Fun, visually impressive silliness (Hellboy (DVD))

Member Name: shaneo632

Product:	Hellboy (DVD)
Date:	29/07/09 (18 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Light hearted and well acted and directed

Disadvantages: Perhaps a bit too silly sometimes

note: appears in part on The Student Room

Hellboy is not exactly a high profile comic book franchise, and evidently doesn't really measure up to the likes of X-Men, Spider-Man, Superman or Batman in either stature or quality, but it's a quaint, offbeat little film that works very much to the sensibilities of its director, Guillermo Del Toro, who is best known for his atmospheric films Cronos, The Devil's Backbone, and of course, Pan's Labyrinth. This is a visually impressive film that boasts a solid cast, led by Ron Perlman, in his most charismatic role to date, as the titular character.

The film opens in 1944, as the Nazis, along with the nefarious Grigori Rasputin are attempting to create a portal to Hell. They're attacked when switching it on, resulting in only one thing coming to Earth through Hell - a small baby demon, which has a disproportionately large hand, and its horns are both broken off. The baby demon is seen to be harmless, and taken into the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, where he is raised by Professor Trevor Broom (John Hurt, fairly unrecognisable in this film).

The film then slams forward some time, just as FBI agent named John Myers (Rupert Evans) joins their organisation. He meets a now aged Hellboy (Perlman), as well as the other members of the "family", including a fish man named Abe Sapien with psychic abilities (Doug Jones), and Liz Sherman (Selma Blair), a pyrokinetic who is caught in between Myers and Hellboy in a love triangle. Things hot up when Rasputin returns to wreak havoc on the world once again - it is up to Hellboy and his cohorts to stop him.

Guillermo del Toro's trademark visual flair elevates Hellboy above its criticisms (namely that it is frequently too goofy for its own good). In general terms, the film is a highly entertaining, fun ride with a charming lead turn from Ron Perlman.

Summary: Goofy but well produced