1 "We're the ones who bump back..."
Commissioned by the Nazis, a bald Rasputin conducts a ritual in 1944 to summon a Daemon God into the world of mortals, but too much goes awry during the invocation due to the meddling of a Professor Bloom, yet the portal was open for far too long and a baby demon comes through, which is subsequelty raised by Bloom to become the unlikely crime-fighting, cigar-smoking, weight-lifting hero known as "Hellboy" {Ron Perlman}, who now must face the hell-hound-like denizens of the infernal regions. This character is added to the ungateful lot the likes of Nick Knight, Blade, and Dracula's son from Castlevania, who deny their origins and are at odds with their own natural darksides. Hellboy becomes the 'muscle' for a parapsycholical organization named "The Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense", aided by a clairvoyant humanoid amphibian {"Abe Sapien"} and X-Files-like agents. He actually files his magnificent black horns resembling Lord Darkness' from Legend, down into ugly stumps that end up looking like goggles, in order to fit in with the group.
While the BPRD attempt to contain the firey talents of a Delia-like character named 'Liz' {Selma Blair}, who herself is quite a pyromantic hellion, she and Hellboy become mutually infatuated {despite the ingracious amorous advances of a fellow agent of Hellboy's}, which seems a perfect match, considering Hellboy happens to be inflammable, making for a very romantic spectacle when they embrace within a plume of blue flame.
Rasputin was drawn into the portal, and with the help of a striking Russian female cohort, and an impressive zombie-like character in a Nazi uniform wielding a blade in each hand, returns empowered as an anthropomorphic synthesis of Sammael, with the aid of the 'children of Nergal', to prepare the path for the nefarious inheretors of the planet. In a marvellous concluding scene, one gets to briefly see Hellboy in his potentially demonic splendor, inclusive of a crown of fire, before confronting Behemoth, a magnificent Cthulhuilike creature. Seems like 'somebody' has been selecting choice Infernal Names from The Satanic Bible!
The aesthetics are enjoyable, the plot intriguing, and the characters remarkable, although the Demoralization Process is present, but can be overlooked for the film's better qualities.
2 not a review - more of a question
I seldom ever write reviews - if somebody likes things I do not like (or viceversa) they are wellcome to it. As they say, de gustibus....
I only have one question to Guillermo Del Toro - can I have another one?!! Please, please please make the second one. I do not want to part with Ron Perlman as Hellboy and with others. I loved every moment of it, I want more!
3 Better than I expected
When I sat down to watch this DVD with my boyfriend, I definitely was expecting it to be horrible. The beginning was a little slow, but that's because I'm not into stuff involving history. I liked the humor of the character Hellboy, and if you're going to get the movie, I definitely recomment the Director's Cut. Well worth the money.
4 Hellboy is heaven, man!
I may have written about 5 reviews in the last 5 years. I only review when I think something is very good or very bad. I watched this movie when it came out in the theaters and many more times on DVD, so that I'm not writing out of sheer excitement from having just seen the movie.
Having said all that, let me just say that I can watch this movie over and over and over and still feel like I can watch it over and over again. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Even though I loved it, this movie is not for everyone. Here are some things that may bother you: slicing and cutting with swords; a stab in the neck; impalement; explosions; some good guys die; kids being mean to a girl; fire; many ugly monsters from medium size to huge; evil "nazi" creatures; suspense under water; etcetera. Oh, and some kitties almost get hurt.
5 Not bad
Something told me this movie could have been better. I enjoyed the movie, but I found most of it instantly forgettable, and I could barely follow what little plot there was, thinking that Hellboy ATE cats, instead of just being partial to them. And why didn't Liz want to come back to where everyone else was? And the Spear Of Destiny, most recently seen in Constantine, and subject of a lot of discussion as to whether it did kill Christ or not, appears, although briefly.
However, I did love Ron Perlman - who shares the same birthday as me. I hadn't previously heard of him, but his dry sarcasm puts him in the same league as Bill Murray in my opinion. He was definitely cute as Hellboy, and the sarcasm was spot on. However, having seen him a photo of him without the Hellboy makeup on (which took four hours to apply), OMG, is it the same guy?! To prepare for his role, Ron read all the Hellboy comics and worked out three hours a day, five to seven days a week (varies). He also worked out while shooting, every day he had off from filming, he would workout. He also broke a rib while filming, after jumping onto a train that was coming towards him at about 45 mph. Very early on in the film's preproduction, the filmmakers considered putting Hellboy's giant stone hand on his left arm rather than the right, so as to grant the actor playing Hellboy the full use of his right hand. Ron Perlman turned out to be left-handed, so the filmmakers were able to preserve the Right Hand of Doom.
There are no opening credits save the 3-D title, which is flown over several times by the camera before it pulls back to reveal the full title. During the closing credits there's a brief shot of Dr. Manning still trying to contact someone on his team and getting nothing in response. A shadow of a Sammael passes in the background as the scene fades back to credits.
Both Mike Mignola and Guillermo del Toro have cameos in this. Mike, Hellboy's creator appears dressed as a knight in a crowd of costumed people menaced by Sammael. Guillermo is dressed as dragon in a crowd of costumed people menaced by Sammael.
Extras are your usual for these movies. They include: commentary by director Guillermo del Toro and "Hellboy"-Creator Mike Mignola; commentary by Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Rupert Evans and Jeffrey Tambor; all-new DVD comics: eight branching DVD comics by Mike Mignola; "Hellboy: The Seeds of Creation" - a 2.5-hour documentary on the making of the film; "Right Hand of Doom: Set Visits" - behind-the-scenes branching feature; "From the Den" Hellboy recommends... Geraldn McBoing Boing animated shorts; feature-length storyboard track; video introduction by Selma Blair; four computer-generated animated scene breakdowns; five Board-a-Matics: side-by-side comparison of scenes with the animated storyboards; animatics; three deleted scenes with optional commentary by Guillermo del Toro; character bios written by the director; maquette 3-D character sculptures video gallery and poster explorations.
I hope the sequel's better than the original, but more in storyline, and making Liz seem a little bit tougher more than anything else. The special effects are brilliant, my favourite is Liz's effects. Definitely worth watching though!
If you're a sucker for finding easter eggs (not the chocolate ones), on Disc 2 go to the Board A Matics Screen. Put cursor on back, then press down. You will see what look like 3 drops appear. Press Enter to see a Wireframe animation of the Apocalypse scene.
6 Hellboy, what a surprise
I thought Hellboy was very good and you can"t say enough about Ron Perlman's portrayal. He was great! With an excellent supporting cast John Hurt, Selma Blair, Ruppert Evans and Jeffrey Tambourn, it all just worked. Guillermo del Toro really made the concept of Hellboy work and there was never a dull moment. Can't wait for 2.
7 Entertaining...
In a time when super hero movies are slowly regaining their popularity, Hellboy unfortunately sits somewhere at the back of the class, smoking a cigar. Not worthy of much more than an exciting shout during its action sequences and an occasional chuckle at Ron Pearlman's witty rhetoric, the movie does have a bad habit of letting its viewers down a little too often. There are other characters who should be more developed, but are not. Story concepts that could be profound, but fall just short of eye-opening.
Regardless, Hellboy is a film that sets out to do what many blockbuster films are meant to do: entertain. If the film had been boasted as "a work of art" then viewers would have good reason to be disappointed. But the film is lush with eye-candy special effects, edge of your seat fight scenes, and Ron Pearlman is the perfect choice to play Hellboy. Too many actors try too hard to capture the torn anti-hero who is just on the edge of switching sides, but Pearlman does an exceptional job. His interpretation of Hellboy shows an anti-hero that is just having too much fun beating the bad guy (although he may never admit it).
DVD buyers should know that this film is worth the price. Amidst a group of recent superhero adaptations that have not been afraid to break the rules, Hellboy may sit at the back of the class, but is too large to go unnoticed.
8 Bad plot, bad music, good CG and fights
I watched Hellboy with this preconception that it was probably going to be bad. I mean, the title, and the name of the main character, was pretty bad already. "Hellboy"? I haven't read the comics, but it sounds like the name of a comedic character who tries to be scary but is frequently the victim of his own clumsiness, perhaps tripping on his own cape, much to the amusement of his peers. But from the trailer, it looks like this movie wanted to take itself seriously. During the opening sequence, when the soldiers first find Hellboy and exclaim "It's a boy!", it felt like they were just trying too hard to justify the name.
The stories has something to do with nazis using the occult, a sect of which is still active today. Hellboy is an agent for a branch of the FBI specifically designed to defend against "paranormal" attacks. The story feels like there's a lot of loose ends, and deus ex machina are applied liberally through the plot. Hellboy ponders with a psychic fish-slash-C3P0 hybrid and a pyrokinetic girl about the treatment of "freaks" on earth, implying that there might be others like them, but we never find out if the three truly are unique, or if, like in the X-Men universe, mutants are actually quite common. At the beginning of the film, it's quite clearly stated that when the "ressurection-monster" is killed, two more are born, and indeed, this is what happens through most of the film. But during the climax, when perhaps a dozen of these monsters have now been spawned into existence thanks to Hellboy's constant slaying, this time, when they are killed, they stay dead. When Hellboy's partner, John, is chained up, and Hellboy is forced to open the gates to hell, John waits until the last minute to slip out of his handcuffs, kill the guard, and save Hellboy. Why didn't he just do this from the start, and save Hellboy from the torment he was put through as he opened the gates? Very unsatisfying, plotwise.
The graphics, on the other hand, were generally well done, though when live actor Hellboy and the the computer-generated Hellboy were visibly different shades of red. The fight scenes have a nice DragonBall feel to them (minus the projectiles and the flying), with lots of impact craters from when the characters are thrown. However, the fights don't feel as dramatic as they might have, because it seems that for all intents and purpose, Hellboy is completely invulnerable to high grade explosives, getting run over by trains, fire, electricity, samurai-sharp blades, and so on. In fact, the only time in which Hellboy is actually in danger of being physically defeated is by some sort of biochemical attack near the beginning of the movie, a strategy which his foe never uses again. This might have worked if the movie focused on emotional or psychological conflict, but really all of Hellboy's obstacles could be solved by pounding his fists into them.
Music was not noticeable, except when it was overdone. There was a theme featuring stringed instruments that came up whenever we were supposed to feel some sense of sentimentality for Hellboy. But again, as it's always completely obvious that Hellboy will win every trial thrown at him in this beat-em-up plot, the music just made me roll my eyes. The worst offender was the scene in which Hellboy tells his girlfriend he would have cross over from life to death to bring her back, obviously an empty promise, given that he's completely invulnerable!
9 Superb, Mainly due to Ron
Looking at the HELLBOY comics, it is hard to see anyone else than Ron Perlman in this role, and thats exactly what the commentary says. As I read it, and hear it, Ron was first and last Choice. The guy is such a master actor, yet oddly enough he is probably type-cast ( in terms of profile, not simply because his is one hell of an actor).
The touch that really works here is detail. The Director is, seemingly, a master of making the most of what he has, and doing it in amazing ways. The use of mirrors in one subteranean sequence is a master work.
Together with the creator of HELLBOY, and a team of skilled actors, and staff, the director evinces a world from the comics in a superb. Finally, it does boil down to the actors, and all else augments what they do, as it should, and the end result is a great potboiler.
Enjoy !!!
10 Awesome movie made better with a 2disc edition!!!
I really dont know what these other people are complaining,
cleary they dont know a good film when they see it and Hellboy
was a great film!! Loads of action, an original story and
new comic character for movie fans to love and laugh with.
Guillermo de Toro, the Latin filmmaker who made Blade II shows
that he can make successful and popular films back to back.
Toro is starting to gain quite a following and its good to see.
Ron Pearlman is great as Hellboy.
The special effects were unreal and this 2 disc dvd is the
perfect gift for any scifi or movie action buff!!!
Get it!!!!
11 HELL NO! (2 1/2 STARS)
This movie had good special FX,
but got boring pretty fast! Not
the worst movie I've ever seen,
but not the best either. Atleast
the disc has good sound quality.
12 First I Didn't, Then I Did!
Hellboy grew on me to point where I paid 32.00 for the Director's Cut.
The first viewing didn't leave much of an impression. We have cable and I couldn't find the remote and Hellboy was being shown and I left it on.
The second time around, the respect and love Hellboy had for his "father" became obvious. I wish there had more scenes between John Hurt and Ron Perlman. They both are very good actors and, I thought, deserved more screen time together.
Also, the second viewing left me feeling cheated. There were hints of greatness overshadowed by a three-eyed reptile-dog with Medusa like locks. Just when I began to get interested, the movie degenerated into a chase scene, in a subway. 2004 must be the subway action pack movie year.
