The floodgates seem to have cracked for good and comic book and superhero movies are now competing only with themselves. No week passes without a loud hurrah accompanying the release of yet another fantastic adventure. At first glance this one is no different, yet when it comes to summer entertainment, it offers a lovable and unorthodox threat with a twist. Hellboy 2: The Golden Army not only brings back the most endearingly menacing of superheroes – a cultivated demon with sewn off horns and a biting flair for sarcasm – but also coerces us into another tasty helping of director Gillermo Del Toro’s boundless imagination. This movie is the most inspired ode to the outcast, garnished with humor aplenty and a vision that has you in awe.
The movie bypasses the matter of the so-called hero’s origins, which might be a bit confusing for newcomers, but my guess is that the majority of the audience will be enthusiastic admirers of the first film. For the first portion of the movie, Hellboy (Ron Pearman) is a moody demon from hell fighting on the side of good which seems to have modeled his cigar-chomping manner on 50s private eyes played by Lee Marvin, Robert Mitchum and the likes. Del Toro, too, decides that it is enough to add a portion of a legend about a war between humans and a league of all conceivable mythical creatures. It is told to Hellboy as a Christmas bedtime story by his adoptive father (John Hurt) and comes to haunt him by the time the film returns to present times. Prince Nuada (Luke Gross) decides that it is time the conflict is resumed and humans are put back where they belong. Success will be guaranteed by the awakening of the titular Golden Army, which consist of fearsome mechanical warriors. Standing in the way of Nuada’s evil designs is his twin sister Princess Nuala (Anna Walton) and a motley band of furtive outsiders who are best equipped to deal with the supernatural threat. Hellboy is assisted by his beloved Liz Sherman (Selma Blair) who turns into an all-consuming torch at will, an ultra intelligent fish-man named Abe Sapien (Doug Jones) and a German scientist made up of smoke (voiced by Seth MacFarlane). Their human superior Tom Manning (Jeffrey Tambor) mostly stands in their way and provides a foil for Hellboy’s inspired wit.
There are numerous battles and near escapes and two love stories, which are more gentle and heartfelt than one could reasonably expect from a comic book movie. This, however, only comes as a pleasing bonus to the breathtaking sights that Del Toro creates with computer generated imagery or otherwise. There are carnivorous fairies, including a Troll Market, which feels like a good-natured homage to the Tatooine saloon in Star Wars and I dare say is as good and fresh as the latter if not more. All of this is held together by an assured performance by Ron Pearlman who expands a character who is already a firm favorite within the pantheon of super heroes.
Within Hollywood’s preferred genre de jour, this is the most visually daring and satisfying film you are likely to see. With his flair for finding poetry in the macabre, Del Toro has come up with a film that is more of a companion to his wonderful Pan’s Labyrinth than to any other comic book adaptation. His upcoming collaboration with Peter Jackson on The Hobbit makes for one truly mouthwatering prospect, yet while you anticipate the joys of that (most likely in 2010), you can savour the successful affirmation of the most daringly different Hollywood franchise.
