Comic Related - Life in Four Colors

Life In Four Colors: Movie Review
Hellboy II: The Golden Army

About an hour or so before I darted out to catch the new Hellboy flick, I did something I never should have done and advise all of you not to do. I read a few reviews about the film on the internet. Virtually every review I read was shredding this movie and not giving it the proverbial snowball's chance…in H-E- Double Hockey Sticks at any type of success at the box office.

One “critic” and “movie expert” claimed that director Guillermo del Toro should be embarrassed by his efforts on the latest Hellboy venture, “…going from his best with a film like Pan’s Labyrinth to his worse with Hellboy II.”. With no mention of the film that del Toro did between the two…the Orphanage. Guess he missed that one while he was working his second job bagging groceries at the corner market.

Another scolding rant claimed that movie lacked “any type of real story and was buried under too much action and special effects wizardry.”

I’m not sure what movie this guy saw. All I know is that I’ll gladly take up the role of Devil’s Advocate and defend this film. I thought it was better than the first…which at one time I thought was one of the best comic book adaptations I had ever seen. Yeah…it had action. Lots of it. But it’s a comic book themed film so it never hurts to have a little action. The same way when you go to see a western….you expect to see some dust, and cowboy hats not to mention a horse or two. Comes with the territory (and that’s not a poke at western films….I love good western films…)

Special effects….yeah had that too. But it’s also a Guillermo del Toro film. That’s his calling card. The guy thrives at the visual enhancing of a story, taking the unbelievable, the fantastic, and bringing it to life right before your very eyes.

Perhaps here in lies the problem with the people who claimed that they didn’t really like the first film…and are grilling the second. I don’t think they have a clue about what they’re going to get when the buy the ticket. I wouldn’t be surprised if they never walked into a comic shop let alone read a Hellboy comic. And yeah...I’ll be the first in line when it comes to praising Pan’s Labyrinth for being the visionary masterpiece that it was….but that’s a given. Connecting del Toro to that film…his most popular and well received…is just idle talk at the company water cooler in an attempt to impress the Goth chick working for the temp service.

How many really know anything about his other films? Mimic. The Devil’s Backbone. Blade II….the Orphanage.

And I got one those brand new five dollar bills with the big number five on the back that says that most of these same people don’t know Mike Magnolia….from Pat Sajak.

But...time for me to get off the soapbox and to get on with the review. The Comic Related review. First off….Ron Pearlman as Hellboy remains one of the best cast comic book roles to date. He literally brings this character to life and Selma Blair and Doug Jones who reprise their roles as Liz Sherman and Abraham Sapien, respectively do the same. The cast changes slightly with Agent Meyers no longer being a part of the B.P.R.D (good thing after seeing what happens to several of the regular B.P.R.D field agents early on in the movie) and with the addition of the new director of the facility, Dr. Johann Krauss. A character that adds a lot of dynamics to the film and fits in…pretty good with the rest of the team.

And yes….believe it or not….the movie DOES have a story. A very good story in my opinion , one re-enforced by a compelling back story disguised as a flashback from Hellboy’s youth. A bed time tale told to him by his father one long ago Christmas Eve. This same tale can be seen in the animated Hellboy II prequel here at the Comic Related site and it also appeared in comic book form in a free giveaway book at several comic shops this past Free Comic Book Day.

The main trio of characters, that being Liz, Hellboy, and Abe….continue to evolve into very believable characters with a great personal development. The interaction between Liz and “Red”, Abe and Hellboy…and Liz and Abe is one of my favorite parts of the film. A very interesting plot line with Abe and his attraction to Princess Nuala (played by Anna Watson)…leads to one of the most hysterically funny scenes I’ve ever scene in a Comic Related film. Trust me …you’ll know it when you see it.

Actor Luke Goss does a great job playing Prince Nuada Silverlance the “villain” of the piece, if you really want to call him that. This makes the second time Goss has worked with both del Toro and Pearlman….having played the main villain as well in Blade II. The renegade vampire, Jared Nomak. Pearlman was of course the leader of the Blood Pack in that film.

I just watched the first Hellboy film a few days ago so it would be fresh in my mind when I saw this one…and I’m glad I did. Not that I forgot that much…but seeing both films so close together added an extra layer of enjoyment while watching the sequel today.

Mike Magnolia has to be pleased with seeing his creations come to life on the silver screen in the manner they have in these two del Toro guided films. The only person that could possibly feel just as good about seeing characters that he created being brought to life by a dedicated and passionate cast and a director that ensures the story stays true to feel of the original source material would have to be Frank Miller with the Sin City and 300 movie adaptations.

This brings us pretty much to the end of this movie review. In closing I wanted to remind everybody considering seeing this film…if you’re looking for an enjoyable , action packed, tongue and cheek comic book film that caters to hard core fans of the Hellboy comics brought to us by Dark Horse Comics….by all means see this film. You’re going to like it. Very much.

If you’re looking a movie that may be a future Oscar contender, layered in dialogue and British accents that makes you think deeply about the similarities of life and flowers….stay away from this one.

Until next time….see you in the Funny Papers!