Roger Ebert did give "Hellboy" 3&1/2 stars. After a talk with a movie buff friend, I gave it another chance.
What I had originally viewed as 'been there, done that' with some of the scenes, was actually Del Toro's homage to "Star Wars" and 'Raiders', and even to "Men In Black".
The main problem I was having with the movie was lighting. It was grey and dark and dim, even when shot outside on a supposedly sunny day. It took about 50 viewings for me to find all the care and detail that went into making this film, and this film was made with serious attention to detail. I just noticed the scroll-work on Sammael's body, and that was literally after about 50 viewings.
I watched it again. Biddy Hodson's brilliant portrayal of Ilsa grabbed my attention. She played the little blonde Nazi snickerdoodle (with a sledgehammer always handy) with a cold vengence, smashing her way through the movie and delivering some of its best lines.
It came on again and Jeffrey Tambor made me giggle.
And so on, and so on, and so on...until I became an addict.
Then I began to worry that it might be taken Off Starz! On Demand ... so I though I'd better buy it.
And so I did.
One ironically sad piece of information, uncovered in the director's cut, was that the movie was pulled from many theaters because of its title. Theater owners didn't want the movie playing at Easter time. This movie is so laden with Christian belief and religion as a weapon in fighting the monsters of evil, it could be considered as biased towards Catholicisim. Yes, Hellboy is a crucifix wearing, rosary toting demon with an undying love and respect towards his human Catholic "father".
See the movie, a few times. Itis worth it.
mah
13 Awful Movie!
Do not buy this unless you've seen it and like it. Save your money.
14 Hellboy as seen through the gay British critic
I know that a lot of you out there firmly believe that I like to think of myself as a high brow film snob who considers all forms of mainstream action to be beneath him, and actually youd be
right.
Myself a British pansy, I am a film snob who wouldnt know a good
film if it bit him on the butt.
but the fact is that I've always had a bit of a soft spot of the old fashioned comic book super hero movie. The film Hellboy was one that instantly grabbed my attention because it had one of the best concepts since a young college geek was first bitten by a radioactive spider. Those all geeks like myself would see
anything.
It tells the story of a young scientist named Trevor Bruttenholm (pronounced Broom) who leads a group of American GIs to Great Britain in order to stop Rasputin The Mad Monk and a clockwork Nazi zombie, Karl Ruprect Kroenen, from opening up a portal to hell. They succeed in killing Rasputin, again, but not before the portal is opened long enough to let some great evil through. That evil turns out to be a small red demon child with a large, nigh on indestructible, red arm that Bruttenholm adopts as his own. This child is then raised by a secret branch of the government that hides the existence of the supernatural from the public (Think MIB for demons) and who raise him to become the crime fighting super hero Hellboy.
Thats about it the acting was average , but then seeing
as I am a geek ill say it was great!!! (laugh at me).
The effects were spectacular but it didnt do all of it for the
gay critic, but I give it thumbs up
15 you do that blue fame thing, girlfriend!
A flick that can easily rival XMEN, but unfortunately , than characters are a little more complex than "Dude with metal claws that kicks ass!" or "Hot chick that can move things". That's one thing that I loved about this movie, and it's a welcome change. The movie is centered around Hellboy ( Ron Perlman ) and a gang of pseudo Xmen as they live among human, battling evil in all of it's forms, etc. etc. etc.
Anyway, the movie rocked (the best part was Selma Blair's blue fame thingy), unfortunately, the plot was so overwhelming, than fans will be left wondering if Hellboy #2 (if there is one) can measure up! But hell, I can't wait for it!
Acting - 3.5
Fight scenes - 4
Sfx - 4.5
Plot - 3
Time given to go to the toilet - 2
Good first date movie - 3
Total - 3.75
16 What a hero.....
Just proves you can overcome your birth. Hellboy was born out of a hole in a transcendental portal that was a joint project of Rasputin and the Nazis in a last-ditch attempt to create the New World Order.
He was raised by Prof. Bloom and works for the Bureau of Psychic Phenomenon, a group set together to battle evil. He's red as an apple, smokes stogies, files his horns to fit in, and likes cats.
The graphics, the concept is faithful to the comics. I think the action could have been upped a bit. There are quite a few slower portions in the films unlike Xmen, or Blade, for example.
Overall, a good and interesting film and an essential for Hellboy comic fans who want a 'complete set.'
17 What The Hellboy Is This? Beep! Beep!
This Movie Was The Bomb In The Hood, Yo. There Wasn't Enough Blood, In The Hood. This Movie Was Pretty Shizzy-Bizzy, Dawg. In The Hood, That's All I Have To Say Dawg.
18 Hell boys (and girls)... get this movie!
Sorry bout the corny title... I am a punster at heart. This movie was an excellent comic book adaptation. I think that too many folks are expecting everything to be handed to them in their movie experiences these days. With sci-fi, fantasy and this type of movie... sometimes we have to give a little as the audience too. I think this movie gave just enough background to paint the palette and let us use our imagination to fill in the rest of the story universe. The story (for the most part) stayed true to the comic and was decipherable with a minimum of effort. It was easy to be sympathetic to Hellboy and to know who the good and bad guys were. And in the end, isn't that what we want from this kind of movie... a little ethical conflict tossed in with some great butt whipping emotional release??? Just my two cents. Last thought - this may not have had the special effects or gloss of x-men or other movies, but I thought the story line and acting carried the movie just fine.. A good movie in which to invest a Friday or Saturday evening!
19 Ron Perlman scores as Hellboy.....a great ride
Hellboy is directed by Guiellrmo Del Toro(Mimic and Blade 2) and stars Ron Perlman(Blade 2, Star Trek:Nemesis), Selma Blair(Storytelling, Kill Me Later), Karl Roden(Bulletproof Monk, Blade 2) and Jeffrey Tambor(Teaching Mrs. Tingle, The Grinch2001). The movie is a great ride with Ron Perlman as a fantastic Hellboy giving off 100%. To me though I think the end kinda wore it down a bit but other then that it was one hell of a trip. The higlight is where Hellboy is stalking down Selma Blair's character who's with FBI guy John Myers and the little kid is giving Hellboy advice on girls.
20 Boring
This movie would appeal to 12 year olds if it wasent for all that nazi\ocult mumbo jumbo. There's no cursing either. Well im sorry but when your grabbed by a 40 ft darklord from the portol of zadar or whatever it was you say more then 'oh crap'. Hitlers main assasin started out as rather menacing but the way he was disposed...well it was so anti-climatic. I was expecting a showdown. Selma blair plays the same dumb idiot with the same dumb voice in every movie. The script was horrific. I thought it was supposed to be a comedy at first. Oh yeah and the whole romance thing, a mean the shear mechanics of hellboy and firegirl getting it on are mind-bogling. Lets hope there's a spare shower cap in the bathroom other wise we might have to sit through hellboy 2:the spawn of hellboy and firegirl. The whole rasputin\nazi crossover was stupid. And that fish man? did he have a point in this. Jonathan hurt is a fantastic actor, its an embarassment to think he even accepted such a role. Save your money. If your looking for a superhero flick then watch x men or that old 80 cartoon, super ted(my favorite superhero) *starts singing* 'super ted shoots through the air, like a streak of red! Suuuuuuper ted...Superted!' Superted is this teddybare that was going to be thown away until a yellow and green alien named spotty rescues him an takes him to mother earth and she turns him into a super hero. He and spotty then have to fight against a gay skeleton called bones and an evil texan called tex. Sound improbable? It makes more sense then hellboy.
21 FANTASTIC HERO...TOUCHING STORY
*HELLBOY: The Director's Cut*
What does it take to be a man? That is a very good question. Some take their manhood for granted, while others risk their lives and become a man by accident. This story is much deeper than it appears. I was truly touched, towards the end of the movie, when Hellboy makes his choices between right and wrong.
There's not much, if any, foul language. For todays standards it was very tame. Nor is it really all that scary. But there are some neat and bizarre monsters, great special effects and lots of action.
Dads...I highly recommend this movie. Sit down with your 13 year old or older son and enjoy this fantastic film. Then ask him what he thinks it takes to be a man. I bet he'll want to be a "GOOD" and "HONORABLE" person. Don't let the title fool you, there is something to be learned from a movie like this. Not to mention it's just stinking neat to watch. Ron Pearlman is fantastic. He really makes Hellboy a respectable SUPERHERO with a great sense of honor and a great sense of humor.
This movie is deeper than it appears. 2 THUMBS UP...WAAAY UP!!!
22 Woohoo! My Favorite Superhero.
Initially, I really had no desire to see this, but WOW! I was hooked. For a big red guy with horns he was actually kinda hot!
The fact that they tied a love story into it just made it that much better! i was amazed at the storyline. It will always fascinate me how people come up with this stuff. I haven't had a chance to buy it yet but I cant wait until I do. This is the first superhero movie that I really liked (dont get me wrong, Spiderman was cool.
23 Finnaly!!!!!! a Superhero with human feelings and conflicts
This is a unique story, for a number of reasons, our central caracther Hellboy despite being a supernatural being have issues regarding his origins, his father, love , his aspect , good and evil, the figth against the bad ones etc. his vulnerability is evident. The Nazi forces return at the present time after in 1944 their confabulation with evil dark forces to take control of all the world nations are frustrated thanks to the aliated forces and specially U.S.A. army and a very experimented expert in paranormal area from the American goverment , being almost a baby demon Hellboy is adopted and raised by this expert and becomes the only father figure our hero have, inside the headquarters of this goverment division in charge of paranormal activities Hellboy grows up with Selma Blairs carachter and falls in love with her , Selma is a girl that have her own supernatural powers , she can explode and throw fire from her hands if her emotions are out of her control , if she feel anger or if she feel love with intensity , they form a unique couple but she have her doubts anyway and for this reason Hellboy experience human conflicts , however the central problem will force them to realize and decide quickly what is gonna happen with this issues before be too late because evil forces are back and will try to complete what they meant to finish in 1944 and then the civilization as we know in this days would be so different and chaos would reign.
This is a stunning film , again proudly Tapatio director Guillermo Del Toro have offered to us a masterpiece in comic based films and transform the story so we can relate to it at leat in the human emotions facts wich never before superhero stories gave to the public and this is refreshing for a change.
HM
24 Great lead character...in search of a better story
This was a thin concept that never made enough use of its star - Ron Pereleman. An indestructible demon brought to Earth by Nazis during WWII (which overlapped with the "Occult Wars"), Hellboy was found by American soldiers and raised by a kindly professor (John Hurt) to fight evil. Though he can clear tall buildings in a single bound and utter no more than "oh, crap", Perelman brings out a decidedly human side to the character. HB has been working for our side - specifically the kind of super-secret organization that exists only in comic books or movie adaptations of them. We first meet HB through the eyes of John Meyers - a young transfer from the FBI, who finds that his new job involves following HB around and making sure to have plenty of candy bars around for the right moment. Though HB seems to have things under control, two problems nag him. The first is his unrequited love for Liz (Selma Blair) an emotionally scarred fire-starter (she doesn't like the word "pyrokinetic"). His larger problems involve plans to complete the world-destroying plot that began with HB's arrival on Earth.
I really wanted to like this movie, mostly because Perlman brings surprising earnestness to his role of demon who likes kittens and can't get the girl. The best thing about comic books is that they work as great ensemble pieces (a team of heroes, or a solitary hero working against a great villain). Unfortunately, the script gives HB little support. Rupert Evans as Myers can do little more than follow HB around, and keep him supplied with mounds of pancakes and gallons of chili, and there aren't enough scenes between Perlman and Blair or with his Hurt. There's a scene midway in which Jeffrey Tambor, HB's reluctant boss, reminds him that theirs is a team effort - yet much of their back-up is anonymous. Even the villain is generic - the kind of old-world sounding occult dude we had enough of in "Underworld". The basic plot riffs on Lovecraft, but so did "Ghostbusters" 20 years ago. In the end, HB becomes little more than Perlman v. CGI, a match that underrates the talents of both Perlman and his character. HB is still nothing if not satisfying, though you never get past the sense it could have been so much more.
25 A surprisingly enjoyable movie
First of all, I'm not a SCI-FI fan and have never read a single comic book in my life so this review is not based on my previous love/hate of this character or the comic book it is based on.
The one thing I really like in the movie is the lead character of HellBoy and the actor Ron Perlman who played it to near perfection. This was the first time I even knew there's a comic-book character called HellBoy but watching Ron Perlman playing him felt like I know the character for a long time. The plot of the movie in reasonably interesting and you won't feel bored by different twists and turns. The director could've done more on the character development of the other characters except the lead role but the lead character's interestingly funny performance compensates that to quite an extent. This could be because I don't know other characters (as I've never read the comics it is based upon) but many other characters are just like two-dimensional pictures filling the scenery. A little more effort could've brought this movie at par with Spiderman2 where every character is alive and fitting in the movie.
