Hellboy (the original) didn't do much for me. After looking back at it and realizing that the first was also directed by Guillermo del Toro, I was surprised. He's come a long way in a short time, it seems. Especially considering that Hellboy II: The Golden Army was, the way I see it, a great movie. It had action, it had comedy, it had suspense, and it had class.
Hellboy II: The Golden Army starts out with a grim fairy tale of sorts: the Earth used to be ruled by not only humans, but it was shared with mythical creatures. But of course, humanity wasn't satiated with only part of the world; they had to rip it out of everybody else's hands. So team mythical creatures built themselves a 'golden army,' and went to town on us humans, leaving our population a fraction of what it was, and the king of the mythical creatures full of regret. To make amends, he created a crown to control the golden army, split it into three pieces so nobody could control it on his/her own, and gave one of the pieces to the humans. This story does a good job of setting up the plot, and helping out the sense of direness that this historical tale contributes to centuries later.
This movie was more enjoyable than its predecessor mainly because the overall tone of the movie changed. Like Hellboy toward his job, it doesn't take itself too seriously. It's noticeable in the choice of music in the film, as well as the comedic sensibilities of this movie. The act of subjecting the monsters in this movie to humanity's foibles and problems (known as "humanizing" to professors and scholars) makes the movie feel more easy-going, and was a great source of humor in the film, which also exceeded my expectations. In fact, my favorite scene in Hellboy II might've been when Hellboy introduces Abe Sapien (the guy with gills) to beer.
Speaking of monsters, the amount and variety of beasts, creatures, and freaks in this movie is simply mind-blowing, far exceeding the first movie. From watching the trailer, I'd assumed there'd be a few cool creations, and Guillermo's (I'm calling it) trademark scary-thing-with-eyes-other-than-where-they-should-be. Like John Locke, though, I was wrong. There are monsters big and small, muscular and scrawny, scary and...I'm a little hesitant to say cute.
The movie had excellent special effects/CGI, and the action scenes ranged from decent to very good. I wasn't on the edge of my seat, but unlike many of his contemporaries, del Toro made it extremely comprehendible what was happening, shying away from blurriness and quick cuts.
The movie wasn't without its issues though, Selma Blair being the main one. She plays Hellboy's love interest, Liz. She wasn't bad for the part, and I'm not saying she's a bad actress, but there were certain parts where she seemed kinda transparent. Also, there are a few parts that are a bit dramatic, but only once does it break the flow of the movie in an awkwardly shot love scene at the end. Excusable.
Hellboy II: The Golden Army is truly a movie for anybody. It was a smart move to not expect people to have seen the original in order to understand or enjoy this movie, a move probably fueled by the fact that del Toro knew this one would be better. Not only that, but it managed to stave off cheesy parts, and I really feel that almost any demographic could walk into the theater and come out satisfied.
5/7
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