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Plot:
Born in the flames of hell and brought to earth to perpetrate evil, Hellboy was rescued from sinister forces by the benevolent Professor Broom, who raised him to be a hero. In Dr. Broom's secret Burea...( read more 
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Recent Reviews
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MCT:September 6, 2008I've seen John Hurt in very few roles (HP 1, Captain Corelli's Mandolin, V for Vendetta), but I still like him a lot, he's such a cool old man. Here he's the old Proffesor who raises Hellboy (Ron Pearlman) And Hellboy's girl is played by Selma Blair (good).
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MCT:September 6, 2008
Average. Nothing too great about it. I never really got into the movie, but it was at least mildly entertaining.
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MCT:September 5, 2008
Decent. It's far from, let's say Batman or Spiderman but a lot better from Catwoman or Daredevil. I'm waiting much more from Guillermo Del Toro. Maybe the sequel is better.
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MCT:August 31, 2008I have seen Del Toro's supernatural/thriller movies and fell in love with his talent, but to see him bring the Big Red guy to life is amazing. this movie is a mix of action/adventure/comedy and fantesy with a dash of romance mixed in all at once, see this movie an experince it for your self.
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MCT:August 30, 2008Had to watch it before the second one came out lol..I love it! This film really good! Action-packed and quite funny in parts...worth the watch
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MCT:August 29, 2008
Directed by: Guillermo Del Toro.
Starring: Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, John Hurt, Rupert Evans, Doug Jones.
<< "In the absence of light, darkness prevails. There are things that go bump in the night, Agent Myers. Make no mistake about that. And we are the ones who bump back." >>
Hellboy....I never read the comics, but I do know some stories of Hellboy...not the entire mythology, but I do know an adaption like this requires someone who can relate to the material, someone with understanding of the characters, a great visual style and someone who can balance many genres...Guillermo Del Toro is certainly the perfect man...and for the most part, easily sets up the starting gate for the series.
Guillermo Del Toro certainly creates an intriguing and engrossing world, full of amazing visual style and dark, gothic atmosphere. The story is great and references a lot of rather intriguing historical events with a twist, yet something is always lacking when he does english language films...and that is meaning to his dialogue and the very unnecessary focus on someone else rather then the leading character. In his other films such as Pan's Labyrinth and The Devils Backbone, he creates very original dialogue and the ideas that flow out of it have a lot of deep meaning, yet the dialogue here is very subtle....it feels like a layer is missing. And with the really stupid focus on this bumbling young kid who interferes with Hellboy's love life is just not necessary for this story, as this is the first Hellboy film and we want more Hellboy and less Robin, if you get what I mean. But that is really the only problems I have with the film, because Guillermo creates a world that both the mainstream audience and old fans can enjoy. Thankfully his unique visual style is not lost in translation, the atmosphere is dark and gloomy but it also has a heart underneath it all. The dialogue, aside from what I mentioned before, especially from Hellboy himself is sharp, witty and adds a nice amount of intentional cheese to the film. The story does have many elements, action, fantasy, drama and romance, Guillermo gives us exhilarating action sequences, a beautiful fantasy world, a nice balance of drama...and a very basic love story, but Guillermo can balance genres masterfully and he adds sweetness and depth to it, not to mention chemistry between Ron Perlman and Selma Blair.
As for the performances. Ron Perlman and Hellboy...its like bread and butter, they were made to go together...and not just the look and physical build, but Ron has the wit, the charm and the right amount of heart for the role. Rupert Evans character is unnecessary as I said before and for the most part, so is his performance, which doesn't stand anywhere near the rest. Doug Jones is fantastic and really shines through his makeup and Selma Blair is acceptable and works well with Ron.
Overall the film is a fun ride, Guillermo stays true to the source material and creates a nice balance of action, fantasy, drama, romance and humor, with some witty and cheesy dialogue to add to the fun. I was just disappointed that his dialogue that is meant to add meaning is subtle and the intended main character is pushed back for another unnecessary one. -
MCT:August 29, 2008
Strong beginning with great storytelling, great use of excellent actors, and an overall great film, but the finale fails to deliver everything worth waiting for.
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MCT:August 29, 2008A huge red demon with a fist of stone who likes kitties and is FBI's weapon against forces of the dark. What's there not to like?
Being a fan of the comic, I can say it's true to its source. Couldn't think of anyone else than Del Toro as the director of this film. He has shown us all that he has the most exceptional skills of making films a feast for the eye. The images are dark and beautiful and have Del Toro all written on 'em.
A wonderful comic adaptation that has an interesting story with dark humor and stunning visuals. Ron Perlman is an excellent choice as Hellboy. -
MCT:August 28, 2008
What you have to love about Hellboy as a hero is the fact he's an anti-hero in some ways with a great sense of humour. This movie is great fun as well as being visually stunning in places.
