Hellboy 2 - Hellboy 2 Review, Hellboy II: The Golden Army Options

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Will Smith's Hancock wasn't the first superhero with bad habits and a bad attitude. Hellboy, the protagonist of "Hellboy II: The Golden Army," has a bit of the devil in him: His skin is red; he has two shorn-off horns on his head, a gargantuan club fist and a long, slippery tail. Ron Perlman returns in the title role in "Hellboy II: The Golden Army."

He also has a down-to-earth side: a fondness for Cuban cigars, Mexican beer, TV and candy. He has a short fuse and he'd like a little appreciation for his efforts, please.

He deserves it, too.

This rank outsider isn't a billionaire like Bruce Wayne or Tony Stark. He's not even a scientist like Bruce Banner. He's more of a working stiff, a slugger with a gruff manner and a stogie in the side of his mouth -- but he wants to bat for the right team. (According to writer-artist Mike Mignola, the character was inspired by his father, a cabinetmaker.)

Hellboy -- or "Red" to his friends -- has switched studios since his 2004 big-screen debut, from Columbia to Universal. Not that it shows. Writer-director Guillermo del Toro is still pulling the strings, and the key creative personnel are all back, including Ron Perlman in the title role, Selma Blair as the pyrokinetic Liz (now Mrs. Hellboy), Doug Jones as the piscine Abe Sapien (the brains to Red's brawn), and -- behind the scenes -- cinematographer Guillermo Navarro, and art whizzes Stephen Scott and Peter Francis.

Between them, they conjure up one hell of a creature feature.

"Hellboy II" boasts a dazzling multitude of imaginary beings: the deceptively delicate tooth fairies (so called because they eat bone, with a fondness for teeth in particular); the elfin king whose antlers grow out of his head to form a crown; the plantlike forest god that collapses into a strangely beautiful floral mulch right under the Brooklyn Bridge; the magnificent Angel of Death, an old crone who unfurls her wings to reveal a sparkling set of eyes (an avian variation on the creepiest creation in the acclaimed "Pan's Labyrinth," del Toro's last movie).

Then there's the redoubtable Johann Kraus, an officious but in many ways admirable German who only exists as a vapor trail -- except when he's bottled up in an ingeniously modified, but still splendidly archaic, deep-sea diving suit.

When a filmmaker can invest even a puff of smoke with so much chutzpah you know he's on to something. It's wonderful to see del Toro let his imagination run rampant like this.



The plot concerns an ancient race that's determined to wage war on humanity, but it's secondary to del Toro's amazing characters.

The Mexican director's first Hollywood movies ("Mimic" and "Blade II") were far less distinctive than his Spanish-language films: "Cronos," "The Devil's Backbone" and "Pan's Labyrinth." You couldn't really call "Hellboy II" an advance on the latter -- "Pan's" was nominated for six Oscars and won three -- but it's obvious he relishes this material. It's pulpy and hammy and unashamedly lowbrow, and del Toro has the confidence and power to make it his own. The film feels very free, loose and (unusually for a special-effects picture) improvisational.

An outsize personality such as Perlman is in his element here. Even when the wisecracks fall short -- there are an awful lot of "ass" gags -- they are closer to the grubby, subversive impulses of the comic books than the over-hyped, market-tested, industrial-strength blockbuster adaptations Hollywood churns out.

It's not for nothing that the central tension running through this movie is Red's anarchic streak, his sometimes irresponsible need to be his own man in the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (the "X-Men"-like institution where he works) and in his marriage. Scratch the surface, and this is a film about love and loyalty, figuring out where your deepest bonds lie.

Highbrows may damn "Hellboy II" as a "comic book movie," though even they would have to grant that its wonderful idiosyncrasies indicate brilliance. But it's more than that. Hellboy does so much growing up over the course of these 110 minutes, we may have to call him "Hellman" from now on.

Let's hope Universal stays the course and gives us that opportunity. People as creative as del Toro and his gang need all the support we can give them.

"Hellboy II: The Golden Army" is rated PG-13 and runs 110 minutes.

Did u see Hellboy II ? Please reply with your comments.

