Hellboy II: The Golden Army

I have to give it five stars. I simply have to. Not that anyone's forcing me to, but “Hellboy" is my favorite comic, and here it all looks exactly like it does on the pages of the comic books (although it's also completely different at the same time). Mike Mignola couldn't have found a man with more imagination and sense of atmosphere than Guillermo del Toro. I hope we get a third film. (26/04/2009)

It may hold together less than part one, on the other hand Hellboy II is full of enthusiasm and enough fantasy for another ten movies. Guillermo gives the movie the heart and playfulness of a young child who loved old fairytales and fantasy stories. I used to be like that too and maybe that’s why I gave The Golden Army a full set of stars. In fact, I’m rather disappointed that del Toro signed up for Tolkien’s Hobbit because he’s need elsewhere. Because of him we are going to have to wait longer for the third Hellboy than I would like. I’m going to miss this red guy’s world and I won’t even mention the shelving of the adaptation of Lovecraft’s ‘At the Mountains of Madness’. (02/10/2008)

If you love him, then you have nothing to worry about, and this especially true in the case of the Big Red Guy. The second film is more balanced, visually more varied, more action-packed and funny as far as the characters are concerned. Hellboy's sarcasm and scenes from family life with Liz are great, and Abe was great, too. However, the script was once again problematic. It is shallower than it should be and nowhere is it written that the audience will not be irritated by the evident focus on the Hobbit. Yet, I was fascinated by the fantasy garb of the story, and Guillermo at least had plenty of room for his cute monsters and creatures from another dimension. It still seems to me, though, that Hellboy could be better - it just needs a more dignified plot. Anyway, a strong ****, out of love for rounded corners, I round up. (30/08/2008)

Perhaps the best possible sequel I could have hoped for! The Golden Army surpasses the previous adventure in every respect, whether in its straightforward and spectacular execution, its stylish story, or its approach to the main characters, which is perhaps even more human and distinctive. Del Toro again literally revels in his work, getting the absolute most out of his characters, and his world full of diverse monsters is portrayed as breathtakingly as only a certain gentleman named George Lucas could. His direction is much more assured and less cluttered than in the first one, the action scenes are more imaginative and better structured, and Ron Perlman is still in top form, churning out one wisecrack after another, and his Red is slowly becoming one of my favourite comic book characters. Too bad we probably won't see a sequel. (29/08/2012)

For having a budget of eighty-five million, del Toro delivers an incredible piece of theatre, but the plot itself gets somewhat lost. Gone is the flamboyance of the first film, when the in-love "red man" was spouting dry catchphrases, and in the dark alleys he would fight other monsters from time to time. It does go into some of the depth of the mythology, but del Toro would have had to take an extra half hour to really get the whole colossus rolling and not just jump from place to place to blow it all away in two hours. Fortunately, it's still done with that passionate creative love for the comics and it's enjoyable all the way through. I give it a weaker four stars. PS: I believe that under Jackson's patronage, The Hobbit will be a smash hit. (18/09/2008)