On the path to greatness, a review of Hellboy II: The Golden Army
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I have to admit that I had high hopes about the sequel to the first Hellboy film. The series was moving into the much more interesting mythological areas of the HB universe, and director Guillermo Del Toro was going to be building upon his incredible creature creation skills from Pan’s Labyrinth. And while it’s far from a bad film, I couldn’t help but feel a tinge of disappointment as I walked out of the movie theater.
With HB’s origin story now out of the way thanks to the first film, The Golden Army gets to the action quickly. Despite a truce made between humans and fantasy beings a long time ago, Nuada, Prince of the Elves, has decided to take it upon himself to free his kind, who have been relegated to living below ground. But, of course, Hellboy and the rest of the B.P.R.D aren’t too happy about that, and thus the conflict ensues.
Now let’s get this out of the way first: the film looks incredible. There are a plethora of different, unique, and disturbing creatures to behold, ranging from flesh-eating fairies to a massive Forest God and everything in between. The sheer number of creatures is staggering, but even more so is the level of creativity on display. Del Toro has upped his game since Pan’s Labyrinth, creating a universe that is as magical as it is terrifying.
The film also introduces a new character from the Dark Horse comic books, and one of my personal favorites, Johann Krauss. As a containment suit filled with the ectoplasmic spirit of a dead spirit medium, Krauss fits in nicely with the rest of the gang. From the beginning, despite his frequent confrontations with HB, Krauss is a likable and funny character, thanks in no small part to Seth Mcfarlane’s (Family Guy, American Dad) brilliant voice work. Krauss even takes place in what has to be the best unconventional fight sequence since we first witnessed Yoda pick up a lightsaber (spoiler: he kicks Hellboy’s ass!).
The rest of the B.P.R.D meanwhile, are dealing with some relationship issues. HB and Liz Sherman have now moved up to the always fighting stage of their relationship, while Abe Sapien has developed a crush on Nuada’s sister, one that is clearly doomed from the start. These relationships create some of the more flat and out of place sequences in the film, including an embarrassing scene in which HB and Abe get comicaly drunk, only sans the humor.
The scenes aren’t the only thing that keep the film from being great, however. Despite the constant visual spectacle Del Toro has been able to create, the narrative is never able to live up to that same level of excellence. Nuada is a minor threat at best, and nowhere near as interesting of a villain as Rasputin was, eliminating any sense of desperation or peril that may have existed. That’s what is most disappointing about Hellboy II. It is a very good movie, it’s just not the great one I was hoping for.
Andrew Webster is a freelance writer based in Toronto who covers comics, movies, videogames, and anything else that will rot out your brain. Check out his personal site to read more of his incoherent ramblings.
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