I played this movie for my 4-year old son but both my wife and I ended up watching it and we actually enjoyed this as a family movie. There's no blood and guts flying all over the horizon, there's no vulgarity in the dialogs even when they're spoken by the villains and there're no super-sexy barely dressed female heroes/villains so you can practically sit with your kids and watch this movie ... and enjoy it.
26 "For her I'll cross over... and then you'll be sorry"
This is a really great movie, because it takes so many things from various HELLBOY stories(and not just of Seed of Destruction) and captures the look and feel of the comics. Thoroughly recommended for any fan of a good action movie, superheroe movie, and specially for any HELLBOY or Mike Mignola fan. The best comic inspired movie yet (I even liked it better than Spider-Man 2 and X2, even though I was a fan of those properties YEARS before I was a fan of Hellboy). A trully great film and a must buy DVD (tons of extras). A++
27 Glad I borrowed it!
Ever watch a video at home and say "geeze I'm glad I didn't buy that one!?" Well this is one of them. I thought for a moment I was watching "Raider of the lost Ark"..then it all went south...I mean what the heck? I like logical progression...this isnt that..a Baby Ruth lovin' little red devil...(how'd that get there?) next thing..a full grown trouble makin', head grindin' cigar smokin' monster fighter..with a bad attitude. Well one good thing..I still have my money....
28 Masterpiece
The Director's Cut is only for those who liked Hellboy, but didn't really love it. The Director's cut is magnificent. You truly begin to understand the movie. All the underlying, implied scenes are masterfully expanded upon. You truly get to see what a genius Guillermo is.
In my opinion, I think he purposefully made the original Hellboy bland and 2 dimensional, because this one made the characters more 3 dimensional. If you thought the characters already had real emotions behind the larger than life prowess, than you'll think that you almost know them and what they are doing.
There is finally a true sense of place, because every scene is easily illustrated with the location name. You understand the mythology behind everything, as the entire story is compounded with facts such as more behind Sammael, a little more on Kroenen, and also a very interesting scene of Rasputin getting a haircut. If you weren't very attentive, then this scene will immediately let you know that you're not watching the same movie.
The movie is allowed a sense of kind freedom, as the moments of levity and freedom are enhanced, which in hand make the moments of sadness and strife that much more compelling. All i know is that i'm only halfway through the movie and i'm already writing this review. I don't care if he added a ton more after the point I am at, I just know that right now, this director's cut is amazing.
29 Please, Guillermo, Old Fellow, Go Back to Making Real Movies
This movie presupposes a somewhat Lovecraftesque demonology where we are to imagine that a host of evil slimy tentacled things live in a dimension beyond us and are always in danger of seeping through. Here an evil alliance of Hitler and Rasputin (You heard - remember it's a comic book adaptation!) open a `portal' to this world of scary goobledeegook and, before the goodies can shut them down, in comes, not a host of evil things but a cute wee demon baby. Cut to the present day when baby, adopted by now very elderly John Hurt, the guy in charge of the FBI's supersecret paranormal defence outfit, has grown to manhood as a monstrous, indestructible, fireproof (This will come in handy for his love life.) odd-looking red thing played by Ron Perlman. The FBI keep him in reserve to fight off attacks from occult forces. Which is handy because in the meantime...
I seem to have seen a lot of this cgi-drenched stuff lately. There was, let me see, `League of Extraordinary Gentlemen', `Van Helsing', `I Robot'. All garbage as you may have noticed yourself. This wasn't quite garbage and was certainly significantly better than the aforementioned turkeys but surely a bit disappointing given its authorship which had me very much wanting in advance to like it more. I first noticed the existence of Guillermo del Toro in the late 90s when `Mimic' seemed to be one of the neatest and most effective horror movies I'd seen for ages. Then he followed that with the brilliant `The Devil's Backbone', not just scary as hell but beautiful and deep. Looked very much like an interesting new guy at work in movieland. Then what he does is follow `The Devil's Backbone' with erm, `Blade 2'. Which I watched just because it was Del Toro - and it wasn't bad as such stuff goes. And now this. And it seems a sequel on the way. Such films are OK maybe but Mr del Toro's talents are surely horribly wasted on them. But, in any case, I'm down on cgi. I also just watched the `Ginger Snaps' movies with their super cheap guys-in-wolf-costume effects, which can't compare to all this high-tech spectacle and yet is so much better, so much more real than these movies that feel like cartoons with their lifeless computer-generated armies of monsters. This is better than most I stress (though not as good as Ang Lee's brilliant `Hulk', the glorious exception to my general whinging here) but has that same lifeless feel. I guess it's technically well put together and generally well acted. But if I ask myself, honestly, Is it remotely scary the way `Mimic' and `Backbone' so memorably were? - the answer has to be `No.' If I ask, Is it exciting is the Spielbergian way we look for in straight action films? - the answer is really `No'. Partly because Hellboy is just too tough, too indestructible. It's a no-brainer that, yes, sure he's going to win this fight scene. And the next one two. So a bit boring all in all. And the end is a bit feeble and something of a cop-out.
30 There should be ZERO star options
Hellboy has to be the most overrated piece of crap since Spiderman 2 and the worst comic book movie next to those other duds(Daredevil,The Hulk). Ron Perlman is really badly casted as the main character Hellboy and the other actors/actresses were wasted as well, The storyline deals with Hellboy battling monsters and trying to kill a villian with the help of others. Hellboy seemed like a Sci/Fi channel movie than a comic book movie and the special effects looked like the kind you see on Power Rangers. the real hell is watching 125 minutes(PG-13 version) or 131 minutes(Director's Cut) on a mess like this. PLEASE AMAZON PUT A ZERO STAR RATING BECAUSE FILM S LIKE THESE AND OTHERS DESERVE IT.
31 "Salt collected from the tears of 1,000 angels"
A very pleasant surprise, Hellboy, brings to the screen exactly what the title implies: the story of a devil that crossed over from hell through an experiment conducted during WWII, and the life he lives hunting down monsters and protecting mankind!
I have to admit that I did not know what to expect from the film, but as it turns out it was a very pleasant and entertaining movie.
In short, the acting is above average, the special effects are excellent, and the plot is a pretty good one.
There are slight hints of the X-Files, and strong/obvious elements of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Van Helsing and the X-Men, so the movie falls into the action/adventure/sci fi type of category.
On the negative side can we not find something more original than the USUAL German/Nazi "bad guy" clichŽ, together with the USUAL crazy/deranged/dangerous Russian "boogieman" leading to the USUAL need to be rescued by the benevolent Americans? Is that too much to ask?
Moreover, Selma Blair playing "Liz" was not that wonderful. The "misfit who doesn't belong" has way too many similarities with characters from the X-Men.
In addition, it's too bad "Ilsa" had such a small role in the film; seems like she could be a rising star...
In a nutshell, though not a masterpiece, Hellboy will surely provide for an evening's entertainment. A movie definitely worth watching!
32 Beyond Terrible
Quite simply, one of the worst movies I have ever had the unfortunate luck to sit through. There are always loyal fans for every possible movie, however, this is so bad, that for those of us just looking for a good casual movie to view on a lazy Saturday night I felt compelled to write this to keep people from wasting time they can never get back.
33 I wish the plot justified the cool tech aspects
There were some interesting scenes in this comic book adaptation by Mike Mignola, but ultimately, the hackneyed plot and confusing storyline outweighed the nifty artistic flourishes. The movie begins in WWII-era Russia, where the nazis open a gate to hell for just long enough to allow a baby demon to escape. An American scientist adopts him and raises him as a force for good. We then cut to present day, where a full grown Hellboy is teamed with other mutants to go get the bad boys at the behest of the government. But when the old nazis return from the dead to take their revenge, Hellboy has his most challenging adventure yet.
Some of the fight scenes are really cool, as are some of the character concepts (one of the villains is a clockwork assassin, for example). And Perlman's acting combined with his cool makeup job carry most of his scenes. There are also some funny moments that Perlman brings off exceptionally well, as when he jealously shadows Selma Blair when she has some intimate moments with a mutual acquaintance. Ultimately, thought, the action scenes get more dominant and less interesting, leading to a climax that is all about tying up loose ends.
34 A suprising film....bonus features are lame..... EGGS
When I first saw the trailer to this film, i admit i turned my nose up at it. It looked to be another one of those stupid, over the top, CGI overboard movies. I ignored it completly when it came out in theatres.
I only watched it on a rainy day when I had nothign better to do, and nothing better to watch. (my old man bought it if you care) and to my suprise, the movie was absolutly nothing like I thought it would be. It was the complete opisote!
I wasnt expecting anything but something i'd eventualy turn off after a while, but it was not boring or turning me off with over-used CGI or corney little things that dont make sense or are put there for no reason. I had no idea what comic book the movie was based on, i'd never heard of Hellboy. So I was actualy quite suprised to have enjoyed this film.
I wont bother with another reveiw of what it's about, there should be enough here already about the plot and whos in it ect....
what I will say to those who do own the DVD.
There is a couple of hidden features if you havent already found them.
After Intro Speech: On disc 1 play that stupid intro thing, then when it's done and your back on the main menu, press up and you'll have selected to little yellow dot things, press enter on your remote and you can watcch that guy say some things about his cue card.
Quotes: go to the special features menu. Highlight the main menu bit, then press down, some more of those things will be selected, press enter and you'll get a screen with qoutes from whoever that guy is. Press your arrow keys to toggle through them.
Credits: Heres a real thrilling one, do the same as above, highlight menu, then press down, now press down again and press enter and you get to veiw the DVD credits, whoo hoooo
2nd disc
Alternate Intro(Storyboard): on the main menu select "Kroenans Lair" then select "animatics" then on the next screen press down twice and enter.
Apocolypse Veiw: select "Board-a-mati" from the "Kroenen's Lair" and like the last egg, press down twice & then enter, and you will get to watch a pre visualisation of the apocolypse bit.
Egg Hatching Storyboard: go to the 'Storyboard Comparison' menu, accessible from "Kroenen's Lair." press the Down arrow key once again and follow it up by the 'Enter' key and you will be treated to a multi-angle storybaord-to-film comparison of the space devil hatching sequence.
Another Cartoon: go to the 'Animatics' in 'Kroenen's Lair.' In the following menu press the 'Down' arrow key on your remote control until you highlight another three rings. This will give you the chance to view a short cartoon movie of Cpl. GeorgeMatlin, Combat Photographer.
35 the additional minutes make this a five starred one
The theatrical cut was good, four stars. But now, thanks to the added minutes, the story and the characters get the time to develop the way they should have. The love story between Liz and Hellboy finally makes sense, the dark forces receive more depth and the humor hits you harder because you finally get the time to laugh without fearing to lose the story. Mignola did wonderful work with the comic books. His art and storytelling are splendid. G.del Toro obviously respects and loves the comics and in adding his own wit, grace and professionalism makes this film one of the very best comic-to-films. Ron Perlman shaving his horns .... my favorite scene of the year!
36 hellyboy
this movie is high pace full of laughs and action. really good movie to watch.
37 Incredible! More than a simple comic adaption.
Late in World War II the Nazis, in a desperate attempt to change the course of the war, conduct a ritual to bring forth a demon from hell that will bring about the end of the world and a new Eden. U.S. soldiers interrupt the ceremony and the demon is instead brought up by a professor of the paranormal as a monster fighter (along with others of unique backgrounds and gifts). Sixty years later, those who birthed Hellboy are back for him and the end of the world.
I loved this movie! Loved it! For anyone who is interested in history and cultural mythology and believes that movies, to some extent, are the telling of old tales in new ways (and some will become tomorrow's myths), "Hellboy" will definitely keep that belief alive. Not to mention it's simply just one exciting damn fine fun kick ass movie! There is not a weak performance (onscreen by actors or offscreen by crew) in this film. You do not have to be a fan of the comic to enjoy this movie. It's fantastic storytelling mix of family devotion, burgeoning love, acceptance of personal power, overcoming prejudice, sacrifice, with action, comedy, horror, comic book stylized evil and one of the eeriest bad guys ever to weld a knife, as well as one of the most intense (and well dressed) villains to ever threaten the earth.
Ron Perlman has the lead and, as in the past, gives the excellent magic of make up artist Rick Baker life. He takes what would be for most actors stifling full make up and a weighty cumbersome costume and gives the audience a being with the flesh of a demon, the voice of a dark angel, the attitude of a blue collar worker, the humor of a college student, the mind of a professor, the heart of a young man in love, and the soul of a human being.