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MCT:August 28, 2008
I've wanted to see this film for ages and when I finally did, I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed by the ending. Perlman is excellent in the title role and supporting cast are also great. It's the storyline which lets the film down.
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MCT:August 27, 2008
he looks like the devil ... i like fish boy and the fire girl there cool. can't wait for the next one...lol.
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MCT:August 27, 2008
very good one, highly recommended! Lots of action and the characters are very good and nice performance by the actors.
A nice comeback from the comic story! -
MCT:August 27, 2008
'Hellboy' is a comic-book film built around myth, and philosophy. The supernatural is a key element of the picture's foundations, and so to assess the film in the context of the 'real-world' would be more than unfair. As it is the storyline could still do with some refinement, but suspending disbelief means 'Hellboy' offers two hours of solid, thoughtful and often darkly humourous entertainment.
In the atmospheric opening segment set near the close of World War Two, the Nazi's reside in a secret Scottish location (apparently the public was left mis-informed; Hitler didn't die till '48, either!). By opening a space portal with the help of Russian mystic Rasputin (he lives too) and his assassin Kroenon, they intend to unleash the Seven Gods of Chaos and with their help win victory over the Allied forces. But the process is interrupted as American soldiers intervene, and many are killed in the ensuing chaos. The portal closes, but a small, red creature has entered our world...
Sixty years pass. Hellboy, cared for like a son by Professor Broom, now works for the F.B.I. When it is discovered Rasputin is still alive and desires revenge, a supernatural battle erupts on the streets and underground networks of New York. Hellboy enlists the help of telepathic friend Abe Sapien, and his pyrokenetic love interest Liz Sherman to defeat the sorcerer. His father also employs rookie John Myers, who will play a bigger part in Hellboy's fate than he initally suspects.
'Hellboy's biggest asset is easily Ron Perlman. As the titular character he exudes tough attitude and indifference to rules and protocal. Basically, he kicks arse, in more than one sense to be sure. This is no disturbed Batman or moral Superman; Hellboy does things his own way, and anyone who says otherwise better move out his way, fast.
At the other end of the spectrum, the pictures greatest weakness is easily Rupert Evans. As Myers, he is intended as a surrogate to feed information from the source to the audience. But his part is flat and boring. I barely noticed his character, and as the man who eventually convinces 'Hellboy' of his goodness, Evans fails to convince. Myers accepts everything far too easily, without question or inquiry. And he's meant to be an F.B.I agent.
While the story may lack a certain coherence, it is full of imagination and style. Guillermo Del Toro's dark and gothic mise-en-scene adds to the macabre ambience, and the grotesque creature designs make for fascinating villains. The film is full of black humour too, the witty lines delivered spot-on without descending into cheesiness. The atmosphere remains foggy, claustraphobic and uneasy.
'Hellboy' also succeeds where nearly every other superhero / comic-book adaptation fails; for once, the audience is offered a gentle, genuine romance story-arc that doesn't distract from the action, and never feels contrived or unnecessary. Selma Blair and Perlman own a quiet chemistry that has an undeniable, low-key spark, and adds a soft touch to otherwise brutal and thuggish fight sequences.
The finale is somewhat disappointing, in that it differs very little from the action that precedes it, but it is far from a cop-out. 'Hellboy' is a crisp and fresh look at a superhero, and with a little polish could easily go on to greater things. I don't think for a moment 'Hellboy 2: The Golden Army' can't mend the faults of the original and elevate the series' stature while offering just as much overflow of cool; bring it on. -
MCT:August 26, 2008
What the heck? I either completely zone out during this moive and didn't get it or it was bad. I found it funny in parts that probably wans't ment to be funny. At the ending where he choose between the good choice or bad choice was lame. the graphics were not that good. The fight scenes were kinda boring, infact the whole moive was kinda boring. And when Liz Sherman was on fire and stepped in the water shouldn't the fire have went out? Whats the deal with her anyway? She can only catch on fire when someone slaps or throws rocks at her?
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MCT:August 25, 2008
HELLBOY
Graphically impressive, loved the lizard guy! I think there could have been more in the way of storyline, but entertaining all the same.
3 stars -
MCT:August 24, 2008
Another example of style over substance. I quite like this flick. The problem I have with it is that the story which builds up around our heroes is just trash that is under developed and designed to get you from one action sequence to the next. It's a pity as Del Toro clearly has an affinity with this kind of material.
Ron is a great character actor and he is a lot of fun as Hellboy. He makes this dude likeable and I enjoyed hanging out with him. Abe Sapien was very good as well but he all but disappears about 2/3's in which was a huge mistake. He was a really interesting cat. Selma was good too, it would have been good to see her have a bit more to do. Apart from Nazi knife dude who was admittedly pretty cool, the bad guys are instantly forgetable. Why were they doing the things they were doing? Didn't know and didn't care.....
