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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 |
| Genres | Action/Adventure, Audio Descriptive, Thriller |
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Critics' reviews (2)
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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.
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Fun. Its a crucial but often overlooked element in a summer blockbuster comic-book adaptation and its in... read more on Time Out
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Most helpful members' reviews (3)
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51 out of 54 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.
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- RJTaylor from Manchester
- Posted 18 Aug 2005 12:35
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24 out of 30 people found this review helpful
funny as Hellboy
i thought it was great, a true comic book adaption that didnt take its self seriously. Its entertainment and it knew it. Funny, fast and fantastic, loved it, loved it a lot
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17 out of 21 people found this review helpful
It's Not Art...
I didn't know the character of Hellboy from the comics, but the trailer looked fun. When I saw the film, it made me laugh (a bit), it made me jump (once) and it was fun in an 'I can see every plot twist' kind of way. But, hey, it doesn't pretend to be great art, and it doesn't take itself too seriously. Don't raise your expectations too high and you might just enjoy it. I did.
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Most recent members' reviews (2)
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2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
hell! what a laugh!
A funny film, very silly, very entertaining, very visual, no idea what the plot was really all about, but hey, it was enjoyable nonetheless!
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2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
Very. Very. Good.
Fantastic film, with just the right combination of humour, action, and a most unusual romance. This film will be enjoyed by everyone, and no matter how many times you watch it, you'll never get bored.
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51 out of 54 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
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24 out of 30 people found this review helpful
funny as Hellboy
i thought it was great, a true comic book adaption that didnt take its self seriously. Its entertainment and it knew it. Funny, fast and fantastic, loved it, loved it a lot
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17 out of 21 people found this review helpful
It's Not Art...
I didn't know the character of Hellboy from the comics, but the trailer looked fun. When I saw the film, it made me laugh (a bit), it made me jump (once) and it was fun in an 'I can see every plot twist' kind of way. But, hey, it doesn't pretend to be great art, and it doesn't take itself too seriously. Don't raise your expectations too high and you might just enjoy it. I did.
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13 out of 13 people found this review helpful
I love this, so should you
How many times have you see a comic book adaptation & gone whats this crap? Hellboy is one of the best you will ever see, story, acting, CGI it is a veritable feast of quality. This is a get the beers in, spark one up & just enjoy kinda film, not just friday nite but any nite movie.
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12 out of 14 people found this review helpful
A good start for a promising franchise
Another day, another movie based on a comic book. This time, it's the relatively obscure graphic novel, Hellboy. The best way to summarise it would be a demonic version of Men In Black (itself a comic book adaptation).
The beauty here is the charm of the characters. Hellboy is a neat invention. He's tough, but not invincible. He has a sour attitude, but a good heart. His partner is a telepathic merman called Abe (look, just roll with it, I said) and the two spark off each other well. He also has a crush on a "firestarter", a girl who bursts into flame at the drop of a hat.
The plot is not solid-gold material, but it's entertaining and manages to squeeze in a few more frights than I expected. On a scare scale out of 10, if Men in Black was a 4, this would be a 6. Just enough to keep the little kids at bay and prevent this franchise from appearing as a Happy Meal any time soon.
There will be a sequel (due in 2006) and I welcome it. I feel there is more mileage in the characters. -
9 out of 10 people found this review helpful
Good Mindless Fun...
I have been looking forward to watching this movie for a while. Despite never reading the comic books, the story and characters interested me and I'm a fan of the director Del Toro (Blade 2).
The film attempts not to just aim at the comic book fans, and tries to open it up to a much wider audience. In fairness I felt it achieved this well, giving you a good and swift back story and character introductions.
You not left waiting long for the action to begin and from then on, it’s pretty non-stop. The film also goes into issues of acceptance, morality and family; I felt this gave the film some backbone and a nice break from the action.
But despite this, it’s not much more then an above-average action flick with a few twists and turns. I was a big fan of Blade 2 and expected big things from this film and to be honest I was a little disappointed, but its perfect Friday/Saturday night movie fodder!! -
9 out of 13 people found this review helpful
Not my cup of tea
Exactly what it says on the tin.
Comic book escapist stuff. Ron Perlman is excellent, but I prefer comic books which are a bit darker and possibly take themselves a bit more seriously.
Worth a look if you like this kind of stuff. -
8 out of 8 people found this review helpful
Brilliant, Funny, Clever!!!!!!
The best comic book to big screen ever. This is pure entertainment. Great story great acting, SFX brilliant. Very Funny in parts, and some fantastic villians, I do not have a bad word to say about it. Great!!!!!
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6 out of 7 people found this review helpful
What a Surprise!
Well, to say I was sceptical about this film is an understatement. I sat on my sofa just knowing I was going to hate it. How wrong could I have been! I really enjoyed it - the characters are great - and for a comic book type film which is a genre I usually avoid, its done with humour and irony and somehow gets away with not being naff at all. If this is not normally your type of film, give it a go and hopefully you too will be pleasantly surprised!
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6 out of 8 people found this review helpful
Nearly great
Like a Chinese meal, this is initially great but eventually leaves you feeling unsatisfied. The first 40 minutes promise a blockbuster several notches above the norm. The warped world of Hellboy, a demon fighting for the other side, is brought to vivid life. Secret government agencies, crazed supernatural Nazi villains, and a wise-cracking hero (a perfectly-cast Ron Perlman).
However, somehow the whole enterprise runs out of steam and the film doesn’t quite deliver on its fantastic potential. Still a great Saturday night film, it just could have been so much more…
Critics' reviews (2)
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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
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Hellboy - BLU-RAY Version
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 ...
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