Hellboy II: The Golden Army
By Marshall Fine
Rating:
Who’s in it: Ron Perlman, Selma Blair
What’s it about: The big red demon and his mutant sidekicks return to save the world from a universe of mythical creatures.
Backstory: There’s so much complex mythology involved here that non-fanboys may lose track – or interest – in the approaching battle between the humans and the mythical creatures of an alternate universe. The geekspeak at times almost overwhelms the massive, swirling action sequences – almost. But you’ve got to hand it to writer-director Guillermo del Toro (“Pan’s Labyrinth”): He throws his fertile imagination into creating the ultimate comic-book movie. This is a film that wears its heart on its sleeve, punctuated by wisecracks and stone-fisted smackdowns.
Plus there’s no one around – not even George Lucas – with the kind of visual style that del Toro brings to the zoo full of monsters that are unleashed on the world. Perlman, as Hellboy, mixes strength and vulnerability as the cigar-chomping devil spawn, while Doug Jones is fascinatingly flexible as his fish-gilled sidekick.
Long story short: It’s a banquet of imagery, but short on story.
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