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Hellboy 2: The Golden Army (2 Disc Special Edition) [2008] | | |
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Amazon.co.uk Review
The feverish Hellboy 2: The Golden Army is a very busy sequel that might have looked unhinged in the hands of a less visionary director than Guillermo del Toro. Ron Perlman returns as Hellboy, aka "Red," the Dark Horse Comics demon-hero with roots in the mythical world but personal ties in the human realm. Still working, as he was in Hellboy, for a secret department of the federal government that deals (as in "Men In Black") with forces of the fantastic, Red and his colleagues take on a royal elf (Luke Goss) determined to smash a longtime truce between mankind and the forces of magic. Meanwhile, Red's relationship with girlfriend Liz (Selma Blair), who can burst into flames at will, is going through a rocky stage observed by Red's fishy friend Abe (Doug Jones), himself struck by love in this film. Del Toro brilliantly integrates the ordinary and extraordinary, diving into an extended scene set in a troll market barely hidden behind the facade of typical city streets. He also unleashes a forest monster that devastates an urban neighborhood, but then--interestingly--brings a luminous beauty to the same area as the creature (an "elemental") succumbs to a terrible death. Del Toro's art direction proves masterful, too, in a climactic battle set in a clockworks-like stronghold tucked away in rugged Irish landscape. But it's really the juxtaposition of visual marvels with not-so-unusual relationship issues that gives Hellboy 2 a certain jaunty appeal hard to find in other superhero movies. --Tom Keogh
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 Let me remind you why you once feared the dark August 18, 2008
E. A Solinas (MD USA)
37 out of 46 found this review helpful
Guillermo Del Toro has become the new master of dark fantasy -- first with the quirky clockpunk "Hellboy," then with the Oscar-winning "Pan's Labyrinth." Not to mention forthcoming travels to Middle-Earth.
So you know he has the skills to pit Mike Mignola's scarlet anti-hero against an army of fairies and elves, and not make it silly. Instead, it's a spectacular dark fantasy full of humor, action, quirky appeal, romance, and some truly astounding special effects. But what really shoves this movie over the top is Del Toro's brilliant direction, and the stunning performance by Ron Perlman.
Decades ago, Professor Broom (William Hurt) told a small Hellboy a yuletide bedtime story about the Elf King Balor and his unstoppable Golden Army, and how the crown that controls the Army was split into thirds and divided among fairies and humans.
Well, you can't really expect that kind of power to never be revived.
Cut to current day. Hellboy (Perlman), Liz (Selma Blair) and Abe (Doug Jones) investigate a strange supernatural attack on an auction house, where the archeological curiosity known as the Crown of Bethmoora was being sold -- only to be attacked by savage tooth fairies. Turns out the crown was stolen by Prince Nuada (Luke Goss), a resentful young elf who is determined to take the world back from humanity -- using, of course, the Golden Army.
And while Hellboy chafes against strict new commander Johann Krauss (a suit filled with ectoplasm), Abe encounters Nuada's sister, Princess Nuala -- who also happens to have the last third of the crown. But Nuada will not allow anyone to oppose him as he searches for the Golden Army's location, and Hellboy and his friends must venture into a strange, ancient kingdom to stop him from destroying all of humanity.
The worst you can say about "Hellboy II: The Golden Army" is that it sticks to the formula of the demonic outsider with a dark destiny, and his continuing romantic woes. There's some retreading as Hellboy realizes anew that he'll never fit into the world of humans, because he's big and red and has horns and a tail. Okay, we got it. Next big psychological issue!
Fortunately those flaws are relatively minor ones. Del Toro is still able to spin a dark, twisted story with some truly bizarre creatures (the utterly alien, eye-winged Angel of Death), clockpunk robots, trippy underground goblin markets and a new BPRD agent who is basically ectoplasm in a suit. And for the action scenes, Del Toro does not pull punches when it comes to the smashing action scenes -- giant thrashing vines and a one-on-one duel with Nuada are among the highlights.
With all this going on, it would be easy to neglect the characters. But Del Toro packs the script with solid snappy dialogue and some poignantly romantic moments -- including some pretty startling actions from dear ol' Abe. And he also adds little moments to this epic story that remind us that these are supposed to be people -- such as Hellboy's bickering with Krauss, or Abe and Hellboy getting drunk and having a little Manilow singalong together. It's just so cute.
But what really sets this movie apart is the "children of the Earth." No flitting Victorian sprites -- these are creatures that are weird, grotesque, dangerous and immensely powerful, from nasty little tooth fairies up to vast rock monsters and plant gods. There's an alien, bizarre aesthetic to these creatures that feels wholly real, as if Neil Gaiman casually dropped a few sketches onto the drawing board.
