loading...
Hellboy
2004
Based on the comic book series by Mike Mignola, Guillermo del Toro's gleefully eccentric film follows the supernatural adventures of Hellboy (Ron Perlman), a cigar-chomping, horn-filing demonic hero enlisted by an occult scholar (John Hurt) to fight evil in the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense. Along with the fire-.. Read more
| Starring | Ron Perlman, John Hurt, Selma Blair, Rupert Evans |
|---|---|
| Director | Guillermo del Toro |
| Run time | 117 mins |
| Genres | Action/Adventure, Audio Descriptive, Thriller |
loading...
-
Critics' reviews (2)
View all -
This brilliantly designed comic-book adaptation is an adventurous mix of gothic horror, action and romance that stands among the very best of the genre. Ron Perlman brings a wry humour and humanity to the role of Hellboy, the cigar-chomping demon who is brought into this world by Nazis to serve as an agent of evil, but is raised by John Hurt's kindly professor as a champion of good. When not fighting arch-enemy Rasputin (Karel Roden), he yearns with unrequited love for pyrokinetic Liz Sherman (Selma Blair) and — in a nice touch — tends after stray cats. Unusually for the genre, the character interactions are more convincing than the fight scenes, which, while exciting, are too numerous. However, Kroenen (Ladislav Beran) — a zombie assassin — is one of the most unsettling villains ever created and director Guillermo del Toro manages to bring intelligence and emotion to the film without sacrificing its pulp roots.
-
Fun. Its a crucial but often overlooked element in a summer blockbuster comic-book adaptation and its in... read more on Time Out
-
Most helpful member's review
View all -
49 out of 52 people found this review helpful
The Sequel That Never Was
I really tried to like this movie, but I couldn't help but think there was some huge back story to each of the characters that I was left completely unaware of.
The goodies weren't likeable enough, the baddies simply not dangerous enough, and everyone else just seemed flat and featureless.
Hellboy as a character seemed to be pretty indestructible, so whenever he gets into any sort of peril it just seems to be a matter of time before he wins the fight. We're briefly informed of the existence of some nasty beings on the other side of the universe near the beginning, but we don't actually witness them being particularly nasty to anyone, or threatening the wellbeing of, well, *anything*.
And whenever any of the peripheral characters (ie most of them) were in any danger I failed to muster up even as much sympathy for them as I manage for the cavorting teens in the Friday 13th series.
Another real disappointment was that the comedy potential of the movie isn't fully exploited - there was tons of room for some real humour, (some of which was adequately filled with Hellboys extra-dry wisecracks,) but most of it just was either ignored or filled with weak gags. The reanimated corpse particularly could have been hilarious, but was a real missed opportunity.
Hellboy is adapted from a comic book which I've never read, so the key to my lack of understanding may lie there. But surely this movie was aimed at a wider audience than just those already in the know?
On the whole I felt like I'd walked in on a movie halfway through, despite the fact that I'd watched right from the start. Still, if you've enjoyed the comic book, (a nice touch being its presence in the film,) I expect you'll enjoy the movie. Everyone else who wants to see some comic-book action in their living room, see Robocop or Starship Troopers, or the masterly Sin City.
-
- RJTaylor from Manchester
- Posted 18 Aug 2005 12:35
-
Most recent members' review
View all -
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful
Excellent
A bit long in places, monsters are all the same. But some amazing effects.
-
News and features
View all
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
- 18 Aug 2008
Hellboy is growing up. Not physically of course, but emotionally. At least, he should be: he’s married now, to pyrokinetic Liz Sherman (Selma Blair). He’s also an institutional beast, like it or not (not, in his case), at the beck and call of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, where he lives and works. The trouble is, the big fella (“Red” to his friends) still wants to be his own man – and that includes lapping up the adjulation he believes should be... Read more
-
More like this
View allShowing 1 to 4 of 20
Related user collection
FROM THE PAGE TO THE SCREEN (82)
67.6% from 16 members
Celebrity collection
Audrey Tatou (5)
67% from 106 members