Favorite line: "There are things that go bump in the night Agent Myers, make no mistake about that, and we are the ones who bump back."
Favorite line spoken by Ron Perlman (a lot): "Awe, crap."
I highly recommend getting both the 2 DVD special edition and the 3 DVD director's cut if only for the different commentaries that director Guillermo Del Toro does for each version (he'll get Best Director/Picture Oscars one day, right along with Best Screenplay, and there should also be a new category created due to his inspiration: Best Commentary).
38 Amazing, outstanding and a lot more besides...
This movie is, in a word, perfect. Ron Perlman...well, I can't think of anyone better for the part and this gives him a chance to shine (which he does), whereas his other movies have not given him much of an opening. Another part that blew me away was Abe Sapien. Again, perfect casting in the form of David Hyde Pierce who brings quirk and emotion to the character. John Hurt as Professor BROOM is another character well done. And Selma Blair is another perfect choice as Liz, the female firestarter.
There are so many things about this movie that stunned me but the other that I must touch upon is the visuals. The demon hound Sammael is excellently done and his battles with Hellboy are not only believable but they draw you into the action. Of course, Hellboy's sarcastic comments add much to the overall scheme of things.
Rasputin, the 'mad monk'is another favourite (I always love movies involving interesting characters from history) but the villain who I can't put into words is Karl Kroenen. Forget Darth Maul, this guy has some skill with a nasty sword. And his face...well, I won't say anything else about his face except eeww.
And let's not forget the DVD itself. I don't know if over-the-top is quite the right phrase but I mean; there's probably about 20 hours worth of extras there. Not that that's a bad thing but still...
Not going to see this movie and, yes, buying the Director's Cut would probably be the biggest mistake of your life and that is, I think, the best way to sum up this movie!
39 Don't Take the Subway
Hellboy is the perfect anti-hero. Born in a moment when the gates between this world and a dimension of evil stood open, his intended purpose was evil. But one of those strange chances from which action films are made catapults the newborn demon into the arms of Professor Trevor Bruttenholm (John Hurt). A candy bar later, Hellboy (Ron Perlman) is a convert to the side of good.
Too grotesque to fit into society, massively strong and completely impulsive, Hellboy becomes a demon hunter. But he continually skirts the edge of exposure, and his brash and extreme attitude are a trial to his foster father and the agents who fund and support the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense.
When Grigori Rasputin (Karl Roden) returns to the living with the single purpose of once more forcing open the gates to evil, Hellboy joins fish man Abe Sapiens in an effort to track the evil down to its source, and, with a massive display of special effects, turn back the dark.
The love interest (there has to be one) is Liz Sherman (Selma Blair). Like Hellboy and Abe, Liz is special. If she loses control of herself explosive fires happen - buildings burn down. Hellboy loves her, but is acutely aware of his limitations. Liz, is afraid of the power of love, fearful of what she might do in a moment of passion. Hellboy (who is inflammable) would seem to be a perfect fit, but there is a tender dysfunctionality to their relationship.
The effects are spectacular with wild creature chases, subway chases, mortuary chases, transformations and an entire collection of onderful sets. But the film really has much more to offer than its eye-candy. The script, which could easily have become a string of banalities, has real meat to it, and the central characters may be impossible, but they are entirely believable. Director Guillermo del Toro has found the heart of an action film and created an inadvertant classic.
Make a point of seeing this. You will find countless goodies on the side, including extended commentaries.
40 Horns & Cigars & Baby Ruth Bars: Raising Hell!
Big. Red. Boasts a pair of char-blackened horns growing up from his skull, surmounted by the eternally burning Crown of the Apocalypse. For millennia his coming has been foretold by Prophets and dreaded by visionaries. He is called Anung un Rama, "The Beast of the Apocalypse", bearer of Right Hand of Doom and opener of the Gate between Hell and Earth.
He's also known as Hellboy, and he has a soft spot for Baby Ruth bars, stogies, and cats. Oh, and did I mention he's the Good Guy?
Christened "Hellboy" by the Allied dogfaces who rescued him from the ruins of the Nazi occult Project Ragnarok, this Demon princeling and child of the Pit is now in the care of the Bureau of Paranormal Research & Defense---though as Hero or Prisoner it's not quite certain---to track down the forces of Evil and Darkness, and whack it upside the head. Hard.
Fans of the graphic novel wondered whether Del Toro, who had directed "The Devil's Backbone" and "Blade 2", could manage to conjure the magic of Mike Mignola's masterwork---replete with elaborate chiaroscuro illustrations and obscure historical allusions and references (the Thule Society, Grigory Rasputin, the slumbering beasts culled straight from the Lovecraft mythos)---into a studio-produced feature film---and not drown the flick in hours of exposition?
Del Toro pulled it off brilliantly, working ferociously with Director of Photography Guillermo Navarro to bring Mignola's high style and potent brew of lumbering star-spawned monsters, diabolical Nazis, undead assassins, grave-bound liches, international plots, and brutal secret societies up on the big screen.
Del Toro plunges us down onto a rain-spattered storm-besieged Scottish island in 1944. The Third Reich is collapsing under the relentless Allied onslaught in the West and the Soviet steamroller in the East. Desperate, Hitler's Thule Society dispatched former Russian "Mad Monk" Grigory Rasputin (Karel Roden, channeling the crazed ascetic) to rip open a portal into another dimension, unleashing the slumbering eldritch beasts of the Ogdru-Jahad---slavering demons---upon the Allies.
American G.I.s break up the party, but too late---something slips through: a fire-engine red little Imp with a taste for Baby Ruth bars. The dogfaces name him "Hellboy".
From there we cut to the present, where Hellboy (Ron Perelman, who just owns the movie) is all growed up into a full-fledged Demon, doing Hellboy things: pumping iron, surrounded by legions of his beloved cats, smoking a stogie, eating pancakes.
Oh, and he files his horns down. To "fit in".
The young Professor "Broom" Bruttenholm (the flawless John Hurt), who discovered Hellboy, has also aged---but Hellboy clocks his birthdays according to Hell's timetable. Bruttenholm is pushing 85 and looking for a successor. The candidate: young FBI Agent John Myers (Rupert Evans, doing a good job of looking nervous), who serves Hellboy his pancakes and rides with him and telepathic Fish-pal Abe Sapien (body by Doug Jones, voice by David Hyde Pierce, fondness for raw eggs) on a five-alarm demon-stomp at the Museum of Natural History.
The rest of the flick is a wild, sleekly visual, hyper-kinetic Devil's hayride of Cool, High Style, and demon-on-demon action. It's not a big surprise when Hellboy's battle royale with "Hound of the Resurrection" Sammael leads the BPRD to grimmer stuff: a global plot headed up by sinister plotters thought long dead: Rasputin, his yummy Teutonic squeeze Ilsa (Biddy Hodson channeling Eva Braun), and undead Nazi killer Karl Ruprect Kroenen (Ladislav Beran, who steals every scene he wheezes, slices, and dices through), who makes up in razor-bladed carnage what he lacks in conversation.
"Hellboy" is 360 degrees of cool. Stop the tape a minute: let's rewind to that scene on the remote Scottish island. Look at the windswept, ghoul-haunted ruins; check out Rasputin's jerry-rigged Hand of Doom, ringed with crispy globules chittering and crackling with electricity; marvel at the waves of darkness as the nervous G.I.'s scramble across the slick black rock, while white-suited insect-eyed Nazi scientists gear up the machinery to tear Hell wide open---and glance nervously into the hungry shadows. Note the way that krieg light slips into the well between the worlds, spins in a graceful balletic arc toward the slumbering crystallized Elder Gods, and bumps against it, startling open a drowsy demon eye. Nice. Del Toro is also consummately in control of his sound, moving instantly from pandemonium to dead silence.
Guillermo keeps an iron hand on his little railroad to the Apocalypse: the direction is tight, neat, furious, fast-paced. The acting is all superior: Ron Perelman lives and breathes Hellboy. Jeff Tambor maintains deniability and smokes his stogie like a champ as the BPRD chieftain and uber-honcho. I've never liked Selma Blair: I find her google-eyes and over-large hands more Abe Sapien than sex-kitten, and she comes across as thoroughly disjointed and completely messed up. Given that her character is equally psycho, she works.Karel Roden growls and snarls and menaces effectively; Kroenen rocks the world without saying a word.
But the real star of the show is Guillermo Navarro's flawless cinematography and Del Toro's tight directorial hand. Grab the Director's cut of the DVD: not only is it stuffed with extras you'd need a demon's lifetime to appreciate, but the extra footage and transfer add considerably to the final cut. Time to raise some Hell.
JSG
41 "I hate those comic books. They never get the eyes right."
The 2004 comic book-inspired film "Hellboy" was quite entertaining. Created by Mike Mignola and first published in 1994 by Dark Horse Comics (which was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson in Oregon), Hellboy is a red demon that works as a paranormal investigator and fights occult threats for the fictional U.S. Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense. As depicted in the 2004 film, Hellboy arrives on Earth under rather unusual circumstances. A fictionalized version of Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin (Karel Roden) did not die during the Russian Revolution. Instead, he works for the Nazis in the 1940's with the promise of giving them a powerful supernatural means of defeating the Allies. (The real Rasputin, 1869?-1916, was a Russian mystic and famed occultist for Tsar Nicholas II.) Using strange & sophisticated equipment with the aid of Nazi scientists, Rasputin constructs a machine that can open a doorway into another realm inhabited by long-ago banished beings. Rasputin succeeds in the opening the doorway just as U.S. troops attack their site. Rasputin is seemingly killed, but something did come through the mystical doorway: a young, red demon. Professor Trevor Bruttenholm (John Hurt), who had traveled with the U.S. troops, finds the young demon and raises it as his own child. Naming the demon Hellboy, it grows into a large and powerful being (played by Ron Perlman); but instead of becoming an instrument of destruction as envisioned by Rasputin, Hellboy becomes a powerful force for good. However, not everyone who assisted Rasputin the night that he opened the doorway was killed or captured, including Rasputin's lover Ilsa (Biddy Hodson) and the very dark and bizarre man Karl Ruprect Kroenen (Ladislav Beran). In present day along with Hellboy at the super-secret Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense is the amphibian humanoid ("icthyo sapien") known as Abe Sapien (Doug Jones), but one of the paranormal agents has recently opted to stay in a mental hospital, the pyrokinetic Liz Sherman (Selma Blair). Professor Bruttenholm selects newbie agent John Myers (Rupert Evans) to become Hellboy's new partner, who takes an interest in getting Liz back to the bureau; which is a good thing since Ilsa and Karl intend to resurrect Rasputin to carry out his evil plans.
With a fair bit of acting, a touch of humor, good special effects and an interesting story, "Hellboy" is an entertaining and engaging film. Other memorable characters include Agent Clay (Corey Johnson), the kid on the rooftop (Rory Copus) and the deceased Ivan Klimatovich. My least favorite character is the head of the bureau, Tom Manning (Jeffrey Tambor). Mike Mignola, who was also one of the film's associate producers, played a brief (and uncredited) moment in the film as knight. The film's director (and co-writer), Guillermo del Toro, also had a brief, uncredited role in the film as a dragon. Memorable scenes include the Nazis, Myers' arrival, Hellboy's fights, Liz's fire-starting abilities and the closing scenes. Overall, I rate the 2004 "Hellboy" with 4 out of 5 stars and highly recommend it.
42 I have seen better
I enjoyed VanHelsing and the Blade series, but for some reason this one was too much. May just be a generation gap.
43 The Right Way to Adapt a Comic Book
I'd never heard of "Hellboy" before the movie. When it was released, I delayed in seeing it for some reason. Now that I've finally picked it up, I see what I was missing. Guillermo del Toro's latest action film is well-paced, adventurous, original, and has a heart.
"Hellboy" begins in the 40's, during WWII, where the mad monk Rasputin is attempting to summon his gods into our world, giving the Nazis power. A team of American soldiers sabotage the attempt, but not before a small demon is brought forward from the portal. Befriended by the paranormal expert along for explanations, the soldiers name the creature Hellboy. Decades later, Hellboy is the primary tool in the Beureu of Paranormal Research and Investigation for stomping out monsters and demons of all kinds.
As an action movie, "Hellboy" is more than decent. The fights are elaborate and gritty, and Hellnoy is certainly a memorable hero. What makes the movie stand out is its originality. Magic, demons, and monsters are real and everywhere. And unlike the usual action hero, Hellboy isn't just getting caught up in the events of importance that the world fulcrums on; he's part of them.
Acting is flawless from all participants, with Ron Perlman, as has been said by everyone everywhere, as the perfect actor to play Hellboy. He disappeared completely into the role, so much that I don't think I would have known it was him had I not known before I saw the movie.
