It takes a lot to get me into a movie theatre at 12.01am on a Friday morning, especially now that I'm no longer a student and actually have to work for a living. Heck, I'm so busy these days I often just wait for movies to come out on Netflix, which is a bad thing for a movie reviewer to admit. As such I've had no problem sitting out a few days for Wall-E, Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull and practically every other 2008 Summer blockbuster so far. Why, you may ask, did I change-up for Hellboy II? After all the first one was merely an above-average comic-book caper with a fantastic lead and a great premise, but also a lot of unnecessary fat that wasn't cut before it hit the movie theatres. I'll give you three words why: Guillermo del Toro. Wait, is the 'del' bit a separate word? I don't know. Sod it.
del Toro is currently the man who can do no wrong. After helming the surprisingly excellent Blade II, and the aforementioned first Hellboy, he went on to write, direct and produce the at-times astonishing Pan's Labyrinth, a huge critical and commercial success despite being filmed entirely in Spanish, the Devil�s language. One can only imagine that this was the reason Hellboy II was greenlit at all, with original producers Sony passing and Universal picking up the franchise (despite the first flick pulling in some decent profit). That�s a pretty rare situation to be in, though it does yield some hope for the His Dark Materials franchise (despite the godawfulness of its first installment, The Golden Compass).
So, Hellboy II picks up a little time after the conclusion of the first movie, with the public at large becoming a little more aware of the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense, specifically the camera-loving Hellboy. At the same time Prince Nuada, a member of the underworld Royal family, is attempting to overcome the truce his father brokered with the human race millennia ago. Tired of living like rats while humans dominate the Earth, he schemes to overthrow the status quo by taking his father�s throne and commanding the Golden Army, a long-defunct unstoppable force created by Goblins to annihilate the otherwise victorious human armies. In the process he comes to the B.P.R.D�s attention, which isn�t surprising given his rather destructive means of achieving any and all objectives.
Hellboy II is a distinct improvement over its predecessor in many ways, most notably in pacing, acting and special effects. While the original�s were hardly anything to sniff at, the mix of CGI and full-body make-up (something del Toro used to fabulous effect in Pan�s Labyrinth) is outstanding. Perlman and Jones look astonishingly realistic, as does the steampunk-looking Johann Krauss character (voiced hilariously by the ever-reliable Seth MacFarlane), and the scene at the Troll Market is a visual delight. It once again goes to show that a movie with a sub $100m budget can achieve a consistently excellent look with little or no green screening.
del Toro�s mastery of plotting is what sets this apart from other genre entries. He and series-creator Mike Mignola craft a delightfully swift but sure story around Nuada�s desire for revenge, and are able to bring true pathos not just to our heroes but to Nuada himself. This is helped immeasurably by Luke Goss�s fantastic performance as Nuada, essentially an extension of his role of Nomak in Blade II. It is rare to see such a rounded character portrayed as a baddy, one whose world is all-grey despite his insistence on it being black and white. The movie cracks along at a perfect pace, interspersing its frequent action scenes with one�s broadening Hellboy and Liz (Blair)�s relationship, the continued politicization of the B.P.R.D under Tom Manning (Tambor), and a far-more visible Abe Sapien, who was little more than window-dressing in the first movie. His love for Nuada�s twin sister, Princess Nuala (confusing I know), is touching without being mawky, again a rarity in an action sci-fi flick.
Of course all this leads to a fairly predictable final showdown, which is the films only glaring flaw, but the manner in which it is reached is frequently breathtaking in its originality. del Toro spares no effort in the look of the film, and often his finest moments come with frequent collaborator Jones, who manages to play another two roles besides Abe. The few minutes he spends as the Angel of Death, one of only two residents of an ancient, ruined city under a Northern Irish hill, are practically worth the price of admission by themselves. The finale rather blatantly calls for a third film, though you rather presume Universal will be less demanding than Sony was in greenlighting it, and that will be a very good thing indeed. |
