Hellboy

Hellboy is fine. It's got heart, charm, humor, a cool edge, a fantasy dimension, and you can feel that writer and director Guillermo del Toro made it with love. That said, it’s not his best film. There’s not enough action in it and the most important action scene, i.e. the last one, is surprisingly unimaginative and rushed. Not to mention the absence of overall dynamics and panache (Blade II was better in that respect), which are things that a comic-book movie shouldn’t be without. Unless, of course, it’s underpinned by more dramatic psychology (like X-Men 2), which Hellboy isn’t. Del Toro conceived Hellboy purely as light entertainment built on humor, likable heroes, the ugliness of the sleazy monsters and the magical atmosphere of “another world”. In terms of formula, he basically just interspersed relaxing scenes in which our heroes hang out in the laboratory with scenes in which they go after their enemies and kick some ass. Unfortunately, these two levels alternate for the whole two hours without anything major being resolved and we are left in suspense as to what will come next. Three and a half stars. (13/08/2004)

Hellboy is quite likable, but not particularly exceptional film, which suffers from an unfinished script and a weak finale. Unfinished script in this case means that the evil is too unimpressive and incapable, the heroes don't struggle enough in their fight, leaving the viewer unsatisfied. On the other hand, the cast is sympathetically chosen, with Ron Perlman fitting perfectly into the role of the demon (it seems to me that they could have saved some money on makeup) and Karel Roden clearly enjoying his portrayal of Rasputin. Some props and set designs are visually interesting. It's a light above-average film, hence 60% overall impression. (07/12/2007)

"I'm fireproof. Not you." I understand that a person who hasn't had the pleasure of reading Hellboy on paper might not appreciate the movie as much. But trust me, it's perfect (although many, many things are changed and many, many things are left out)! As far as Ron Perlman is concerned - that's what you call the role of a lifetime.__P.S. The extended version contains rather cosmetic changes and improvements, but the scene with Rasputin's eyes is excellent. (20/09/2007)

An enjoyable film that gets more and more under my skin each time I watch it. Ron portrayed Hellboy exactly how I imagined him and the whole universe around him is just delicious. Abraham, Liz (Selma Blair's only sympathetic role)... everything fits together and forms a compact whole together with the second film. There is also, of course, the added bonus that the film features Karel Roden, who certainly deserves praise. Hellboy is just a guy who looks like a guy from hell and likes cats, beer, and his flammable half. It's good to watch both movies with this cool guy. (03/02/2012)

A visually captivating, but plot-wise somewhat overwrought breather that, given the premise, could have been better. The action sequences aren't great, the humour sometimes misses the mark and del Toro isn't very good when it comes to psychology. A lot is made up by the visuals, which are quite striking despite the average budget of 60 million, with decent effects (even if sometimes too computer-ey) and good make-up (Hellboy and especially Abe Sapien are simply awesome). The script didn't give Roden much space, but Perlman radiates charisma for a hundred lengths of his devil's tail. On the other hand, there is the very bland character of a young FBI agent who tries to woo Hellboy's girlfriend, but is otherwise completely useless. All in all, a film that entertained me on average and didn't resonate with me after I left the cinema. We’ll see with the sequel. (24/09/2004)