If I wanted to do so, I suppose I could tell you I went into this film with an unbiased eye, knowing nothing of Hellboy, his comic books, or the production of this film, directed and written by Guillermo Del Toro (Blade II).
Of course, I'd be lying. This much would be obvious, seeing as I wrote a review of the first Hellboy graphic novel, Seed of Destruction. I've actually been looking forward to this film since I first heard Del Toro was going to direct it, and give Hellboy artist/writer Mike Mignola a significant role in the production of the film. I had high hopes for the film, wanting it to be a quality rendering of one of the wackiest and coolest comic book super-heroic types around. My hopes, in fact, were perhaps so high that I was setting myself up for disappointment.
Thankfully, however, I wasn't disappointed. On the contrary, I left the theatre impressed by how this tongue-in-cheek tale of the hellspawn turned into the bane of demonkind was so effectively transferred to the big screen.
The plot of the film, taken from the Seed of Destruction and Wake the Devil stories from the comic, and with a little bit of the short story of "The Corpse", is relatively simple. The mad monk Rasputin has been conscripted by the Nazi party in 1944 to bring forth a being of great power, one whose existence could potentially bring forth armageddon. A young agent of the fledgling Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense (B.P.R.D.) named Trevor Bruttenholm (pronounced "broom"), along with a team of U.S. soldiers, manages to thwart Rasputin's plans, luring the creature he has summoned to their side with the help of some Baby Ruth candy bars (okay, so its a bit campy. You'll see more camp than that later).
Sixty years later, Bruttenholm is getting old, and times have changed. The creature they found, dubbed "Hellboy", has grown up, and become one of the best and brightest the B.P.R.D. has to offer. His "father", Bruttenholm, is the main guy in the bureau, answering only to political toadie Director Manning (Jeffrey Tambor), whose main role in the bureau is to convince the public it doesn't exist.
Bruttenholm, knowing he is getting old and near to death, has sought out one of the quality recruits from the FBI, Agent Myers, to groom as the new leader of the Bureau. His first job, however, after being introduced to the likes of the quirky psychic fish-man Abe Sapien, is to attend to the needs of the shadowy Hellboy (Ron Perlman).
Hellboy is a fan of cats, candy bars and pancakes (and a good cigar doesn't hurt, either). His right arm is nigh-on-indestructible, and the rest of him is pretty damn tough as well. He faces astonishing evils on a daily basis without batting an eye. And Myers' job is to baby-sit him, keep him out of trouble. Talk about a fool's errand....
Anyway, the story principally deals with a bunch of magically imbued Nazis, led by the dead Rasputin (I told you it gets wackier), plotting to use Hellboy in an effort to destroy the world. Knowing that he is working for the other side, our fascistic brethren realize they need incentive to get Hellboy to work for them. Incentive that goes by the name of Elizabeth Sherman (aka "Liz", Selma Blair).
Liz is a pyrokinetic, even if she hates the term. She can produce flame from her body with her thoughts. Her only problem is that she's not very good at controlling it. This fault led to her leaving the B.R.P.D. to sit things out in a mental ward, heavily drugged.
Hellboy loves Liz, even though she might not know it. And when the giant mystical beasties threaten her, he ain't about to sit down and let them. Of course, when the threats against her turn out to be part of a bigger plan...who knows what he might be willing to do?
This is undoubtedly Guillermo Del Toro's film. The mix of hardcore action and horror is right up his alley, and the dark overtones of the sets suit the mood nicely. Shot largely in the city of Prague, Czech Republic, the city's old world look gives off a timeless quality which, when mixed with the special effects (mostly make-up, rather than digital effects), give us a rare low-tech film, one only bolstered by the skills of the production designers and make-up/set design crew.
If I were to offer one thing that tells me how right Del Toro was to play the part of writer/director for this film, it would be his choice of actors for Hellboy. Apparently, studio execs wanted a high profile actor or celebrity to play the part (pro wrestler The Rock was mentioned a number of times). Del Toro, a friend of Mignola as well as a fan of the comic, stuck to his guns and cast Ron Perlman as the Hellboy. People like me, fans of the series, were glad for the choice. Perlman "gets" the character, and doesn't mind the hours of make-up work. From the first publicity still to come out of the production of this film, I've felt he was the guy for the part. And, in watching the movie, I never doubted his performance in the film. He suits the role perfectly.
Likewise was the casting of Selma Blair as Liz Sherman. Forever the "other girl" in films, Blair is often typecast because she lacks the sheer drop-dead gorgeous features of many A-list actresses. Asking Blair as an actress to play the role of Liz, a woman whose depth of ennui is only matched by her obscene level of power, was a perfect decision. While Blair is certainly attractive, her girl-next-door countenance keeps her character from being more than vaguely intimidating. One is aware of her vulnerability, even while her intense power is dangling before the viewer.
I could go on like this for most of the characters in the film, but it would mostly be a boring read. Suffice it to say that Del Toro gives the Hellboy fan in me much to appreciate both in his casting and directorial decisions.
This is not to say that the movie is totally flawless. Those without a background in the writings of H.P. Lovecraft may be lost in some parts of the film, and some plot points may be confusing to non-fans of the comic.
That said, this film still resides in my mind as one of the best comic-book movies made in recent years, holding its place by X2: X-Men United and Spider-Man. While perhaps not bound for the success such films earned, Hellboy still stands as one of the best adaptations I've seen in recent years, and is totally worth the money to see hellspawn lay the smack down. The movie is cool, and fun, and...well, wacky. But in a good way.
Hey, I like it. May the fires in hell condemn me, its still a fun movie.
Based on the comic book series by Mike Mignola Guillermo del Toro's gleefully eccentric film follows the supernatural adventures of Hellboy Ron Perlma...More at Family Video
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