Hellboy II: The Golden Army review

Good morning everybody. To start this week off, here's my own personal review of Hellboy II.

Movie Review: Hellboy II: The Golden Army
The first Hellboy film was much more of a standard superhero movie, although it still contained a lot of wit and originality. But it seems that the success of Del Toro's last film, the progressive fairytale Pan's Labyrinth, has allowed him to break open the floodgates of creativity in his mind. Indeed, Hellboy II is so chocked full of spectacular special effects and amazing creatures that it comes off feeling like much more of a fantasy film in the vein of Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and Star Wars than Spider-man and Batman. One sometimes gets the sense that Del Toro is preparing himself for his next project, "The Hobbit." And you know what? That's perfectly fine with me. We've had plenty of standard (abeit very good) superhero films this year, so I'm definitely open to something that chooses to move outside of the box.

However, the best aspect of the original film is still there: the delightfully oddball characters and their personalities. It's just as fun watching their relationships with each other and with the world around them develop as it is watching the special effects. The dynamic between Hellboy and his pyrokinetic girlfriend Liz, who are now living together and attempting to deal with the many issues that kind of commitment brings up is both hilarious and surprisingly touching. Abe Sapien, another member of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, gets a love interest of his own as well. This leads to a scene in which Hellboy and Abe, both brokenhearted, drunkenly sing along to Barry Manilow's "Can't Smile Without You," that tops any of the movie's awe-inspiring action sequences. Another memorable scene occurs in Manhattan as a giant Earth God wreaks havoc on the city. This scene, however, is memorable not as much for the action as for what follows it: a moment of exquisite beauty and sadness that speaks to the heart of Del Toro's message (and yes, this film has a message): we humans have been slowly pushing away the more fantastical elements of our world for some time, and once they are gone they may be gone forever.

Some people may be disappointed that this film rejects many of the more superhero story-related elements of the original. Nevertheless, Hellboy II is a sequel that easily outpaces the original and establishes Guillermo Del Toro as one of the most talented filmmakers working today.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army gets a 5 out of 5.