While Iron Man, despite its virtues, hit a few familiar beats too many, and The Incredible Hulk did the same while dispensing with exposition and character development to a distressing extent, this comic book sequel feels remarkably fresh. It’s a visual feast (Could we expect less from director Guillermo del Toro?), packed with wonderfully imaginative creatures that range from the adorable to the terrifying. It might have succeeded as sheer spectacle, but happily, there’s more happening here.
The film is admirably character-driven, with great stuff from Ron Perlman as the demonic antihero of the title; Doug Jones as Abe Sapien, the aquatic psychic with a blue-green tint; and Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane voicing Johann Krauss, another psychic whose physical presence is only a vapor. Del Toro also manages the neat trick of introducing a villain (Luke Goss making a strong impression as the graceful, fearsome Prince Nuada) whose motives we understand.
The tone turns on a dime from genuine menace (Those flesh-eating tooth fairies could have escaped from Pan’s Labyrinth.) to sublime humor (a sing-a-long of the Barry Manilow cheesefest “Can’t Smile Without You”), and there are a few killer setpieces, my favorite being Hellboy’s smackdown with an invisible opponent. The climax does echo many an action pic in that it’s yet another mano y mano fight, but this one’s got a touch of the sad and the poetic to it. Del Toro has the guts to question the rightness of his hero’s actions, and better still, he has the guts to let the question linger.
The film leaves threads dangling, being perhaps a bit obvious about its hopes for a sequel, but so what? If it’s anything like this installment, Hellboy III will be a treat.
by Victoria Large | Source: 35MM Print
12 Jul 2008 2:06 PM | Comments (1)
Am I the only person disappointed by this sequel? It may be the most beautiful action film I’ve ever seen, but it lacked the wittiness and heart of the first film. I get everything the story was going for, but Hellboy’s isolation from the rest of the world and his longing to be normal were much better captured in the first film. The only line that connected with me was when Selma Blair’s character said he was the best “man” she knew. But then even that moment was ruined by Hellboy’s response: “maaaaaaaaaan”.
Adam
14 July 2008
10:53 PM