MaverikHellboy 2 - Black, White & Red All Over
August 1st 2008 02:32
Hellboys are red, Abes are blue. I liked this movie, and so might you too. Hellboy 2 is a fun movie that builds on the first one and in many ways improves on it. The story this time is about a race of magical beings (I can only assume they're elves since they are tactfully left unnamed, despite all other races being clearly defined) who made a pact with humankind many centuries ago. This pact has been broken by the humans, and the heir to the throne, Prince Nuada (Luke Goss), decides to take matters into his own hands, and attempts to resurrect the indestructible golden army that his father had used to try and defeat the humans so long ago.
Ron Perlman manages once again to slip into the skin of the red devil like it was his own. He's sarcastic, easily angered, and a real wisecracker. And it makes Hellboy all the more lovable. He even manages to get Abe to join him in a lovely drunken sing along, which elicited a chorus of laughter from the crowd. And while all the other actors perform exceptionally well, Ron still steals the limelight every time.
You know what they say. The bigger the baby, the bigger the mess...
The flow between action, drama and comedy feels natural in this film, and though I normally detest action one liners, Hellboy's quips are quite welcome in amidst the flying fists and bullets. The fight sequences are enjoyable enough, though none quite so much as when Hellboy gets his rear kicked in a fight with a locker cabinet. Having never read the Hellboy comic's, I cannot compare this to the source material, but I seldom hear complaints about it's accuracy, and as such, can only assume that it breaks no cardinal sins.
Seth MacFarlane (perhaps best known as the voice of Peter Griffin of Family Guy fame) voices the new character, Johann Krauss. He does a fantastic job, as each line he delivers is just saturated in that overly obnoxious German accent. He simply brings the character to life.
Selma Blair returns as Liz, and fits the role just as wonderfully as the last time. She plays a far more important part in the story this time around. This however includes the love subplot between Liz and Hellboy, which escalates in this sequel. Unfortunately, they push a rather contrived 'pregnancy' story line between the characters which is revealed early on, and the rest of their interactions fall into that unfortunate sitcom style forced relationship which just feels unnatural.
Guillermo del Toro still manages to make some freaky lookin' monsters
Doug Jones also returns as Abe, however he voices the character as well this time, putting up a performance not quite as good as David Hyde Pierce who voiced the character in the last movie, though was uncredited.
The biggest let downs for this film were the rather non-menacing performance from Luke Goss as the villain, and the weak script. Though the rest of the actors were well acted, the writing failed them at times, making their performances seem weaker, which is unfortunate.
The Verdict: If you enjoyed the first film, than you will definitely like this one. And if you're a Ron Perlman fan, you should see it. It's a fun film with plenty of laughs and some decent fight sequences. Go see it with a group of friends for a fun night out, just don't expect a riveting or thought provoking experience.
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