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Hellboy 8.5 out of 10 Posted: 05/20/08
Running time: 1:52 MPAA rating: PG-13 (Sci-fi action violence and frightening images.) Peruvian rating: Mayores de 14
Cast:
Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Jeffrey Tambor, Karel Roden, Rupert Evans,
John Hurt, Doug Jones, David Hyde Pierce (voice). |
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Guillermo del Toro is one of the most talented directors currently working in Hollywood. After all, he’s the man responsible for films such as the underrated Devil’s Backbone, the super-cool Blade II, and the masterful Pan’s Labyrinth, which was loved both by critics and audiences throughout the world. He’s also going to direct the live-action adaptation of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings prequel, The Hobbit, as well as a “bridge” movie between this first story and Peter Jackson’s trilogy. And now that the man is about to release (well, in a couple of months anyway) his second Hellboy adventure, I thought it would be a good idea to re-watch and review the original film, released back in 2004.
In short, Hellboy is a fantastic comic book movie. Those expecting something in the vain of Spider-Man or even the recent Iron Man will be disappointed, though, since this is not the typical superhero flick. Hellboy is anything but heroic; I mean, he does save a lot of lives and gets rid the world of monsters and other ghastly creatures, but his methods are, well, unorthodox, if you take my meaning, and his origins are obscure and devilish. The movie, much like the comic book, I suppose, contains lots of dark humour and action, so for those willing to accept Hellboy in his own context, and for those who are capable of enjoying something that doesn’t exactly fit the mold, this film is perfect.
The movie starts in October 1944 Scotland, where the Nazis are trying to open up a portal to another dimension to bring horrific creatures for their Fuhrer. American soldiers – accompanied by a young Professor Broom, played by Kevin Trainor – ruin their plans, but a baby demon manages to pass through the portal – he’s nicknamed Hellboy, and raised by Professor Bruttenholm, played as an old man by John Hurt. Now an adult, Hellboy (Ron Perlman) has become an agent for the mysterious FBI Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense, which has been created basically to stop ugly monsters from appearing in the normal world. There, he is accompanied by a number of other, uh, “especial beings”, which include Abe Sapien (Doug Jones), an aquatic guy, and Liz Sherman (Selma Blair), a "firestarter." Their latest enemy happens to be Rasputin (Karel Roden), the resurrected Russian spiritualist who has made a pact with dark gods: he will receive infinite power and immortality if he opens the portal for them. In order to do this, though, he needs to turn Hellboy into an evil demon, so this is where conflict begins.
Even though Hellboy’s tone is darkish and mysterious – everything is shot in deep shadows and photography has a bluish, darkish tint -, it nevertheless manages to be really entertaining and, believe it or not, lighthearted. The movie might deal with demons and monsters and the occult, but both Guillermo del Toro and Ron Perlman make sure that things never become too serious. Hellboy as a character is witty and funny and sarcastic, and many of the most entertaining lines come from him. Additionally, since the film is rated PG-13, action is mostly comic-book-like, with things like gore or guts or blood never making an appearance. That doesn’t mean the action sequences are boring – on the contrary, they’re extremely entertaining, and the filmmakers have managed to find some really interesting replacements for blood. (In the scene in which Hellboy fights against a monster in the subway, he hits it with a payphone, with the coins flying around standing in for the blood.)
It also helps that performances are pretty good, especially that of the titular character. Ron Perlman is, in one word, perfect; I just can’t imagine any other actor playing Hellboy. He has the right amount of charisma, wit, muscles and thespian skills to make the role work. He makes his character a believable (human?) being – at least in the film’s context – and develops him into a sympathetic and flawed hero. He’s witty, sarcastic and, although he makes some mistakes, the audience never ceases to root for him. It’s a pity Perlman doesn’t get many starring roles – given the quality of his performance as Hellboy, he should be really successful in more demanding movies. He might not have the looks, but he’s definitely got the talent.
Although the flick focuses on Perlman, supporting performances are not half-bad. Selma Blair, while a little bland for my taste, is suitably interesting as Liz. She’s more of a girl-next-door type of love interest, and it’s not hard to see why Hellboy is in love with her. As old Professor Bloom, John Hurt looks and talks as a suitably wise man, but looks too damn old. The combination of David Hyde Pierce’s voice acting and Doug Jones’ body performance make the character of Abe really interesting, but Rupert Evans’ John Myers is just boring. He’s supposed to be some kind of heroic figure, like a complement to Hellboy, but he ends up being nothing more than a lame sidekick. Karel Roden as Rasputin is not bad, but he should’ve been more intimidating.
A couple of words about CGI: when used correctly, it can be an amazing tool that manages to create things that otherwise would be impossible to even conceive. The Lord of Rings has some impressive CGI, as well as the King Kong remake; the Star Wars prequels also make an effective use of this tool, regardless of what some people might say. Even Speed Racer, with all its craziness and cheesiness, has some impressive CGI, although I admit it sometimes becomes excessive. (It didn’t bother me as much as other people, that’s for sure.) In this particular motion picture, though, CGI is kind of a mixed bag. A couple of effects shots are not bad and look suitably impressive, but the majority of them look like shots from videogame cut-scenes. The big, slimy monster that makes an appearance at the end looks particularly cheesy, and Hellboy’s “digital stunt double” calls attention to itself every time it makes an appearance. In contrast, Rick Baker’s makeup work is amazing – Hellboy itself looks impressive, as well as Abe and other creatures. The man’s work has never disappointed me, and the makeup in Hellboy is definitely not an exception.
Ultimately, I really liked Hellboy. Granted, it’s got a couple of major flaws – the plot is not particularly interesting, the villain is kinda lame and characters such as John Myers are superfluous – but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad movie. On the contrary, it’s a realty satisfying experience, especially for those who are looking for a film that doesn’t exactly fit the mold of the superhero flick. I even enjoyed it more than the first Spider-Man movie. I’m definitely looking forward for this year’s sequel, Hellboy 2: The Golden Army. It’s got all the ingredients to be even better than this first installment and, considering it’s been directed and written – again – by Del Toro, I’m pretty sure it won’t disappoint.
©2008 Sebastián Zavala - Star Wars Epica