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Though not a household name like his superhero
brethren Superman and Spider-Man, Mike Mignola’s Hellboy has his
share of fans who’ve embraced the demon-turned-savior and bona fide
box-office money machine. Although the first installment of the series only
broke even in the States, it did remarkably well on home video and
overseas, so much so that director Guillermo del Toro persuaded the powers
that be at Universal to give the hero another shot at the big screen. The
success of the filmmaker’s Pan’s
Labyrinth may have had something to do with it
as well.
del Toro’s influence is all over Hellboy 2: The Golden Army,
which is populated by a vast number of mythical monstrosities that seem to
have been left over from Labyrinth. This time out, Hellboy (Ron Perlman), pyrotechnic Liz
Sherman (Selma Blair), and empath Abe Sapien (Doug Jones) are assigned to
stop Prince Nuada (Luke Goss), a royal son who sets out to reclaim
territory on earth for the magical creatures he rules beneath it. He has
broken a centuries-old truce and intends to awaken the Golden Army, an
unstoppable mystical, mechanical force that can only be stirred when the
three pieces of a golden crown are put together.
The usual mayhem ensues, with Hellboy cracking wise
and leaving destruction in his wake. However, what makes the film so
entertaining is the interplay between the heroes, whose flaws come to the
fore. Hellboy and Liz are having trouble adjusting to living together, and
Abe falls for Princess Nuala (Anna Walton), Nuada’s sister. Their vulnerabilities make the
outcasts human and easy to relate to. Without question, del Toro’s a visionary who
lets his imagination run wild. Trolls, malevolent tooth fairies, and a host
of other indescribable creatures crowd the screen and make the film a
visual delight even though at times it lags as the action becomes
repetitious. Just when the movie is ready to jump the tracks we’re
treated to the odd sight of a drunken Hellboy or the oddest duet of Barry
Manilow’s “Can’t Smile Without You” you can
imagine. It’s these moments of whimsy that make Golden Army worthwhile,
reminding us that even a demon can suffer from a broken heart.
This article appears in Jul 3-9, 2008.
