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Actually, since people LIKE the film reviews, I'll do one more. Because I just rewrote this one. I might add on Hellboy II. Hellboy is a very personal film for me, and is actually what inspired me to go into film.
Hellboy
I often remember my childhood in terms of the movies I watched. I was an awkward kid, moving from one classic monster movie to another, outright avoiding modern day horror films. When not watching these films, my head was buried in a book of mythology, or a superhero comic. It came to the point where I knew more about monsters than I did my own family, and I never thought their was anything strange about it. My favorite movies and stories always involved two monsters, one good, and one evil. They always ended the same way. The Good Monster defeats the bad monster.
It is, however, a shock to many people today that I never read the comic "Hellboy". I was ten when I first picked up a copy of "Spawn", another demonic themed hero, and was set back by all the negativity. I sort of brushed Hellboy off as being the same sort of anti hero.
Another big regret of mine is not seeing Hellboy in it's original theatrical run. When I finally saw the movie, I found myself watching everything that I had wanted to see on screen since I was very young. Here we have a story of good monster testing his metal against other, larger, evil monsters. And wouldn't you know it? The good monster won.
The titular Hellboy is pulled out of a portal no more than ten minutes into the film, during a Nazi experiment in World War II. Merely a child, he is raised by the kindly Trevor Bruttenholm (played by John Hurt), an advisor to the Allied forces responsible for stopping the experiment. Over the years, the child Hellboy becomes an asset to the "Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense", a Government Organization whose purpose is to combat threats of an Alien or Supernatural origin.
Along with Hellboy (played wonderfully by Ron Perlman) is the fishman Abraham Sapien (Played by Doug Jones, voiced by David Hyde Pierce) and FBI Agent John Myers(Rupert Evans). Hellboy himself spends his time devoted to the beautiful Liz Sherman (Selma Blair), a former member with the ability to create (but not control) fire. Constantly stepping in the way of Hellboy's visitations is Tom Manning, a by the book FBI agent played by Max Headroom's Jeffrey Tambor. Without a cast like this, Hellboy could not have been made possible, as each actor shows a love and understanding for their characters matched only by director Guillermo Del Toro's love for the source material.
The film attempts to be a love story, as well as a classic Superhero film, a tribute to the classic monster movies (and monsters in General), and the heir to great adventure films like "Raiders of the Lost Ark". What is so amazing about Hellboy is that it not only succeeds at doing all of these, it exceeds. Their is not a dull moment, and not once do they interrupt the strong romantic story for their action set pieces, and never do they slow down the action for the romantic subplot.
Hellboy himself is a fascinating character. He managed to stop showing signs of aging in his mid thirties, he's got superhuman strength, and can withstand just about any sort of injury. He is a creature that is destined to destroy the Earth. On the other hand, he's another blue collar guy like anyone else. Your average man with a job to do, like anyone else. Instead of desperately trying to be like your regular Joe, he actually manages to come across as one, and is accepted as one by his coworkers and associates. He manages to avoid much angst, he does not brood, and even knowing his alleged destiny, he simply does not even think it to be a possibility for him. Nor does the audience.
Of course, you can't talk about Hellboy without talking about the special effects. Computer generated effects are everywhere in this film, sometimes noticeable, sometimes integrated seamlessly. The beauty is, however, is that the computer effects exist in the film only to do what is otherwise impossible. Rather, the burden of making all the monsters come alive convincingly when to the practical effects crews, and the costume makers, and the make up artists. Which is why the film ends up looking as good as the script.
**** out of ****
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