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Hellboy II: The Golden Army Beats Hancock In Friday Box Office




With $13,777,000 in ticket sales, Hellboy II: The Golden Army has managed to earn the fist spot in Friday box office, pushing the last weekend number one, “Hancock”, on the second place.

However, “Hancock” earned $10,250,000 and it remains to be seen which movie will emerge as this weekend champion.

Directed by Guillermo del Toro, “Hellboy II: The Golden Army” marks the return of the bloody-red devil supporting humankind. Who said all devils were evil hasn’t met del Toro. Hellboy (still played by Ron Perlman – still the tenebrous voice, still the perfect match for the dark hero) is still the love interest of Liz (Selma Blair), a girl who looks perfectly normal (actually, she’s more beautiful than normal), but has the special ability to engulf fire. Hellboy is bound to become Helldaddy, only that he doesn’t know it until later, but demonstrates since the beginning of the gig how caring a father he might be.

But what triggers the adventures this time? Hellboy, Liz and the Piscean Abe Sapien (Doug Jones) are still devoted to their work for the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense when a great peril threatens humankind. The ancient truce made between the humans and the ancient people was crossed and Prince Nuada (Luke Goss) wants to wake up the Golden Army. The latter was retired as a result of the before-mentioned truce, as its golden soldiers proved to be ruthless killing machines.

Prince Nuada’s twin sister, Princess Nuala (Anna Walton) sides with the humans and hides the key part of the crown that has the power to wake up the cruelty of the Golden Army. The team that fights for the good of the world also includes the Teutonic gas-organism Johann Kraus (voice of Seth MacFarlane) and Tom Manning (Jeffrey Tambor), who is, unfortunately, not of great help. As promised, the movie includes all kinds of creatures and monsters, battles with giant monsters on the streets of Manhattan, a suite of jaw-dropping action scenes and also, two love stories.

Another movie that opened this weekend, “Journey To The Center Of The Earth 3D” ranked third in Friday box office, with $6,750,000.

Starring Brendan Fraser and Anita Briem, “Journey to the Center of the Earth” is based on Jules Verne’s book and is filled with numerous visual effects which would require some 3-D glasses in order to see the best of the movie. Brendan Fraser plays the role of Trevor Anderson, a scientist whose brother went missing 10 years ago and who teaches small classes.

He is very passionate about Jules Verne’s writings and believes that “Journey to the Center of the Earth” is not entirely a work of fiction and it has some elements that are true. He is also researching volcanic tubes, work left behind by his brother Max Trevor. With Max’s disappearance, Trevor has to take care of his teenage nephew Sean Anderson, played by Josh Hutcherson.

The scientist and the boy set off to Iceland when Trevor sees that some lab apparatus registered unusual seismic activity around the world. In order to get to a sensor that is on top of a mountain, Trevor gets help from a guide Hannah Ásgeirsson, played by actress Anita Briem. Unfortunately, when they arrive at their destination, a storm causes an avalanche and the three hikers remain trapped in a cave.

Although they try to get back to the surface, they always end up closer to the center of the Earth. The viewers’ eyes are pampered by some pretty impressing effects and décors. The characters end up running from a living dinosaur, fighting some aggressive and scary fish. Brendan Fraser is goofy but still courageous, Anita Briem is smart and funny and they make a wonderful team.

“WALL-E”, Pixar’s movie about a lonely robot which falls in love, ranked fourth on Friday, earning $5,600,000. Released two weeks ago “WALL-E” has earned already $149,862,000.

The fifth place went to “Wanted” with Angelina Jolie and James McAvoy, which earned $3,615,000.

Eddie Murphy’s “Meet Dave” had a disappointing Friday debut, ranking seventh with only $1,700,000 in ticket sales, behind “Get Smart”

“Meet Dave”, Eddie Murphy's latest movie, which is a B comedy about an alien ship disguised as... Eddie Murphy, with a captain who is a tiny Eddie Murphy, bombs all the way. Meet Dave is disappointing especially because Eddie Murphy is one of the actors who could indeed put out something valuable, but apparently he doesn't care and is in it totally for the money.