But as amazing as the visuals are, Del Toro never neglects the characters. Perlman is perfect for the role of "big Red" -- he's gruff, sarcastic, moody, but also endearing and self-deprecatingly likable. There are more hints of his potentially dark future, and he faces some delicately-handed temptations. But Big Red's good heart is still very much in the forefront, no matter how much human beings fear him.
Blair gives a more lively performance here as a spunkier Liz, who also has some surprising developments in store. Jones is pitch-perfect as the fish-man, who experiences the first pangs of young love for Nuala, while Goss gives a chilling, whispery performance as a rebel prince who is willing to do whatever it takes -- even kill family -- if it helps him restore the fey kingdom. Pretty good villain, since he clearly isn't trying to be bad.
"Hellboy II: The Golden Army" is a wild, darkly ornate ride through the world of half-forgotten gods and fey. While it has a few flaws, those are far outweighed by the brilliant of Del Toro's vision.
 Del Toro,s astonishing imagination illuminates standard fantasy fare. November 15, 2008
russell clarke (halifax, west yorks)
19 out of 22 found this review helpful
Having loved the original Hellboy [2004] I was fervently looking forward to this sequel and while Hellboy II The Golden Army isn't a disappointment neither is it up to the standard of the first film. Having said that anything that lets director Guillermo Del Toro propagate his extraordinary imagination is well worth seeing for that reason alone and this film displays that to superlatively sumptuous effect.
Ron Perlman reprises the role of the wisecracking Hellboy who we see as a boy in the opening sequence being told the story of the golden Army by his human father ( John Hurt) who once fought against human kind( the golden army that is , not his father ) but have been mothballed by dividing the crown that controls them into three separate pieces kept in secret locations. Elf prince Nuada ( Luke Goss) may look a little on the pasty side but he is a great warrior and is determined to awaken the golden army so he can wage war on human kind. His twin sister Nuala (Ann Walton) is rather more moderate realising the chaos this would unleash .She also holds one of those missing pieces.
This is pretty standard fantasy fare and there is an argument that Del Toro and Hellboy creator Mike Mingola , the writers should have come up with something stronger in terms of the story , though the script does have a certain sardonic frisson and there is some tremendous character interplay.
Hellboy is still working for the secretive Bureau For Paranormal Research And Defence and still annoying his overbearing boss Manning (Jeffrey Tambor ) who laments his lack of discipline and the fact he keeps getting photographed and put on "You Tube" ."I hate You Tube" he tells Abe Sapian ( Doug Jones) the polite blue skinned amphibian . Hellboy,s partner the fiery (literally ) Liz (Selma Blair) is finding "Reds" lack of domesticity a problem and there is another potential dilemma lurking . Agent John Myers from the first film has been dispatched to Antarctica we are told ( this is because Rupert Evans who played him in Hellboy was unavoidable due to stage commitments)"He likes the cold" Hellboy sneers, and is replaced by ectoplasmic agent Johann Krauss ( voiced byFamily Guy - Series 1 To 5 - Complete " Seth McFarlane with an amusing mangled German accent which he based on Jeremy Irons character in Die Hard 3) whose officiousness rubs up Hellboy the wrong way.
The film makes points about selfless sacrifice , the power of love, the magnetic need for normality (Which it shares with Batman ) and hints broadly at a potential conflict of interest for Hellboy to resolve if there is another Hellboy film . The performances are great again and it,s nice that Liz is given a more developed role other than looking mopey. Really though it's the visuals and set pieces that astound with this film .Del Toro has an incredible eye and will make a scene fantastical even when something ordinary would do. The "Troll Market" scene is astonishing and the high-speed acrobatic denouement between Hellboy and Nuada in a cavernous city surrounded by enormous golden mechanical beings and massive rotating cogs is just breathtaking . There is no cheap CGI for Del Toro , everything looks authentic and he even invokes the demise of a giant "elemental" creature with a sense of magic and loss.
Del Toro clearly feels close to the Hellboy character .He turned down the chance to direct "Halo " , Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince" and "I Am Legend [2007]" to bring this sequel to the screen . It wouldn't be the same without his marvellous vision yet if there is to be another Hellboy ( I very much hope there is) film he needs to work more on the story . Can you imagine a Hellboy film with the same allegorical and dramatic punch as his masterpiece Pan's Labyrinth [2006] ? Till then this will do nicely though.
[3.5]--Hellboy II was good but for some reason I perfer the first one September 27, 2008
Jenny J.J.I. (That Lives in Northern Nevada)
12 out of 18 found this review helpful
Going into a Guillermo del Toro movie, you should know that the visuals are going to be the highlight of the film. The first Hellboy film had great visuals, though not quite as great as this. But with that said, the first Hellboy achieved so much more than this did. It was funnier, less corny and cliched, and the villains were much more menacing than the villain here, who's no more than a guy with a spear, and an army of unnecessary robots. The first was pretty good in every way, this one had the eye candy, but offered very little else.
