Part of the current wave of comic books taking advantage of modern computer effects and makeup, Hellboy is a visually exciting movie, with really good pacing and decent acting. But if you’re hoping for a complete story and a plot that hangs together with some intelligence, this 2004 release is not it.
Primary cast is Ron Perlman as the title character, John Hurt as scientist and bureau chief, Rupert Evans as an FBI agent and new minder, Jeffrey Tambor as an officious, obnoxious government higher up, Selma Blair and David Hyde Pierce as two more paranormals, all of whom face off against Karel Roden as a “reimagined” Rasputin, Brian Steele as Sammael, Ladislav Beran as an ageless ninja-ish fighter and Bridget Hodson as a Nazi and the obligatory bad girl groupie.
(Apparently, the film pulls a “Vader” on the Abe Sapien character, with Doug Jones inside the funny suit and Hyde Pierce providing the voice. Since almost all of the character’s value add was in the dialog, I’ll leave the above cast note stand.)
Basic story: Rasputin, who in this tale didn’t die in Russia early in the 20th century, has teamed up during World War II with some Nazis to open a gateway to Hell in a special place on the Scottish coast. Hurt’s Professor Bruttenholm is there with a squad of American soldiers to stop them and does, but not before a baby Hellboy comes through; Bruttenholm takes him back to New Jersey. Flash forward 60 years, to the present day, when Rasputin has returned from the dead, ready to finish the destruction of Earth.
Writer/director Guillermo del Toro film before this was Blade II, a very similar movie. Your eyes are kept glued to the screen, the action coming faster and faster and some very creative visual effects. But, as I mentioned at the start, the script makes no sense and that’s even after you accept the made up beings and technology. There are numerous others but the best example is at the very end: Hellboy faces off against a huge monster whose existence isn’t even hinted at prior to its appearance and having defeated it (of course, what do you think?) just walks off with no explanation. Yet we’re supposed to accept it and file out of the theater. All I can think is that readers of the source comic books would know the missing details.
not recommended
P.S. There’s already a sequel listed on IMDB.
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