Hellboy II - The Review
27 Aug 2008 21:44![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
patentdragonOkay, here goes...
At The Movies... Hellboy II - The Golden Army The first Hellboy movie kinda sneaked up on me, tapped me on the shoulder and whispered in my ear "Just how did you miss this...?" when I managed to catch up with it on DVD. The answer was simple - at the time of release, several "similar" movies were doing the rounds, namely "Van Helsing", "Underworld", and "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen", but Hellboy kicked all their asses (Kate Beckinsale twice).
Fast-forward to the announcement of Hellboy II..., and I'm "like, dude, I'm totally there" (errrmmm, whatever - note to self, don't try that "Valley talk" again). It came high on the summer "must-see" list, and whilst it has some serious competition from the "big guns", it doesn't disappoint. There's more humour, more characterisation, new characters, heaps of new creatures - the story covers different ground from last time, but the potential isn't wasted, and the elves aren't all "Legolas and Galadriel" (note to film-makers: a series of movies featuring Drizzt Do'Urden is now achieveable, and would rock).
Ron Perlman is brilliant once again, and Doug Jones gets to put everything, voice included, into Ape Sapien... Even if you didn't see the first one, you could still take a look at this, and enjoy it thoroughly.
The Verdict Too tired to come up with something catchy - let's just say it's worth making a special trip to see this as Del Toro intended. You know it makes sense. 8/10
Meanwhile... This just in - wind turbines make bats explode. Well, hooray for sustainable energy - right...?
And Finally... TV To Miss - "Spooks Code 9": let me get this straight - a nuke goes off in London, and MI5 can't find anyone older than 25 to work for them? Guess this is why Torchwood is due for a truncated third season, then.
At The Movies... Hellboy II - The Golden Army The first Hellboy movie kinda sneaked up on me, tapped me on the shoulder and whispered in my ear "Just how did you miss this...?" when I managed to catch up with it on DVD. The answer was simple - at the time of release, several "similar" movies were doing the rounds, namely "Van Helsing", "Underworld", and "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen", but Hellboy kicked all their asses (Kate Beckinsale twice).
Fast-forward to the announcement of Hellboy II..., and I'm "like, dude, I'm totally there" (errrmmm, whatever - note to self, don't try that "Valley talk" again). It came high on the summer "must-see" list, and whilst it has some serious competition from the "big guns", it doesn't disappoint. There's more humour, more characterisation, new characters, heaps of new creatures - the story covers different ground from last time, but the potential isn't wasted, and the elves aren't all "Legolas and Galadriel" (note to film-makers: a series of movies featuring Drizzt Do'Urden is now achieveable, and would rock).
Ron Perlman is brilliant once again, and Doug Jones gets to put everything, voice included, into Ape Sapien... Even if you didn't see the first one, you could still take a look at this, and enjoy it thoroughly.
The Verdict Too tired to come up with something catchy - let's just say it's worth making a special trip to see this as Del Toro intended. You know it makes sense. 8/10
Meanwhile... This just in - wind turbines make bats explode. Well, hooray for sustainable energy - right...?
And Finally... TV To Miss - "Spooks Code 9": let me get this straight - a nuke goes off in London, and MI5 can't find anyone older than 25 to work for them? Guess this is why Torchwood is due for a truncated third season, then.