The first negative for me was the villain here. It's just an elf, who has the same build as a human, and could die just as easily. He was no threat ever. Even when he had his Golden Army, it never was a threat. The Golden Army was just a bunch of brain-dead robots who liked to smash the ground. There was never a moment where I thought someone could be in harms way. The characters have been dumbed down a level and turned into comedians. Abe has been made more human and was even dumbed down, one of the dumbest scenes being where Hellboy and Abe sing Barry Mannilow together. It wasn't cute, it wasn't funny, it was just really stupid.
The story wasn't all too great. Mr. Del Toro went for an all out visual feast and because of this he compromised the story. Elements didn't make sense, and parts of the movie that felt like they should have some impact didn't. They were all there for the audience to say, "Wow! Look at that!", but I found myself saying "Huh?" more than anything else. Hellboy fights these imaginative creatures. Instead of making a movie on this, maybe Guillermo should have written a book with all these fantastical creatures he thinks up. At least it would have made more sense.
Aside form that this was a lovely looking film. The direction was stellar, the action scenes were well choreographed, the creatures, though pointless to the story, were very cool to look at. The CGI wasn't amazing, but luckily most of the creatures are puppets, costumed characters, and lots of make up. The musical score was also really beautiful. I had just re-watched the first Hellboy prior to watching this, and the first film's music was not that great, where this one had some fantastic music, that should've been saved for a better flick. I wasn't surprised to see Danny Elfman's name in the end credits, and the music did add to the movie, and made it a small step better than it would have been.
Anyone who says this is director Guillermo del Toro's greatest accomplishment in film making, probably hasn't seen Pan's Labyrinth. Where del Toro failed here in the writing department he succeeded in the direction, and he can write good screenplays. Too bad his sole purpose in writing this was to go wild with the visuals.
A great follow up to the first movie December 14, 2008
Lark (Ireland)
8 out of 10 found this review helpful
This is a great follow up to the original movie, my favourite this year, all the elements which made the original are here too, action, weird fable creatures, the mythology of an infant devil destined to destroy humanity becoming its greatest defender when he's fostered by a human father.
Additionally there's some very thought provoking characterisation, there's no simple good/evil, black and white dimension to the forces in the film, each have their strengths and weaknesses and it appears more like its the extremes to which they are willing to go to realise their visions which set them apart as particularly wicked or not.
There's the on going love story between Hellboy and his muse, interesting a muse for Hellboy's Atlantian buddy is introduced too with tragic consequences for all involved. The encounter with Hellboy's "Death", an angel of Death, is brilliant, probably the best of the weird and wonderful creatures featured throughout, it made my skin crawl.
I highly recommend this to fans of Hellboy or Pans Labyrinth.
Better than the first.... September 19, 2008
tallpete33 (London, UK)
7 out of 9 found this review helpful
I really enjoyed this film today, more than the first to be honest. It takes a different direction, more into Tolkien territory which made sense when I learnt the director Guillermo Del Toro was responsible for Pan's Labyrinth and will direct the Hobbit.
The Golden Army of the title was literally forged by the goblins many years ago in the Goblin vs Human wars. Unstoppable, they sealed a truce between the warring factions that lasted many centuries. The Golden Army was sealed away and the crown which controlled them was split into three parts, one held by the humans, as a sign of trust.
Fast forward to New York 2008 and goblin Prince, Nuada, wants to bring the army back to life as he does not trust the greedy and loose living human race. With the help of his ogre and vicious tooth fairies (they have the teeth!) he raids a NY auction room to claim the human's piece of the crown and begin his quest against humanity. Only the Red Guy, his firey and fishy friends (Liz and Abe) and his new boss, the gaseous Johann, can stop him and the army he has to control for his own destiny.
This movie has it all - a fabulous plot, memorable set pieces, great cast, wry humour and a tight script that keep you engrossed for the whole 2 hours (almost). Luke Goss (yes, him from Bros) was excellent as the pale and evil Prince. Perlman again delivered in spades, the big guy with the big heart and fist to match. Supporting cast were excellent, Selma Blair as stunning as ever and Doug Jones as fishy and clever as before, though falling in love was his downfall. The Lord of the Rings type settings contrasted nicely with the above ground NY sequences and the balance between "here and now" and the fantasy underworld worked well and gave it a unique feel.
Throughout, the visuals were stunning though the 12A rating is warranted as it is a violent film. Characterisation is not lost in the CGI in this movie which fully deserves its plaudits because of it.
Go and see Big Ron - you'll love it !
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