Hellboy 2 : The Golden Army | REVIEW

Before I go on, I wanna' say that I didn't really fall into the category of people who enjoyed the first Hellboy movie. Don't stop reading, Hellboy fans, just hear me out. To be brutally honest, I never really cared much for the characters or the movie itself. I've watched it twice and it never appealed to me as a worthwhile film. I'm not saying that it's a bad movie, only that there was nothing in it that interested me via the trailers, and I was still not pleased after watching the movie in full.

But today was completely different. Because today, despite my complete disregard for the Hellboy series, I sat through the entire near-two-hours of Hellboy 2: The Golden Army. And it wasn't half bad. Actually, it was good. I really enjoyed it and because of that, I have a new appreciation for the first film, too. I kinda' realize now that although I don't like comedy and humor in between intense action scenes, in Hellboy's case it cannot be helped because that's exactly what Hellboy does and it's who he is. I've had a friend explain this to me before, but I guess I needed to see Hellboy 2 to have my perspectives altered.

Hellboy 2 is based upon the characters from the Hellboy comic series by DarkHorse Comics. It tells the story of mythological harbingers of death known only as The Golden Army. When a truce between humanity and an invisible realm of fantasy is broken, destruction threatens the Earth. A leader from the realm, Prince Nuada, defies his bloodline and summons the feared army to lay waste. Hellboy (Ron Perlman) must confront Nuada and his army, being backed by his team members from the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense: Liz Sherman (Selma Blair), Abe Sapien (Doug Jones) and Johann Kraus. The team travels between Earth and the fantasy realm, battling fantastical creatures. The relationship between Hellboy and Liz is also questioned, and so is the destiny of Hellboy himself.

Although Hellboy is the protagonist in Hellboy 2 : The Golden Army, my favorite character in this flick would have to be Prince Nuada, the bad dude with the weirdly white face and the eerie eyes. The same thing happened in the first movie, in which my favorite character was Kroenen, the kickass yet horribly ugly dude with the wickedly slick hands that wield those uber-cool blades and daggers. In Hellboy 2, Prince Nuada is a baddie with an edge. Wanna' see fast and incredible fight-scenes? Watch Prince Nuada take on his enemies. Solid, kickass sh*t, I tell ya'. Some movies offer plain, blunt fight-scenes, but Hellboy 2 delivers fight-sequences that are choreographed so well that it happens in a beautiful (not sure if you can call violence that) flow.

What's also cool is Abe Sapien. He's the aquatic 'brains of the bunch' and we see a lot more of Abe in the second installment of the Hellboy franchise. We also see more emotion from him, more talk, more input, more everything. And it's cool because I like Abe's character. He reminds me of
C-3PO in certain instances, but Abe's isn't as talkative. Doug Jones plays the 'fishstick' and a bunch of other creatures, and as always, he does it with ease and perfection. In fact, all the characters and strange creatures in Hellboy 2 fit in so well! Nothing seems overdone or pushed beyond its capacity.

The visual effects in Hellboy 2 have improved drastically since the first film. There's a fine blend between CGI, animatronics, and the real deal which gives Hellboy 2 a perfect touch of professionalism. Unlike lame CGI which damages the entire film, Hellboy 2 integrates CGI only where it has to, leaving the rest of for animatronic workers and make-up artistes. This gives all the characters in the flick a concrete feel, not making anything look funny or out of place or fake-ish.

But unfortunately, there is a downsides to Hellboy 2. I wasn't satisfied with the climax of the film. It runs smoothly all the way but for some reason, in my opinion, it doesn't deliver a powerful climax. It's as though the peak of the story was cut-short. I was expecting something big, something more, but was kinda' disappointed when the movie seemed to end too quickly. I'm not sure if more will be shown in the unrated version of the DVD, but as far as the climax is concerned, there's a lingering feeling that Hellboy 2 could and should have delivered way more than it did. I'm not sure if it's just me, or if more people feel the same way.

Hellboy 2 is the uncompromising, raw, unfiltered vision of Guillermo del Toro. After his massive success with Pan's Labyrinth (which I hate with a passion despite all the raving reviews and critical acclaim), del Toro was given the freedom to take the Hellboy series in his own direction. He did. And it worked so well that Hellboy 2 kicks some serious ass. I admit, I have a new perspective towards the directing abilities of Guillermo and hopefully with Peter Jackson by his side, he'll be able to weave The Hobbit into a masterpiece that is befitting of Lord Of The Rings standards. I notice now that del Toro's films have a certain touch to them, much like the films of Steven Spielberg have a certain thematic value to them as well. This second installment has sparked some serious interest in me towards the Hellboy series, and you can be rest assured that I'll be hyped for Hellboy 3 when it's due. Watch this baby on the big screen because it's all worth it!
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Wrap : Hellboy 2: The Golden Army gets a 4.3 out of 5.0. It's entertaining, it has an interesting storyline, good CGI, and nice acting. Hey, it made a person (like me) who didn't give a sh*t about the series actually pay attention to it and like it in the end...that has to account for something right? Pretty damn nice, folks!

P.S : Come this very day next week, I would have already watched the greatness that is The Dark Knight. Twice. The viral marketing ( which I now pronounce the grandest, greatest marketing machine in the history of Hollywood) is over, the clock is ticking, and we're only less than a week away from what could be the greatest blockbuster of the summer! Just look at what The Joker has done to http://www.thedarkknight.com/ and all the sites on http://www.whysoserious.com/. Argh, the anticipation is effin' torture!