The visuals of the movie are astounding. From the subways of the city, to the Samael character (the monsters of the movie look particularly Lovecraft-inspired), to the underground of Rasputin's lair, to Kroenen's clockwork hand, everything looks amazing.
As for the DVD, it's loaded with extras. In fact, so loaded that I have to wonder what was left to put on the Director's Cut 3-disc set. The 2 1/2 hour documentary is very insightful for all aspects of the making of the movie.
Overall, this is worth having in any movie-lover's library. It has everything a person could want in a film and goes above and beyond the call of duty for an action film.
44 Can a boy from hell....and a doctor...share an apartment....
...without driving each other crazy...(cue "Odd Couple" theme)...
A doctor stops a Nazi plot to take over the world in the 1940's, then finds and raises the product of their failed plot: Hellboy. Hellboy grows into a musclebound, red jaw with arms.
This guy has a jawline that could cut diamonds!...Hellboy's giant jaw could have been a character all it's own in this movie...I bet, in college, not a beer can went un-crushed by his collosal jaw...
ANYWAYS...Call me crazy, but this movie had a touch (an extremely SMALL touch) of Indiana Jones-y happenings in it. The last bit when they were in that stone palace place, and the stone doors kept closing, and bone crushing pendulums kept swinging and crushing stuff and things...I liked it. Superhero movies always make me feel warm inside, even if the Marvel Company is a giant whore. In this one, Hellboy is trying to save the world by stopping a newly ressurected guy from Russian history from destroying the earth and creating a new one. To stop this evil, the government enlists the help of a giant, threatening-looking devil-man. The movie has so-so effects, but also has a super-cool Nazi robot that almost makes you want to become a facist for his COOL ARM SWORDS!
With the help of a scrawny "Creature from the Black Lagoon" type guy and a girl who can burn things when she is beaten, the three all share their own place, and try to stay out of trouble with Mr. Roeper. Hellboy: Good. Consider this if you've got nothin' better to do.
45 Deadly good
Encore un Žnime film de super hŽros?
C'est ce que je me suis dit avant de visionner ce petit chef-d'oeuvre de noirceur et d'humour noir.
Le tout commence durant la deuxime guerre mondiale. Les soldats amŽricains sont envoyŽs en Russie pour enrayer une "expŽrience paranormale". C'est ainsi que ce film est lancŽ. On se base sur des faits historiques en les modifiant quelque peu. Ce n'est pas du rŽvisionnisme, loin de lˆ.
Hellboy le diablotin rouge et Abraham l'homme poisson font penser aux X-Men. Ils sont employŽs pour des missions secrtes afin de combattre des ennemis hors du commun.
"Hellboy" fait aussi penser ˆ Spider-Man car les gens l'ont vu ou croient l'avoir vu. Mais les photos prises de lui sont toujours floues.
Le hŽros n'a rien de ridicule. Ce n'est pas un homard gŽant dŽpourvu de cervelle et de sentiments. Il va se battre pour le bien et surtout pour tre reconnu et acceptŽ. Du moins, c'est ce ˆ quoi il aspire. Pour ce faire, il lime ses cornes.
Aprs "Blade II", Guillermo Del Toro signe un formidable film fantastique et ce, avec des moyens peu ŽlevŽs. On pouvait s'attendre ˆ des effets peu soignŽs. Il n'en est rien. Ils sont formidables, ainsi que les dŽcors et surtout les acteurs.
Ron Perlman donne une nouvelle dimension au hŽros. Cool, intrŽpide, courageux, franc mais et surtout sensible. Il ne porte pas de costume pour se camoufler, son costume, c'est sa peau.
Le film ne contient pas de longueurs. Les combats sont assez vite expŽdiŽs et ne s'Žternisent pas; ce qui laisse de la place aux dialogues.
Ici, il n'y a pas un mais plusieurs ennemis ˆ affronter. Hellboy s'en charge avec une certaine "cool attitude".
FilmŽ dans des dŽcors soignŽs, tendance gothique, le film plonge dans le noir, dans les trŽfonds du mal tout en parvenant ˆ garder une certaine lŽgretŽ, parfois utile ˆ l'histoire.
Ce triple DVD (Ždition amŽricaine) est tout simplement fabuleux. Des tonnes de bonus qu'il serait trop long de dŽtailler. DŽcouvrez-le aussi vite que possible.
La bo”te est prŽsentŽe sous carton. On y voit la tte d'Hellboy en rouge sur fond noir. Chaque disque a sa propre et mini bo”te.
A possŽder d'urgence.
FF
46 BETTER than Spiderman
Spiderman was a good movie, it had action. The action was cool. HOWEVER, every piece of "character development", drama, emotion - was profoundly fake. The emotional scenes all consisted of camera shots of someone's face looking confused and slightly to the left. Aaaaandddd HOLD. Drama - there you have it. Ok, switch to the other character and launch into a pointless 5 minute monologue.
I'm usually content with a shallow action thriller, but Hellboy combines action with some serious empathy for the main chacacter, and excellent, believable character interaction.
One of the greatest things about this movie is it's so damn COOL. Every action scene, every monster and character, the entire comic-book styling - they all have this pervading sense of style and finesse that really serve to bring the movie home.
The movie was, to say the least, highly enjoyable. I'd recommend it to anyone.
47 Its Alright 3.5/5
Yea when I first saw this movie I thought it was pretty godd but I saw it again and I had second thoughts.Yea I agree theres some good action in it an and I like that but the rest its alright.
48 Del Toro finally gets it right in America.
Guillermo del Toro pops up for his third American movie, and finally, he gets it right. Hellboy is a rip-roaring ride through a comic-book world on which del Toro could impose his own conventions without having to live up to a prequel (as with the mindless, utterly disappointing Blade II) or trying to make an action flick that requires suspense (as with the mindless, utterly confusing Mimic).
In the 1940s, the Nazis, with the help of Grigory Rasputin (Karel Rodin. Also in Blade II)-- yes, that Grigory Rasputin-- try to open a portal to another dimension to summon what would be, had they been able to get the licensing, Lovecraft's Elder Gods. (I mean, come on. All those tentacles.) They fail, thanks to an American company of marines, but during the brief time the gate is open, something does come through-- an infant demon. With the marines is a paranormal advisor to Franklin Roosevelt, who takes the demon and raises it as his son. It grows up to be Hellboy (Ron Perlman, who will forever be remembered for his role in the TV series Beauty and the Beast more than anything), the crux of a division of the FBI that fights the paranormal, along with Abe Sapien, who might be better known as Fishboy (played by Doug Jones, but voiced by Frasier's David Hyde-Pierce), and a cadre of human agents. The newest of the humans is John Myers (played by newcomer Rupert Evans), and Myers and Hellboy go through the buddy-cop routine, but with a twist; part of Myers' mission is to bring pyrokinetic Liz Sherman (Selma Blair) back into the fold. So it's a buddy-cop-love-triangle movie. With Cthulhu.
The best part about the movie, really, is Perlman's wisecracking title character. The script puts him in some incredibly silly situations, but (and how much of this was actually scripted, how much was Perlman, we may never know) Perlman never lets Hellboy get through an absurd situation without remarking on its absurdity; for once, a truly intelligent action hero. It's about time. Add in a truly lovely nemesis in one of Rasputin's minions, the eerie Karl Kroenen (I'm sure the similarity to the name "Karl Rove" is a coincidence, but it makes the guy even eerier), a wisecracking corpse, a fish-man with a photographic memory, the potential a mini-Tristan-and-Isolde subplot (and this is really the movie's only failing; had they played that up, what fun they could have had), and John Hurt, and you've got two hours and change of out-and-out fun. Definitely worth seeing. ****
49 The best kept secret
I'm not much of a reader of comics at all, so I really knew nothing about this to start with. A friend lent me the graphic novel and I read a few pages before losing interest (maybe I should try again now). I had little interest in this movie until seeing this director's cut on the new releases shelf. The packaging was so classy, and there were so many detailed bonus features, that I thought a movie given this much love can't be too bad. Seldom do I take a chance on a movie like this one.
What you have here is an explosive blockbuster, with so many details in the creation of its world that for the first couple of viewings you may have to keep your eyes peeled. Such richness in detail that director Guillermo del Toro clearly loves the subject dearly. I'm not at all a fan of the kind of spandex-wearing hero who leaps buildings, so this was refreshing. Hellboy's is an eccentric world with eccentric characters. A fish-man with a taste for rotten eggs. A muscle-bound demon with filed-down horns and the personality of a rebellious teenager. This film is a feast for the imagination.
Even if you don't immediately understand everything that's happening in the movie (and I sure didn't) the creators have taken much of the comic's history and made it more accessible among the bonus features of the DVD. I want to single out the character biographies for being enormously detailed and hugely entertaining.
Take a chance on Hellboy. With rain-soaked Nazi occult rituals in graveyards, and thrilling fights in subway tunnels, it often hits excitement and energy levels of films like Raiders Of The Lost Ark. It's invested with a great deal of imagination and passion, and you're unlikely to find such a film for a long time.
50 Extended 'Hellboy' Loaded With Extras
The 3 disc set, loaded with extras is well worth the extra money. The extended scenes are blended in with the regular film, seemlessly added. Some scenes I can see why they didn't make the cut. Ususually for time constrants. Still there are some extra scenes that are a treat. They fill a small void that was in the theatrical version. Fans can rejoice! A sequel is coming. The special effects are flawless, however I felt a bit overwhelmed by all the computer generated critters. They were also kind of dull for monsters, but the action is aplenty. Ron Pearlman is great as Hellboy. He gives the character a human edge, and that helps greatly. A good movie that could have been great, but still well worth the money. Trade in the old PG13 version and buy this one.
51 Killer with a Heart and a Razor Sharp Wit
Hellboy...what a great title for a film, anyway this is one of the best (if not the best) comic book translations to film yet. Ron Perlman does a bang-up job as Hellboy who fell to Earth through a portal that was opened by the Nazi's in 1941. What separates Perlman's Hellboy from the rest is his ascerbic wit and undeniably likeable human qualities (i.e. compassion and love). But, don't get me wrong this is no lovefest. Hellboy is a killer plain and simple. He was raised by a loving scientist to rid the world of evil, so when things go wrong he's the one they call in. The movie has plenty of action and outstanding special effects that rival the X-Men series. Guillermo Del Toro does a masterful job of directing and uses the FX effectively. Overall, Hellboy is definitly worth a watch and for hardcore sci-fi or comic buffs it's a must own. Highly Recommended.
52 Wish I'd seen it on the big screen now.
Picked this up on a whim, mainly because of the good reviews. I avoided it in the theatres because I thought the trailer looked too ridiculous, thinking this was going to be another "Van Helsing" trip to CGI hell (pun intended). How surprising to find a movie with real heart, and, in Ron Perlman, an actor capable of projecting so much personality behind all those layers of latex and lord knows what else (though I guess I should have remembered "Beauty and the Beast" and I wouldn't have been as surprised). He makes "Hellboy" an extremely original creation, part overgrown adolescent, part superior being, yearning for acceptance and freedom, which doesn't come easy when you look like a steroidal version of Satan.
Many of the best parts of the film, in fact, are the more character-driven sections, where Hellboy struggles with his emotions. In some of the recent Comic book movies, such scenes tend to feel like grafted-on attempts at making the characters more complex. Here, the tables are turned, and the emotional arc feels as natural as in any good indie film, and the action stuff feels a bit perfunctory.
That's the one flaw to me, as an action flick, "Hellboy" doesn't take the action part quite seriously enough. I never felt that Hellboy was in any serious danger, also, there were no real surprise deaths among the characters. The Spiderman and X-men films therefore have a slight (and I do mean slight) edge in the storytelling department, though "Hellboy" feels much fresher in it's approach. It may fall slightly short of the above film series, but it is worth a hundred "Hulks" or "Daredevils". "Van Helsing"? Don't even go there.
53 Good adaptation
to every hick who gave this movie a one-star-rating because he/she fell asleep or didn't understand the plot:
this movie is an adaptation from a COMIC BOOK. So what are superhero comic books like? Well? Exaggerating, pompous, glorifying, larger-than-life. That is exactly what the movie became. A very good adaptation from a comic book. So if supehero comic books are not for you then DON'T WATCH THE MOVIE.
54 Very Entertaining: Good Characters and Great Ron Perlman
'Hellboy' has every good element that makes a great film -- interesting characters and original visions of the world. Though the story itself is derivative, and the special effects are no longer the greatest attraction these days (because of the flood of CGIs), 'Hellboy' still proves two things: 1) You don't need big budget to make a good film. 2) and so-called 'Stars' neither. Nick Cage as Hellboy? Who said that?
