Dir.
Guillermo del Toro, 2004, USA, 122 mins
Cast: Ron Perlman, John Hurt, Selma Blair, Rupert Evans
In a world gone mad with comic-to-film insanity, acclaimed Spanish director Guillermo del Toro has once again dipped his creative toes into the murky world of comic book adaptations with his latest big-screen offering, Hellboy. Like a hundred comic-to-film reviews that have preceded this one, it will be noted that "fans of the comic book will not be disappointed" with Hellboy's transmutation from ink and paper to celluloid; however, those fans of cohesive story development will be left wanting. That' not to say that Hellboy doesn't attempt to offer its mainstream audience something other than over-the-top action set pieces and the latest CGI trickery. It's just that it falls a little flat when it does.
As a comic book adaptation, Hellboy puts many of its higher budget rivals to shame. The film looks and feels just right and is probably the most faithful visual recreation of a comic book this reviewer has ever seen. The performances from the film's varied cast are exceptional with John Hurt (Professor Bruttenholm, Hellboy's adopted father figure), and Ron Perlman (Hellboy - the seven-foot tall, bright red demon hero of the film) deserving special praise for their believable and amusing turns.
The films premise at a glance is that the Nazis with the aid of the infamous and (as it turns out) immortal Siberian shaman and occultist, Rasputin attempt to open a portal to Hell during their last ditch effort to win the second world war. The Nazis and Rasputin are foiled by the allied troops, led by Professor Bruttenholm; however, the portal remains open long enough for one demon to slip through into our world. That demon is an infant Hellboy, who is adopted and raised like a son by the Professor. Together with the aid of the US Government (who else?), the Bureau for Paranormal Investigations is established. With the aid of their top-secret weapon (that'd be Hellboy) they fight evil and magical forces across the globe, kind of like the X-Files meets Men In Black.
Hellboy is obviously a labour of love for the film's director, Guillermo del Toro (Cronos, Mimic, Devil's Backbone and Blade 2). It is rumored that del Toro agreed to a massive budget cut (from $100 million down to a measly $65 million) by the studio as a result of insisting that Ron Perlman portray the title character instead of a "name" actor. It is testament to Del Toro, his crew and the cast, that Hellboy looks like a hundred million-dollar movie despite the studio's reluctance to bankroll it without the latest Hollywood A-lister. And that is the main problem with Hellboy. It looks amazing, the actors are great and all of the mythology is in place, but whatever happened to the story? Fans of Del Toro's other comic book adaptation, Blade 2 will no doubt enjoy this movie, but for those of you that were blown away by Cronos and The Devil's Backbone, Hellboy may prove to be disappointing.
It is unfortunate that Hellboy is not the comic book movie masterpiece it promises to be. However, it does seem to this writer that it is only a matter of time before Del Toro finds the right vehicle to combine his romantic knack for storytelling, ala The Devil's Backbone, with his highly accomplished visual flare. Perhaps his upcoming treatment of H.P. Lovecraft's horror classic, At The Mountain Of Madness will deliver the goods when it is released one Halloween in the not too distant future.
Jerome Mazandarani
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