Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008) (PG-13)
Directed by Guillermo Del Toro
Starring: Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones, Luke Goss
Daddy Says:
Hellboy II: The Golden Army is the superior sequel to the original Hellboy, which introduced us to the titular demon (played with wonderful style by Ron Perlman). But life is not always a bed of roses when you're a big, red monster. He clashes with his government boss (Jeffrey Tambor) and his girlfriend (the fiery Selma Blair). Plus, he really wants to step out of the shadows and announce his presence to the world, completely sure that the humans he works so hard to protect will love him back. Things don't go exactly as planned.
I'll be honest: I've really loved all the movies I've seen that were directed by Guillermo Del Toro. This is the fourth one I've seen and while it's not his best (that would be the incredible Pan's Labyrinth), it certainly ranks as one of his best. The story is wonderful. The movie begins with Hellboy's adopted father (John Hurt) reading his "son" a bedtime story about elves, a war with humans, and a Golden Army. And you should be able to surmise from the title of the film that by it's end, Hellboy will be facing that army.
The world created by Del Toro is a feast for the eyes. It's as fanciful as any of the Lord of the Rings settings, and populated by some of the most amazing creatures ever seen. The fact that three of them are played by the same actor (Doug Jones) is astonishing. Doug Jones has made an entire career of playing very difficult physical roles. In Pan's Labyrinth, he played both the title character, a fawn, as well as the supremely creepy "thing with eyes in the palms of this hands". Here he plays Hellboy's sidekick Abe Sapien, a fish out of water, as well as the Chamberlain of the underworld and the Angel of Death. He does amazing work under some of the most amazing costumes ever created.
Hellboy II: The Golden Army has action, humor, romance, and epic mythology. The first film wasn't bad, but this one is just really better. Even if you haven't seen the first one, you should be able to enjoy this one easily.
Rating for Hellboy II: The Golden Army: ****1/4
Directed by Guillermo Del Toro
Starring: Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones, Luke Goss
Daddy Says:
Hellboy II: The Golden Army is the superior sequel to the original Hellboy, which introduced us to the titular demon (played with wonderful style by Ron Perlman). But life is not always a bed of roses when you're a big, red monster. He clashes with his government boss (Jeffrey Tambor) and his girlfriend (the fiery Selma Blair). Plus, he really wants to step out of the shadows and announce his presence to the world, completely sure that the humans he works so hard to protect will love him back. Things don't go exactly as planned.
I'll be honest: I've really loved all the movies I've seen that were directed by Guillermo Del Toro. This is the fourth one I've seen and while it's not his best (that would be the incredible Pan's Labyrinth), it certainly ranks as one of his best. The story is wonderful. The movie begins with Hellboy's adopted father (John Hurt) reading his "son" a bedtime story about elves, a war with humans, and a Golden Army. And you should be able to surmise from the title of the film that by it's end, Hellboy will be facing that army.
The world created by Del Toro is a feast for the eyes. It's as fanciful as any of the Lord of the Rings settings, and populated by some of the most amazing creatures ever seen. The fact that three of them are played by the same actor (Doug Jones) is astonishing. Doug Jones has made an entire career of playing very difficult physical roles. In Pan's Labyrinth, he played both the title character, a fawn, as well as the supremely creepy "thing with eyes in the palms of this hands". Here he plays Hellboy's sidekick Abe Sapien, a fish out of water, as well as the Chamberlain of the underworld and the Angel of Death. He does amazing work under some of the most amazing costumes ever created.
Hellboy II: The Golden Army has action, humor, romance, and epic mythology. The first film wasn't bad, but this one is just really better. Even if you haven't seen the first one, you should be able to enjoy this one easily.
Rating for Hellboy II: The Golden Army: ****1/4
Daughter Says:
Hellboy II: The Golden Army was an okay movie. The action was good and the story line was alright. I loved the Angel of Death. It was amazingly created and just beautiful all together. Also loved the little tooth fairies at the beginning of the movie. They are so cute and evil. They almost creeped me out too. I do love a movie that will send a shiver up my spine
The negative side I didn't like some of the costumes and makeup. Hellboy was just too...well...fake. He looked fake and was fake. Another problem I had with the movie was Abe Sapien. He was so stiff. He kind of reminded me of CP30 off of Star Wars. Let's just say I'm not one that enjoys Star Wars all that much. I do love the guy who plays Abe though. He is an amazing actor that can play the creepiest characters in movies. I really liked him in Pan's Labyrinth.
I also had a hard time liking anyone in this movie. All the characters were rude or whiny or mean or dumb. I just didn't like them. Hellboy was rude, Abe wasn't in the movie all that much, Liz was whiny and pregnant, and the bad guys were, well, bad. It just wasn't all that enjoyable for me. But I will forever love Pan's Labyrinth.
Rating for Hellboy II: The Golden Army ***.
Hellboy II: The Golden Army was an okay movie. The action was good and the story line was alright. I loved the Angel of Death. It was amazingly created and just beautiful all together. Also loved the little tooth fairies at the beginning of the movie. They are so cute and evil. They almost creeped me out too. I do love a movie that will send a shiver up my spine
The negative side I didn't like some of the costumes and makeup. Hellboy was just too...well...fake. He looked fake and was fake. Another problem I had with the movie was Abe Sapien. He was so stiff. He kind of reminded me of CP30 off of Star Wars. Let's just say I'm not one that enjoys Star Wars all that much. I do love the guy who plays Abe though. He is an amazing actor that can play the creepiest characters in movies. I really liked him in Pan's Labyrinth.
I also had a hard time liking anyone in this movie. All the characters were rude or whiny or mean or dumb. I just didn't like them. Hellboy was rude, Abe wasn't in the movie all that much, Liz was whiny and pregnant, and the bad guys were, well, bad. It just wasn't all that enjoyable for me. But I will forever love Pan's Labyrinth.
Rating for Hellboy II: The Golden Army ***.
I loved Hellboy II, and am glad to see you got some enjoyment out of it too. Del Toro brings so much imagination to his films!
ReplyDeleteI'd love to see what you two make of Le Fils (The Son), by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, which admittedly is an "art house" film. (When I say "art house," don't worry - there's no horrific sex or violence.) It was absolutely gripping for me, but is very different from Hollywood fare.