Anyway, the film based on Dark Horse comic book hero starts with a not-so-surprising scene in which the Nati soldiers (not again, please...) opens the portal that leads to the dark side of the world, in short, the Hell. Their plans are disturned by the Allied troops and one Professor, but before the portal is destroyed completely, one boy comes into this side of the world -- 'Hellboy.'
Cue to the present-day. Now Hellboy is a hired (or kept) member of special task force in the secret department of the US government, and is fighting against the evil. This time, however, the enemy is a bit strange, for the monster is attacking the old musuem. The dark force that once tried to unleash the power of the Hell again stand before the hero, and his sidekick 'Abe' Sapien, who can read the past by touching.
But the greatest part of the film is not the story, which is nothing new; it is the personality of Hellboy, who smokes cigars constantly, and speaks with a good amount of sarcasm, like a veteran cop in film noir. And he could be also very sentimantal at times for he is in love with a lady Liz, who unwittingly emits fire all around her when enraged.
Director Guillermo Del Toro insisted that Ron Perlman play the lead, and his choice turned out 100% right. Perlman literally becomes the hero (with a great help from the make-up artists) and he clearly enjoys it. So does Selma Blair as Liz, whose career so far is far from a usual one (did you see her in 'The Sweetest Thing'?) And most of all, Del Toro knows what he is doing, and what is needed to make a good comic book hero, to whom we must relate as a credible character. Hellboy is.
With occasional dry humor -- see how Hellboy talks with a kid about his love, spying on Liz -- and effectively used special effects, 'Hellboy' is a film not only for comic book fans, but for general film fans. Entertaining.
55 Up there with Spiderman 2
...as one of the greatest comic book hero movies. This longer version makes a lot more sense that the theatrical version. The extras are also very cool. Biographies of the characters flesh out the story a lot more... and be sure to check out the Pancake comic, it's bizarre yet awesome. There's also a weird Easter egg in the DVD menu you should look for.
How often does a funny-looking guy like Ron Perlman get to be such a dashing romantic lead? Not very often, but it works so well in the movie, and it works even better in this extended edition. If you like the movie in the theatre, you should at least try to rent this new version. It's a lot of fun.
56 Im Speechless
Hi Im from the Uk and feel like a poor realation to the USA .
Here are the facts, Hellboy is a excellent film and was very well received over here !
But i know for a fact when we get a dvd release for it here it will be the 2 disc set that was out some months ago and it will be cut!
God bless Amazon and God bless America for giving me the chance to own this Masterpiece in this fantastic , unrivelled package .
I implore evreyone , Go get it you wont be disapointed !!
Wes Clough UK
57 Major Disappointment
What a major disappointment. Maybe I expected too much from Guillermo del Toro, but is this the same guy that made the great Cronos and The Devil's Backbone, not to mention the at least entertaining Blade II. Why do directors always screw up their dream projects? This movie had one great character (the sardonic Hellboy) and one cool villain sidekick (knife wielding Kroenen) trapped in a clichŽd story that never went anywhere. I think del Toro just got too ambitious and bite off more than he could chew, trying in vain to juggle too many things at once. Sometimes that is admirable, but not when the whole things turned into such a complete mess. There is a director's version DVD coming out later this year of course, but since it's longer and not shorter, I doubt it will stop the film from simply clonking along.
58 Horrible
I fell asleep watching this movie. Although the special effects are good, the movie falls short of anything resembling "entertaining" or "worth watching." People who like the comic books or other silly sci-fi-action movies will like this film, but if you like interesting/good/not awful movies, skip this one.
59 This was good minus one point.
Demons and Christ do not mix.
-Calvin Newman
60 What does make a Man?
I really do not know why I bought this DVD. I mean, I've never followed the Hellboy comics, nor did I think that the trailer looked all that interesting, yet something made me go ahead and buy it. I am so glad that I did. The only reason I gave this film five stars is that I could not give it more. It easily ties as the best thing I've seen this year- it may even be the best.
As far as I am concerned, this film has everything- constantly witty and clever dialog, believable acting, first class sets, great special effects- and most importantly for me, mythological power. What does make a Man? If you raise up a demon from the deepest pit of hell to know the difference between right and wrong, good and evil, does that make him a man? Yes, if you teach him that he has the power to choose his own path- and he takes it. It is even more impressive when the subject has no hope of salvation, yet he chooses light and good for their own sake. And it doesn't hurt to teach him the meaning and power of love....
I'm sure the extra features on the second DVD are first rate, but before I look at them I'm going to watch the entire film on the first disk over again.
61 Fan boy edition has some cool extras
I'll be discussing both the two disc and three disc edition of "Hellboy" here. Unfortunately, the idiotic automated systemed won't allow me to post this as a separate review so, just in case the review shows up under both, I'll include both.
TWO DISC EDITION:
It must be hell to have horns and a stone hand. Rasputin the mad monk who manipulated the Russian royalty prior to the Russian Revolution never died. He not only survived being stabbed, shot, poisoned and drowning but during World War II he worked for the Nazis. Hitler hoped that Rasputin might be able to unleash the 7 Gods of Chaos to help Hitler win the war and dominate the world. The only thing that can stop Hitler and Rasputin's minions which includes a nasty masochistic half mechanical man named Kroenen (Ladislav Beran in some scenes)is Professor Broom (Kevin Trainor as the young Bloom) who has studied the occult. He and a group of American soldiers storm Rasputin's castle stopping the 7 Gods of Chaos from entering our world. In the process Rasputin is sucked into the other strange realm and a tiny red monkey like creature that looks like Satan with a stone hand is released into our world.
Sixty years later Rasputin's minions revive him bringing him back from the other side. Meanwhile Professor Broom (Hurt) has established a paranormal division of the F.B.I with Hellboy (Perlman) and Abe Sapien (Doug Jones but voiced by David Hyde Pierce of "Fraiser" fame) a half human/half sea creature and Liz (Blair) a human with the ability to control fire. With the addition of a new assistant John Myers (Evans) recruited from the F.B.I. these five are all that stand between us and chaos. The only problem is that Rasputin has plans for using Hellboy himself to help release the 7 Gods of Chaos himself.
"Hellboy" looks surprisingly sharp and vivid capturing all the primary colors that percolated beneath the surface of Mike Mignola's comic book. The film does suffer a little bit due to all the extras included on the first disc and could have benefited from concentrating only on picture and sound quality of the film on the first disc and all the extras on the second.
The two disc set clearly went on an eating binge. How else to explain all the wonderful extras packed on this great set. To begin with we have a nice introduction by the director. On the first disc featuring the feature film there are branching behind the scenes sequences you can access while watching the film itself and then return to where you were. It's a fascinating glimpse behind the movie almost giving you the experience as if you were on the set then watching the assembled dailies the next same day.
THREE DISC DIRECTOR'S CUT:
There are some subtle and not so subtle differences in "Hellboy-The Director's Cut". The big difference involves how Rasputin was changed when he came back from the other side. There's also a number of dramatic moments such as Professor Broom discovery of his cancer as well as some fight sequences that have been extended in minor but subtle ways. That said, it's essentially the same film but richer for the include of the 15 or so minutes of additional footage.
The first disc has a brand new commentary by director del Toro and a commentary/isolated score by composer Beltram. The storyboard track now has new images added to it (quite a bit more as a matter of fact).The "branching comics" feature is much more extensive than the previous one but the features on the first disc remain pretty close to the previous edition.
The second disc has the bulk of what disc two of the two disc set had but there are a couple of additions worth noting. There's also a multi-angle storyboard comparison (which I believe to be new). I couldn't find the UPA cartoons on the original but haven't had a chance to investigate all the noons and crannies of the three disc set.
Disc three has a new video introduction by Ron Perlman. Here we get a video and audio commentary by the main actors(in fact it's the same as the audio commentary from the previous edition only this time we see the actors as they recorded their commentary and also see the movie as their watching it in a picture-in-picture mode). There's production workshops also included here, make up and lighting tests (although all involve the final make up for Hellboy), "A Quick Guide to Understanding Comics with Scott McCloud"--a featurette. Mike Mignola is absent from the commentary track but his pre-production artwork is included here. Ther's also the director's notebook (again--it's on two discs here for some strange reason), conceptual art galleries and comic book artists pin-ups on the last disc as well. Personally, I would have put the actors in pip mode vs. the movie as the version they're commenting on it is the theatrical release not the Director's Cut. Not sure why Columbia chose not to do this. Aside from that minor complaint (and not being able to find the UPA cartoons), this is the ultimate fan boy edition. Oh, there's also a reproduction of part of Rasputin's diary by Mignola as well included in paperback form.
The packaging is nice with three slimline DVD holders highlight Red, Blue and Liz. Personally, I would also like to have had a booklet similar to the one that came with the two discs set. Also, I'm unclear why the "seamlessly branching" DVD technology wasn't here to allow both the director's cut and the theatrical editions (much like "Alien" and "Aliens"). I don't have any use for keeping the previous edition (it was traded in) just for the theatrical cut (and I personally feel the Director's Cut is a superior version of the movie even though most of the changes are fairly minor overall).
Overall, this is a terrific boxed set that has some minor flaws. Hopefully Columbia will learn from this mistake and correct any future releases of Director's Cuts vs. theatrical editions. Also, releasing both at the same time so fans can make a choice (vs. being double dipped) would be the right thing to do from a customer service stand point. Plus, there wouldn't be all those used copies eating away at their sales of the set.
62 3 disc Director's cut
I watched this movie again and maybe I'm wrong but I didn't notice any difference in the feature itself compared to the feature in the 2 disc "special edition". I thought it was supposed to have "never before seen extended,unrated version of the film". If it's unrated why does the blue screen come on prior to the movie that says PG-13???
True the directors cut is loaded w/ more extras due, however I did notice that the "from the den" thing was gone from this set(see the special ed.). I compared the two in the store and that's the only thing I noticed was missing. I did like the slim DVD cases included in this set. It's also supposed to be "remastered in high def" and I'll say it does look great on DVD.
I wish they would've released a 3 disc director's cut on Superbit instead, maybe that's coming?
63 Come on people
This is absolutely a five-star film. I'm amazed at how few reviews it's had. Most of the reviews are on the money, but for some reason don't feel this is a "Great" film. I have a nine year old boy to watch it with, and I'm sure that colors my judgement, but it's up there with my favorites. I'm a Guillermo del Toro junkie. If you like Blade 2, this beats the socks off of it! It's not really in line with his other films, however. Spiderman was a different kind of hero movie, and X-Men doesn't come close to Hellboy for me. Hellboy isn't really a hero movie. Hellboy just HAPPENS to be a hero. He's a average working stiff with serious social handicaps. This would probably compare better to Edward Scissorhands, without the fluff and curlyques.
Well, that's a girl's point of view. Hope this helps!
64 Great DVD, but how is the movie.....?
I had almost zero good expectations for Hellboy. I had never read the comic. When I saw the preview, I thought this movie looked like the dumbest flick this side of "Wild, Wild West". I had no plans on seeing it whatsoever. At least not in the theaters. Then it came out and reviewers were giving it very positive remarks. So, I was intrigued. I bought the movie the day it came out and I am happy to say I am not disappointed.
Hellboy is based on a comic book, as many of you already know. The movie stays true to the comic, but takes some liberties that actually improve the movie version, in my opinion. The background of Hellboy is an interesting one. Back in WWII, Hitler was researching the paranormal. He then sent Rasputin (the badguy) to try to capture a beast from another dimension (hell) who would come to our world and start the apocolypse. Rasputin builds this portal-like device and was in the process of bringing Hellboy to our world when a scientist, accompanied by the US Marines, interfere and end up screwing it all up. Hellboy still comes through the portal, but he is in the hands of good not evil. Hellboy then lives with other humans and adapts some of our bad habits, emotions, etc. He now fights on our side against monsters and helps humanity. Of course, Rasputin (still alive, can't be killed) has other ideas. That is where the conflict comes in.
Hellboy is not just a regular comic book movie. Sure it has a hero, villain, lots of action, lots of special effects, etc. But, it also has the constant struggle of the Hellboy character trying to be normal in a world of humans. He fights for humanity, even though most of the world would call him a monster and want him dead. I know it sounds like the X-men mutants, but it's not quite like that. The story has a deeper, more emotional side that I didn't expect at all. That's what seperates it from the Spidermans of the industry. Not that I didn't like the Spiderman movies, it's just nice to see something more unique.
Ron Pearlman plays the character Hellboy and does it absolutely perfect. I don't think there was another actor that could have played this part. He has the right look and has no trouble spouting off the one-liners that the character has. He likes beer, cigars, women and other stuff that any other man would like. He just happens to be tall, strong, blood red, and has horns coming out of his forehead. Pearlman was the perfect choice to play the lead here.