The Top 10 was rounded by “Kung Fu Panda”, “Kit Kittredge: An American Girl” and “The Incredible Hulk”.

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Will Smith's Hancock wasn't the first superhero with bad habits and a bad attitude. Hellboy, the protagonist of "Hellboy II: The Golden Army," has a bit of the devil in him: His skin is red; he has two shorn-off horns on his head, a gargantuan club fist and a long, slippery tail.[img]http:
Ron Perlman returns in the title role in "Hellboy II: The Golden Army."

He also has a down-to-earth side: a fondness for Cuban cigars, Mexican beer, TV and candy. He has a short fuse and he'd like a little appreciation for his efforts, please.

He deserves it, too.

This rank outsider isn't a billionaire like Bruce Wayne or Tony Stark. He's not even a scientist like Bruce Banner. He's more of a working stiff, a slugger with a gruff manner and a stogie in the side of his mouth -- but he wants to bat for the right team. (According to writer-artist Mike Mignola, the character was inspired by his father, a cabinetmaker.)

Hellboy -- or "Red" to his friends -- has switched studios since his 2004 big-screen debut, from Columbia to Universal. Not that it shows. Writer-director Guillermo del Toro is still pulling the strings, and the key creative personnel are all back, including Ron Perlman in the title role, Selma Blair as the pyrokinetic Liz (now Mrs. Hellboy), Doug Jones as the piscine Abe Sapien (the brains to Red's brawn), and -- behind the scenes -- cinematographer Guillermo Navarro, and art whizzes Stephen Scott and Peter Francis.

Between them, they conjure up one hell of a creature feature.

"Hellboy II" boasts a dazzling multitude of imaginary beings: the deceptively delicate tooth fairies (so called because they eat bone, with a fondness for teeth in particular); the elfin king whose antlers grow out of his head to form a crown; the plantlike forest god that collapses into a strangely beautiful floral mulch right under the Brooklyn Bridge; the magnificent Angel of Death, an old crone who unfurls her wings to reveal a sparkling set of eyes (an avian variation on the creepiest creation in the acclaimed "Pan's Labyrinth," del Toro's last movie).

Then there's the redoubtable Johann Kraus, an officious but in many ways admirable German who only exists as a vapor trail -- except when he's bottled up in an ingeniously modified, but still splendidly archaic, deep-sea diving suit.

When a filmmaker can invest even a puff of smoke with so much chutzpah you know he's on to something. It's wonderful to see del Toro let his imagination run rampant like this.



The plot concerns an ancient race that's determined to wage war on humanity, but it's secondary to del Toro's amazing characters.

The Mexican director's first Hollywood movies ("Mimic" and "Blade II") were far less distinctive than his Spanish-language films: "Cronos," "The Devil's Backbone" and "Pan's Labyrinth." You couldn't really call "Hellboy II" an advance on the latter -- "Pan's" was nominated for six Oscars and won three -- but it's obvious he relishes this material. It's pulpy and hammy and unashamedly lowbrow, and del Toro has the confidence and power to make it his own. The film feels very free, loose and (unusually for a special-effects picture) improvisational.

An outsize personality such as Perlman is in his element here. Even when the wisecracks fall short -- there are an awful lot of "ass" gags -- they are closer to the grubby, subversive impulses of the comic books than the over-hyped, market-tested, industrial-strength blockbuster adaptations Hollywood churns out.

It's not for nothing that the central tension running through this movie is Red's anarchic streak, his sometimes irresponsible need to be his own man in the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (the "X-Men"-like institution where he works) and in his marriage. Scratch the surface, and this is a film about love and loyalty, figuring out where your deepest bonds lie.

Highbrows may damn "Hellboy II" as a "comic book movie," though even they would have to grant that its wonderful idiosyncrasies indicate brilliance. But it's more than that. Hellboy does so much growing up over the course of these 110 minutes, we may have to call him "Hellman" from now on.

Let's hope Universal stays the course and gives us that opportunity. People as creative as del Toro and his gang need all the support we can give them.

"Hellboy II: The Golden Army" is rated PG-13 and runs 110 minutes.

Did u see Hellboy II ? Please reply with your comments.