Definately worth a watch, it would have been better if there was more focus on our freaky hereos though and a coherent plot would have been nice too. -
MCT:August 24, 2008
I thought it was sometimes pretty boring... I couldn't be bothered to pause while I got something to drink...
Hope the sequel is better... -
MCT:August 22, 2008
This film was surprisingly really good! Action-packed and quite funny in parts, I'm really looking forward to watching the sequel!
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MCT:August 20, 2008
I saw this film in the theater back in 2004 and enjoyed it, but didn?t love it. Some of it was to ridiculous, the ending in particular, and it never seemed to fully gel to make a fully compelling film. I never thought much about it after that, though every once and a while I kept thinking I should revisit it, since it was now from the ?visionary mind? of Guillermo del Toro, who was relatively unknown then. That urge caught up to me when I saw the trailer for Hellboy 2: Golden Army; I decided to watch the directors cut of the film, hoping that it might be a more rounded film.
And after watching it a second time, I feel like it was. I?m not sure if it was the added footage, which I honestly didn?t notice, it?s been too long, with too many movies in between for me to remember every scene; or if I was more open to the idea of a devilish-looking child from another dimension becoming the world?s savior. Either way, I bought into Hellboy more this time around. While it?s still nowhere near a perfect piece of comic book lore, the ending is still pretty ridiculous; I enjoyed it?s dark humor and fantastical trappings enough to mentally connect it with Pan's Labyrinth, via del Toro, which I do hold up as a nearly perfect film.
Ron Perlman is perfectly cast as Hellboy, he?s got a great sarcastic sense of humor, mixed with a slight bit of melancholy brought on by his being an outcast, but also an urge to perform his duty as a dispatcher of other-worldly things, because he?s the only one with the strength to face them. While his outside looks monster-ish, inside he?s human, thanks to his upbringing by Professor Bruttenholm, who found him at the site of a Nazi experiment with alternate dimensions. When the Nazi, who lead the experiment and was ultimately sucked into the void, returns to earth with the intention of recreating the world in his twisted image, it?s up to Hellboy and his team of misfits to save it.
Joining him are Abe Sapien, some kind of aqua-man, who doesn?t offer up much in the way of strength, but makes up for it in eternal-fishy genius; and Liz Sherman, played a bit too dour by Selma Blair, who has the power of flame. She?s also the love of Hellboy?s life, as the only girl to ever look at him without disgust. There?s a great scene where Hellboy escapes the lab, after being put in detention, to chase Liz into the world on a date with their new FBI keeper. Hellboy and the others chase down doggy-demons and undead-Nazi?s through a variety of subterranean locations, before Hellboy singly battles a colossus-demonic-cephalopod.
The thing that I liked most about Hellboy is his sarcastic sense of humor that he retains while everything is falling to pieces around him; he?s sort of Hell?s version of Han Solo, with the complaints disguised as quick wit, under the face of danger. The stony-red make-up that they?ve wrapped Ron Perlman in, grows on you through the course of the film, from absurd to a fully grown character by the end. Some of the computer effects are laughably bad, but for the most part, del Toro has created another wonderfully weird movie world. I?m now much more anxious to see the sequel, hopefully they retain the good parts, lose some of the bad, now that they have the slightly awkward origin story out of the way; and not make the mistake of going overboard on the bad guys, like so many comic book films unfortunately do; remain focused on Hellboy, he is the lovable star of the show.
Original written for What I Watched Last Night -
MCT:August 20, 2008
Loved this as much as 2. Set in a different 'verse than the comics, do not expect an exact translation of the books. Great monsters as always. DelToro is great, Ron is superb.
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MCT:August 20, 2008
its is not good as some other super hero movies like spiderman & batman... moreover i did not like the beginning of the movie...but i enjoyed watching at the end... the outstanding performance of Ron Perlman was the hallmark of the movie
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MCT:August 18, 2008
Hellboy is a rather weird comic book movie. The character of Hellboy is an antihero, he's dark, stylish and of evil origins but fights for the good. Ron Perlman is a good actor and portrayed this dark hero well.
There were some impressive action scenes and nice visual effects of various creatures. There's been an aquatic human, a hell hound, undeads and many other well-imagined creatures.
Though the plot of the film was not unique at all, it was still an enjoyable watch.
Now can't wait to see Hellboy 2 as it looks very promising from the trailers.
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Comments
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MurderCapitalposted 464 days ago -
OK first thing I have to say is, THIS MOVIE WAS F*CKING AMAZING!!! Seriously though. Yes, it's a Marvel Comic but the graphics of the movie are so amazing. Doug Jones is the best. I don't know his name in this film but i'll just call him the blue dude! Haha. Well this movie was amazing. :)
posted 536 days ago -
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I liked this, one of those movies youve been meaning to hire for ages but never got around to it. That was me anyway. A good background movie for a 21'st party piss up.
Justins Best Bit: The pyrokenisis of Hellboys girlfriend.posted 761 days ago