The rest of the cast does a very good job, as well. Karel Roden plays the villain, and does a great job. Selma Blair plays the love interest here. I haven't really liked her much in any of her movies, but she impressed me here. John Hurt, a classic actor, takes on the role of the scientist that discovers Hellboy. He then basically raises him like a father & is very close to him. Do I even had to say if Hurt was a good choice for this part? He is a great actor. Overall the acting was solid all around. The movie was directed by Guillermo Del Toro (Blade 2). I think this is his best work to date and if there is a sequal, I hope he is heading that one, as well.
If you like comic book movies, I think you should check this out. It's not your typical one, but if you can look past the goofy looking lead character and strange story, you will find a very surprising movie. I can highly recommend this movie.
Special Features: Where do I start? This 2-disc set is LOADED. There are 2 different commentaries, set visits, storyboard track and recommendations. And that's just the first disc. On disc two, you get a two hour documentary on the making of the movie. The way the documentary was made, it kinda makes me think of the ones on the Lord Of The Rings extended edition sets. Very well done, and worth the price of admission itself. You get a few deleted & extended scenes, all with audio commentary if you so choose. There are character bios, animatics, trailers, film bios and more. Like I said, this movie is aboslutely crammed with special features. I almost gave this DVD a fifth start just for the supplements alone.
65 Animation fans - This disc is a must buy!
I'm gonna skip commenting on the film itself and focus in on the great animation gems that are among the extras on disc one:
Three Gerald McBoing Boing animated shorts and the amazing short "The Tell-Tale Heart" based on Edgar Allan Poe's story and narrated by James Mason!
These have never been available before and for animation fans, makes the disc worth a purchase whether you give a rat's *ss about Hellboy or not.
66 Finally a Great Coming Book Movie!!
This movie has exactly the feel of a comic book that most movies adapted from a comic book go for. In my opinion only Spider Man-2 has achieved this accomplishment. The setting feels like it belongs. We have dark alleys and subways contrasted with a luxurious and opulant headquarters. The film is very sharp and a delight to the eye.
I will not explain the story simply because it has been explained 200 times already on here. What I will explain will be why I gave this film a 4 star rating instead of a 5. For its high budget this film could have had immaculate special effects which were sometimes clearly flawed. An example is when the Devil Dawg is fighting hellboy in the subway and with each hit the other goes flying about 50 meters horizontally. This looks extremely fake and cheesy, you are ready to see wires popping out of their costumes. Alas they dont but you know there there unlike other films where you subconsciously know they are there but forget them for the sake of the action scene.
I hope im not appearing to be a film snob looking for perfection in every scene but this film was an action flick and with action flicks I look for awesome special effects. Just like i forgave the weak dialogue for the expense of the action. I would have overlooked this flaw in choreography if it happened only once but i saw quite a lot. Of course its not defining of the film because the film is still great and it is just something that i happened to observe.
The film is beautifully shot with exceptional settings in particular the professors study which is another contrast between the cold research building and his warm inviting study.
GO into this film expecting to spend two good hours experiencing a great action flick and nothing more, but what a great action flick it is.
67 Monster Seeking Monsters
Hellboy, when it was first announced as a film project, shocked me because I kept trying to figure out how it was going to be made. First I pondered the budget necessary to make a film version of Mike Migola's insanely cool comic without making it look stupid and cheap. Second I worried greatly about the director. Last, I couldn't even begin to think about who the hell would play Hellboy.
Amazing as it seems, the budget was more than adequate, the director more than capable (Guillermo del Toro), and the actor playing Hellboy (Ron Perlman) was, is, and always will be the film incarnation of the big red guy. In fact, if I had my way I'd nominate Perlman for an Academy Award (and in doing so validate those frivolities very existence). Betcha it don't happen though.
This film is the grandest presentation of a fanboy project since The Fellowship of the Ring, made all the more amazing by the fact that the source material is a borderline underground comic. Del Toro's genius is in proving that great film making can come from the semi-obscure.
Every shot with Hellboy is eyecatching, and with the special effects teams involved it's no wonder. From creature animation, to backgrounds the best of the best had there hand in this film.
While Hellboy is bad ass, Abe Sapien is perhaps one of the most beautiful creature creations brought to film ever, kind of like the Creature from the Black Lagoon with a yen for book learning instead of white bikinis. Liz, is a Firestarter that would roast Drew Barrymore like some leftover cocktail weenie.
Throw in a tick tock man made of gears and cogs who was a nazi super assassin, the mad monk Rasputin, and several demon/gods from hell and you've got an action/horror hybrid that's enough to put any SFX junkie into joy riddled convulsions.
The best part about this movie (aside from the reported sequel in the works) is that it increased the world's knowledge exponentially of the wonderful comic by Mike Mignola. People are now seeking out the haunting artwork and surreal storytelling of Hellboy and I envy anyone their first glance into Mignola's imagination.
Now for one last thing, apparently a director's cut is on the way, and while on the one hand I feel cheated, I also find myself curious. I'm having a psychic moment, it involves the future and a willfull relinquishing of hard earned funds. Hopefully it will be worth it. I know the original theatrical release was. One of the top 10 movies of 2004.
68 Better than Spiderman 2
Hellboy is a great movie. It follows the story of a unique hero, played extraordinarily well by Ron Perlman, in his attempts to not only save the world, but in his quest to become as human as possible. The movie starts off great, never stales and ends with a great scence, where Hellboy kisses his love interest while engulfed in flame. This movie is filled with great characters, villians, humor and action. Unlike Spiderman 2, Hellboy does not try to outdo itself. Instead its efforts focus on developing and fully appreciating its characters. Hellboy would rather make a joke than swing through the streets of New York and somehow it acheives more than the latter. I would very much like to recommend this flick.
69 H-E-Double Hockey Sticks Boy is Lame At Best
The only thing that kept me from really liking Hellboy, was the movie Hellboy.
I've never read the actual comic that it's based on (I've heard it's quite good), but the movie is a dismal failure filled with lame dialogue, a confusing-at-best plot, and more wooden acting than a Pinocchio film festival!
Hellboy could've been a fun character, but he just gets tiresome about a half hour after he comes on screen. Apparently he's got a thing for this woman who can summon fire bursts (convenient for all involved since he's fireproof), but their relationship is never really explained or explored in any real way. A sign a la silent movies reading "Our hero pines for his lady fair" would've been more effective than the approach taken by the script. One particularly tiresome scene involves Helloby taking love advice from a 9-year old boy while spying on the girl and another man from a rooftop and then pelting the man with a rock.
My favoire character was the C3PO-ish Abe Sapian who was apparently some sort of merman with psychic abilities, but he gets hurt about two-thirds of the way through the movie and is never heard from again.
The villians, Rasputin, some gas-masked nazi Wolverine knockoff (made of sand we find out later), and some woman hatch a plot to get Hellboy to open the gates of hell. At least that's what I was able to piece together after discussing the movie with my wife for almost a day afterwards. Some scraps of paper are involved and Hellboy's father figure is killed for some reason, but I never really understood what was going on.
Most confusing was some creature that apparently spawned two more of itself after being killed being entirely wiped out at the end of the movie. How does that work anyway?! Shoudln't it have just created more as a result?! Again, it's never explained.
Here's the thing - I love comic book movies! Spiderman? Great! Spiderman 2? Awesome! X-men 1 & 2? Oh baby! I even played hookie from work to see the Hulk when it came out. (A decision I later regretted, but that's another blog.) I was ready to really enjoy this! But in the end it's just two lame hours I can never get back. Damn you Hellboy! (Oh wait, too late!)
70 Highly Enjoyable!
Let me start off by stating I have never read the Hellboy comics or graphic novels. I'm not much of a follower of comics, though I do think the artform is a very worthy one. I was, however, fortunate enough to see Hellboy in the theater accompanied by several friends who are huge fans of the series. We were all impressed.
Perlman gives an excellent performance as the glib, urban Hellboy, who looks freakish on the outside, but maintains a typically disillusioned spirit. Jeffrey Tambor, John Hurt and Doug Jones are all excellent as supporting cast members. Only Selma Blair's performance falls flat, as (in my opinion) she so often does. Blair detracts only slightly from the film.
The extras on the DVD are somewhat disappointing. Seeming a bit haphazard and slap-dash, the interviews and making of portions are at least worth watching, though I really wish more of the cast members had a chance to speak. The deleted scenes are worthless (not because the scenes are bad, but because there are 3 of them and each one is less than a minute long. Why bother?).
For those fans who demand consistency between comic book and film, there will be lots of disappointment. Mignola himself is satisfied (or at least claims to be) and explains that he wanted del Toro to craft his own vision of his work.
Neither deep, nor heavy, "Hellboy" shines as a film worthy of del Toro. Simply put, it's just a lot of fun.
71 Great Movie Based on Comics...
Good story with a new comic hero called Hell Boy and some comedy, you have to watch it.
72 truster38 = moron
ahhh ... truster38 if you would watch the DVD and the extras you would see the the "squid things" (as you sooo intelligently note them as and not by their real name) were not CGI but an extremely well done REAL LIFE MODEL made for the movie. Not surprised you share the same view as that other idiot Roeper who would not even know a good movie if it slapped him in the face and bought him dinner afterwards.
Do everyone a favor on this site next time -- know the facts before you run at the mouth with no knowledege of your stated subject.
Have a nice day.
73 Pretty good except for the ads
Yes, the ads--"branding," they call it? I enjoyed the film until the characters started holding up products and hesitating in front of the camera to give you more than enough time to read the labels. After about three of those distracting stunts, I lost interest in the story and went and did other things. In the end I remember the products as much as anything else--products that I'll be sure to avoid in the future. What's the film about? Oh, action and cool special effects, and actually, some cool characters, and then a banal bunch of warped religion and Nazi arch-evil stuff, and--a bunch of dang products stuck like sore thumbs on top of it all. I'm not against advertising; I just don't like to see it hogging the stage and pushing art and entertainment onto the sidelines.
74 NOTHING SPECIAL-A TRIFLE ENTERTAINING
NOTHING SPECIAL-A TRIFLE ENTERTAINING really says it all.
-watchable, yet there was something better you could have watched.
Not upset you watched it-but you should have finished that book you were reading.
75 One of the Best Comic-based movies ever
While not quite as good as the original Superman , or the 2 Spidey movies, it's almost up there with them. Full of effects and action, yes, but the movie has a hell of an emotional impact. A good amount of time is taken to develop the Hellboy/Liz relationship ( along with the father/son angle) and both pay off in spades. I have to rate this very high, it's funny, fun, and emotional. Whatever story or villain shortcomings the movie has, the final shot is powerful and satisfying. It tops Xmen 2 , due to the well-drawn main characters.
Highly recommened for a goofy, sweet good time!
I'd never read the Hellboy comics, but knew of them.
76 One of the best action flicks ever!
A cool movie that that I thought was better then Spider-Man 1. I read that they might make a #2. It will have the same person that plays Hellboy. I just hope it comes out by 2005.
77 Pretty Good Comic Movie
I must admit I was not going to see this movie, but a friend said it was great so I gave it a shot. I had never seen any Hellboy comics so I had no idea what it would be about. Needless to say I was pleasantly surprised. Of course I like any hero who likes cats. Quite frankly it is one of the best comic booke movies out there. Daredevil, LXG, and Punisher were so so.
The DVD special features were great. I had a better understanding of the character and the movie afterwards. I will buy the directors cut.
78 Worst Film of 2004 so far
I thought Dare Devil was bad, but Hellboy seems to have done the impossible and is even worse. So why is it so bad? The story line is just lame!!!! It is not even simple to follow, it just seems to be a load of pointless action scenes. Although I think the character Helboy is cool, that stupid fish boy is just boring and the fire girl is so wooden. I think there could be a good film in the franchise, but this is just poor. Avoid at all costs!!!!
79 Fair comic translation.
Wednesday, September 08, 2004 / 3 of 5 / Fair comic translation.
Not a bad comic book translation, Hellboy starts off very well with a flashback to WWII and the Nazi's attempts to open a gateway to bring back ageless demon gods. Nice Lovecraft stuff sure, but additionally we get an interestingly compelling villain in the silent decaying assassin who dons various gas masks and wields knives in effective ninja style. The demon Hellboy squirts through the portal before the allies close it and is raised by an old looking John Hurt. Flash forward and the main antagonists are again at it in the 2000's, Hellboy in adolescence is joined by other paranormal fighters and must stop them. The makeup on Perlman is pretty good and the CG effects aren't too bad. It's not too engrossing but it was a pleasant time killer.
