CINEMA: Hellboy II – The Golden Army

The trailer for Hellboy 2 packed an almighty red fisted punch, the film itself however doesn’t quite manage to follow through.

Director Guillermo del Toro is a visual filmmaker with two distinct styles. His mainstream cinema releases are big-budget action-packed hits like Blade 2 and the original Hellboy. In contrast we have a very deep and thought-provoking man who can construct dramatic masterpieces with an intense fantasy style such as Pan’s Labyrinth and The Devil’s Backbone. Both styles are very different and both work extremely well, but unfortunately the problem with Hellboy 2 is that both styles are thrown together and both are heavily compromised as a result.

You see, Hellboy 2 is neither glossy mainstream cinema nor dramatic fantasy; it is an uneasy mishmash of both, and  spends far too much time switching between the two to be able to find a balance. The action is underplayed in order to create more of a sense of the fantasy, but unfortunately the fantasy is also far too underplayed in favour of short and disappointing action sequences. The original Hellboy had such a strong narrative and was action-packed but this sequel fails to live up to that. It seems to have missed out on the golden rule of sequels and just not been able to better itself.

While X-Men was a great story-based film which familiarised us with the characters, the sequel X2 could just run with action from the outset yet still retain a great narrative. However, the story in Hellboy 2 just isn’t strong enough on its own to make a great film and it relies too heavily on spectacle and the visual flair of the director. This weak plot means that the viewer loses interest, and the subtleties in action and pace throughout the picture mean that we are made to expect a huge action sequence for the finale. However the last act doesn’t live up to these expectations and just fizzles out.

Having said all that, there is still plenty to enjoy from Hellboy 2. There is no denying that Guillermo del Toro is a genius when it comes to his film-making style. Correctly branded in the trailer, he really is a “visionary director” and throughout the whole film every frame has been carefully and lovingly crafted to look amazing. As with his previous work he really has gone to extremes to create a film that is stunning to watch. The characters, locations, creatures and visual effects are impressive and worth the price of admission on their own. When it comes to syle, this is an epic film. The characters are well cast, although the lack of John Hurt and Rupert Evans (as the adopted father and the new recruit) hurt the film somewhat, and they are sorely missed.

Luke Goss is amazing to watch once again after an equally impressive role in Del Toro’s earlier film Blade 2. Ron Perlman proves again that there couldn’t be a more perfect choice for Hellboy. He plays the role with delight and passion, although he doesn’t t seem to be quite as ‘cool’ as he was first time round – but maybe that’s down to the script. The chemistry between him and Liz, played again by Selma Blair, is priceless and works well in providing the film with a comedic element.

Another interesting relationship is between Abe Sapien and Princess Nuala and this also leads to some very funny moments, but also some much needed personal drama. The film contains a lot of comedy elements throughout, as did the original. Hellboy has a lot of comic one-liners, some of which are extremely funny. There is also good use of slapstick, especially with Hellboy and Abe Sapien arriving at a fight drunk. The character of Johann Krauss, voiced fantastically by Seth MacFarlane, with his unpredictable German accent is also a source of great amusement. The comedy in the film works extremely well and helps it to maintain its slow pace.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army is an interesting film, but disappointingly nowhere near as good as its predecessor. It is, nonetheless, still a lot of fun with plenty to enjoy. No doubt we will have to wait a few years for the return of Hellboy as Del Toro is now going to be dedicating a lot of his life to The Hobbit films, but we won’t see them until at least 2011, so enjoy this piece of Del Toro action while you can.       Russell Gomm