action scenes are more imaginative and better structured, and Ron Perlman is still in top form, churning out one wisecrack after another, and his Red is slowly becoming one of my favourite comic book characters. Too bad we probably won't see a sequel.
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If you love him, then you have nothing to worry about, and this especially true in the case of the Big Red Guy. The second film is more balanced, visually more varied, more action-packed and funny as far as the characters are concerned. Hellboy's sarcasm and scenes from family life with Liz are great, and Abe was great, too. However, the script was once again problematic. It is shallower than it should be and nowhere is it written that the audience will not be irritated by the evident focus on the Hobbit. Yet, I was fascinated by the fantasy garb of the story, and Guillermo at least had plenty of room for his cute monsters and creatures from another dimension. It still seems to me, though, that Hellboy could be better - it just needs a more dignified plot. Anyway, a strong ****, out of love for rounded corners, I round up.
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Gallery (69)
Photo © Universal Pictures
![Hellboy II: The Golden Army - Concept art](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w663/files/images/film/photos/160/239/160239910_bf5daf.jpg)
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