80 Cool...fun...and Amazing
The film was okay but good at the same time. It's hard to decipher by what i mean. You must rent the movie first to judge it yourself. It could have been better. Still Fun to watch..and cool
81 What A Great Movie
I came to this movie having no idea of the comic book character and damn if it wasn't a great movie with a lot emotional impact. Yeah, it's a movie about a demon who fights against other demonic beings, but at its heart it is also a story of the love between a father and son. Ron Perlman as Hellboy is simply fantastic. I've been a fan of Mr. Perlman since his days on "Beauty and the Beast." I see a lot of the emotion he showed as Vincent in this movie. All of the actors are great with Selma Blair and John Hurt chief among them. Hellboy is not your usual summer movie fare.
82 Nice way to waste your money
Okay, I hope that if you plan on buying this copy of the film, you haven't already bought the special edition. I know I'm glad I didn't buy it yet, because I would be glad to get this copy. But still why do the studios feel compelled to release the director's cut when the special edition has been out for 3 months? Because they're all about the money. I loved Hellboy, and I'm sure many of you did too, but if you already bought the special edition save your money for something else.
83 The X-Men Meet The X-Files
This was my first introduction to both the Hellboy character and Guillermo del Toro's movies. As the rating above indicates, I enjoyed the experience. Part mutants-exploring-the-supernatural fantasy, part standard coming-of-age story, Hellboy was a pleasure to watch. I particularly liked the way Christian and Lovecraftian cosmologies were intertwined without disparaging the more traditional spiritual perspective. Some of the CGI didn't hold up well on the small-screen, but that's usually the case (more disturbing was some of the wire & harness work that looked like wire & harness work).
The acting in the movie was well done. Even though it sometimes looks like Hellboy is wielding a giant red foam football finger, the characters have a high believability quotient. Jeffrey Tambor's character was unexpectedly fun, and I'm glad he didn't become the butt of every joke. It was also nice that the love triangle never became overwrought.
There are some plot holes in the movie, but based on the deleted scenes on the DVD some/many/most of them will be filled in on the upcoming Director's Cut. Some questions are also answered by the commentaries, documentaries, and other bonus materials spread across the two discs. I liked being able to view all the "visits to the set" and "DVD comic book" extras separate from the movie (I don't like the big icons prompting the viewer to hit "ENTER"). The "Pancakes" comic book extra was hilarious.
As the reviews for this movie demonstrate, there's a wide range of opinion about Hellboy. If you didn't see it in the theater you might want to rent it first. I enjoyed the DVD sight-unseen, but if you have your doubts/don't want to be disappointed go the rental route. Also, with the Director's Cut coming out soon, you may want to rent both before deciding which (or both) to purchase.
84 Surprisingly Good
I've never read the comics, so I can't compare the movie to them. As a movie, though, I was pleasantly surprised. Hellboy is one in a long line of sympathetic monsters. In his case, he likes cats and cigars, is jealous of his human girlfriend (who has the added problem of igniting when she gets hurt), and wants to be accepted by humanity to the point he files his horns down. The villains, as stated in other reviews, aren't that great. The walking dead zombie Naziboy isn't too bad; otherwise they are so-so. And, really, enough with the CGI squid. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the film.
85 didnt even finish it
well, the title of my review is self explanatory. if your so dumb that you cant understand it, it sucked.
86 Worth Watching Once
The two hours spent watching Hellboy movie was well worth it. The choice of Ron Perlman as Hellboy was a near stroke of genius, as the actor brings a great amount of humanity and subtlety to this comic book character. The writer and director of the film, G. del Toro, managed to infuse a true sense of character and wit into this otherworldly and demonic hero that is entirely missing from this new deluge of sci-fi/comic movies.
However, I thought the storyline was the same old boring rehashed situations found in nearly all movies of this genre. Please allow me to list a few: Hellboy lives in a special place with other misfits (c.f. X-Men); he and his compatriots simply want to fit in with the "normal folk" (c.f. Spiderman, the Hulk & X-men [As an aside, the "Liz Sherman" character in Hellboy is a "Rogue" clone; and, while I'm talking about this character, who is essentially a "Firestarter" ala of Stephen King/Drew Berrymore fame, why the heck did they keep her in a mental institute when they knew she could burn everyone in the place to death with her special powers - which is exactly what happened!]); they (the superheroes) have a wizened benefactor who comforts them and takes care of them (c.f. X-Men); Nazi are to blame for everything, for, you see, Adolph Hitler can't really be held accountable for his actions because he was but a pawn in the affairs of galactic evil and/or gods and they are the ones who really set all this in motion (c.f. Raiders of the Lost Ark, the beginning of the first X-men); Hellboy is really the key to summoning the great evil that will destroy the world (most notably Ghostbusters); books and spells of arcane who-ha is used to give legitamacy to the cosmic evil (c.f. most movies of this genre, mostly lifted from Lovecraft and Crowley); and finally, the bad guys are going to destroy the world for their sick and demented masters (c.f. Ghostbusters and EVERY OTHER sci-fi/fantasy movie I have EVER seen! [That's an exaggeration, but you get the point]) And, of course, the special effects were great.
Don't get me wrong, I liked this movie. But, could the movie people please throw us a curveball sometime. Could they make a sci-fi/fantasy/comic movie that is intriguing, inspiring and original in plot other than the same old thing we've seen a million times before. However, Hellboy is the best comic movie I've seen in a long time - mostly due to good casting and smarter-than-average dialogue. Not to mention you can identify and empathize with most of the main characters.
The 2 and a half-hour documentary on the 2-disk set is too long! It's longer than the movie...and mostly all boring!
Finally, I hope that Michael Moorcock's Elric really does get made into a movie (it was recently optioned by a movie studio) - a good movie, that is. I grow weary of do-gooder superheroes (Sorry, to all you that like the do-gooders like Hellboy, but these days everyone's a do-gooder. No offence.)
87 An entertaining film..
When I was younger I used to read comic books very frequently, but as I've grown up my interest in them has failed. It got to the point that I am only vaguely familiar with any modern day comics. I was NOT familiar with Hellboy prior to my viewing it. However, a friend asked me to go see it and being that I work in a Cineplex I was able to see it free of charge (which may have helped to secure my enjoyment).
I found that Hellboy was an extremely entertaining film, not just as a comic book movie. The various characters in the film were all interesting, in particular our hero. I wouldn't call this a great film, because I felt like there was something missing at the end of the movie. I did however enjoy it immensely, enough so that I've purchased this edition of the film.
My only disappointment came as I found out from my manager that there is a 3 disc directors cut coming out within the next few months. Keep that in mind when purchasing. That's the reason for the 3 Star Rating. The film itself was very enjoyable, worth of a four star rating in my opinion; However the fact that another edition will be available shortly detracts from its worth.
88 Great Entertainment Value
If like me you like a decent, tasty, all round movie to get the juices flowing. then get this, it is an exellent no brainer popcorn film, that you can sit down and chill infront of for an hour an a half. and if you like your extras their pretty good too.
Hellboy is the dogs nuts, along the lines of Blade2 also a Guillermo del Toro film, Xmen, and if you like a bit of British flavour, Dog Soldiers.
89 wasn't hot
The movie in my opinion was BORING.I had a hard time getting into the story as to whom Hellboy was fighting,the creatures or the evil Nazi character with the knife hands.And whats with the human fish character?I would rank him in the same category as Jar-Jar Finks.The fight scenes and special effects gets high marks,but the movie made me fell asleep at times.
90 REAL GOOD 4 and a half
I really enjoyed Hellboy. It is without a dought a must own movie. The only thing holding this back in my book is that the story is sometimes unbalaced...it has great patencial and is a great movie but the story does have some flous. In one hand it does a great job of pleaseing the croud and does many great jobs of dilivering a good movie that is well worth the maret, but in the other hand the story is in someways unbalaced to where yu loose the audience. But dont let that stop yu from watching Hellboy it is a great movie, and you will be pleased.
91 Much better than I expected
Hellboy has some large shoes to fill and a lot to live up to considering that it seems like everyone and their grandmother is making movies about superheros these days.
It is actually very good and definatly not one you want to take home and watch with your girlfriend guys(figured that out myself). The acting is very good and Hellboy is protrayed very correctly as a loveable wisecracking demon who just can't seem to find his place in society.
It is only the plot thin and after a certain point there is only so much I can tolerate(even for a superhero movie).
So using me own private little rating system
Superman
Spiderman
Hellboy
Daredevil
Hulk
Overall-Just a fun action Friday night if you are into superhero movies you should get this.
92 Hellish!
Oh No! Those evil nazis are back, attempting to gate in another slimy entity from the great beyond! It's up to HELLBOY (Ron Perlman) and his band of misfits (including Abe Sapien the fishman) to stop them. HELLBOY is a good solid wiz-bang of a movie! Lots of excitement, gunfire, explosions, and a fairly decent plot. There's even a love interest that actually works without making us wanna barf! I loved the Firestarter gal! As for the bad guys, I thought the self-mutilated nazi fella was totally creepy / cool! HELLBOY has potential as a series of movies, IF the stories are good. Perlman is a natural as the demonoid hero! Check it out...
93 Surprisinly Entertaining - Perlman is Great
I was initially dragged to this movie by my husband, while actually, I go to his 'comic book flicks' and he goes with me to spy thrillers and dramas (we both like action). I was very surprised that I liked this movie so much. It is witty, action packed, with a touch of mystery and faith.
I was surprised to see, although not very in-depth, that faith and Christian symbols were so prevelant, yet the movie was never preachy - now I know nothing of the comic, but it appeared to me that at a face value, Hellboy, who carrys his mentors cross, wasa nice touch of tension taht was, given the world created in the film, completely realistic.
Next, the movie's special effects are fun, yet, not completely "out there" considering teh world in which the plot lays. Ron Perlman from 'beauty and the beats' fame is just terric and this part fits him. He delivers the lines with enough seriousness to treat his subject matter well, but enough tonge in cheek t remind us this is only a movie and a comic book one at that.
Personally, I would like to give this film 5 stars, but because its my guilty pleasure doesn't mean I should overrate it - it does get a little too much at the end and the plot is probably a little too simple. It is however, a great popcorn movie.
94 Delivers the goods
The movie is solid, the bonus disc is wall-to-wall. Probably the best cult-comic adaptation since "The Crow," "Hellboy" takes the loner anti-hero role, packages it into a actor waiting for this sort of role his whole career, and puts around him a story and a cast that respects the material. Perhaps it's time we had a new adage; it's not the actors, but the respect that counts.
I must confess though, I'm a Hellboy poser. I never read the comic, never heard of Mike Mignola, and now that I've seen the film, I want to be familiar. I can't talk about how the film translates from graphic medium to that of the screen, I can only review based on my viewing.
Early on I heard that Vin Diesel was being tapped to play Hellboy, but now that I've seen the film, Ron Pearlman seems the only natural choice, and therein lies the secret of a "good" performance, when an actor inhibits a role to the point where you go, "No one else could have played this character." Pearlman does a top-notch job of joining Hellboy's blue-collar demeanor with the responsibility Hellboy feels comes with being Hellboy. He's mastered the physical side of Hellboy as well, even under all that plastic. The walk, the gestures, the face, the lilt in the voice, the pauses... all genuine.
Del Toro managed to secure John Hurt for a role as Hellboy's father-figure, Dr. Trevor 'Broom' Bruttenholm. Broom is aging, dying in fact, but he won't tell Hellboy, or anyone. His lifetime of work has solidified his sense of accomplishment, and the fact that he's fading shouldn't faze those around him, not even him. When the time comes to die, he steps into the moment with assuredness. Hellboy would've been proud.
Selma Blair is Liz Sherman, a pyrokenetic with a tendency to make the room burst into flames. She's trying to control it, of course, and would rather find herself in an uncomfortable setting where she can try to exert control, rather than be in familiar places with no counsel or assistance. This is the love-interest character, believe it or not. She's not blonde, she's not pure (well maybe in the darker sense of the word), but she is understanding. She knows where Hellboy is coming from all too well, and he only wants her near. They wind up together, and the final scene only makes it seem natural they should wind up together (here's a hint, Hellboy is flame-retardant).
Rupert Evans is, for lack of a better word, a tour-guide through this menagerie. His job is to basically look wide-eyed and nice, mill about and ask a lot of question that lead to plot-points and character development. Some people call this a "lead role." I call it a "tour-guide."
There's a huge risk here for the whole movie to crash in on itself, get tedious and tiresome, and fizzle out during the climactic battle. However, the actors, director, writers, film crew, everyone, respect the script and the story. Basically, Hellboy is a demon from hell, raised by Dr. Broom to fight evil-monsters. There's a main plot-thread involving Nazi's (the ready-made historic villains) and Rasputin, and an attempt to bring about Apocalypse. Hellboy plays a key role in this, there's a
