The Samurai Gunslinger

Hellboy II: The Golden Army - Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 88%

As many of you know I had to attend a funeral in Houston this weekend. These events are always difficult but I also had to deal with a huge number of highly fanatical and evangelistic relatives telling me what a heathen I am for several days. The last thing I need when trying to mourn a loss is to  face person after person trying to convert me.

“You need to move back to Houston with your ‘real familly’, find the lord in your heart and marry yourself a good christian woman.” I heard this refrain over and over again in numerous variations. Thankfully I had my iPhone on and was happily listening to Disturbed as they blasted out one brutal track after another while I smiled and nodded at my well meaning, but highly annoying, kin.

So it was with great relief that I ran, not walked, to the theatre upon my return to civilization. My purpose, to indulge worship at the altar of Guiellrmo Del Toro’s masterful bit of sacrilege, Hellboy II : The Golden Army.

As a huge fan of Mike Mignola’s ground breaking comic series, I also loved the first film. I am also a big fan of Del Toro both as an artist and as a seemingly cool geeky guy who loves his work and his source material. If you have never listened to an unrated directors commentary by him, you are missing something. The commentary track on Blade II was honestly better than the movie itself. With all this in mind it is not a surprise that I really loved Hellboy II.

I think this was, simply put, the perfect summer movie. The action was fun, the characters enjoyable and cool and the visual styling was yet another masterpiece of Del Torro’s artistic vision. Watching this I am even more exited than before to see what he will do with the iconic imagery of The Hobbit.

Ron Perlman once again defines the role with his personality and I always enjoy watching him as Hellboy. His relationship with Liz Sherman, (Selma Blair) is on the rocks and she is hiding a big secret from him. This provides a light and minor subplot used for comic relief throughout the film. Many of the jokes fall flat, but there were several laugh out loud moments for me, and the rest of the audience, that made that portion of the film pay off.

Another comedic addition was the brilliant voice work by Seth Macfarlane of Family Guy fame in the role of Dr Krauss. The character is just odd enough to fit perfectly into the Hellboy franchise and Macfarlane’s performance is masterful.

Perhaps the best performance in the film, however, is delivered by Luke Goss as Prince Nuada, the films villain. Nuada is the heir to the elven throne and seeks to reclaim an ancient artifact that will awaken the invincible golden army to destroy mankind. Goss manages to give us a villain who is motivated by only the best interests of his people and who has legitimate hatred for humanity and their greed and destruction of the natural world. We find ourselves quickly able to understand and empathize with him even as we cheer for Hellboy and the rest of the Bureau of Paranormal Defense and Research to stop his nefarious plans.

In the end Hellboy II is a fun romp through a beautifully visualized fantasy world. The movie gives us another chance to enjoy a group of characters many have come to love and leaves us eager for another trip into their world

Put Simply, Hellboy II is fun, what else more do you need for a summer movie.

As Always I have included links to two reviews from that mainstream press that agree, and disagree with my take.

Peter Hartlaub of the San Fransico Chronicle Says:

 The talented fantasy filmmaker and heir to the Lord of the Rings throne gets the tone right throughout Hellboy 2, and the hip retro charm alone is enough to merit recommendation. FULL REVIEW

Liam Lacy of the Globe and Mail writes:

Hellboy, a sensitive devil with a tough exterior, is an inspired creation but limited as a dramatic protagonist. When you start with a demon hero, you can’t settle for making his adversary a less complex demon. FULL REVIEW