Hellboy 2: The Golden Army

What’s It About?
The elves, long ago, built lots of clockwork soldiers. These soldiers were ruthless and indestructible. But then the king became all angsty over the deaths of humans, locked the army away and separated the crown into three pieces.

At some point in the future, the elf prince is stealing the crown pieces in a bid to raise the army and purge human kind. It’s up to Hellboy, a girl who can set herself on fire, a really smart fish-type thing, and a German scientist made up of gas and voice by Peter Griffin, to save the day!

My Thoughts Going In…
I was one of the few people that didn’t mind the first film. Sure, it was a little-scattershot with its story-telling, and the ending dragged to infinity, but it had style and heart that many superhero films seem to lack.

Also, Del Toro had commercial and critical success with Pan’s Labyrinth (Good, but overrated) and this film was being made at a different studio, so surely the director would have more freedom with the sequel. Right?

Looks Like…
This was the first film’s strong point, and in the sequel it remains top of the list. The film is a marvelous combination of costumes and CGI. We’re introduced to so many odd creatures so seamlessly that they just seem like they’ve always belonged.

Seriously, look for the stitches here. Point to the screen and say conclusively “That’s CGI!”. Because, barring the obvious (e.g. the tooth fairies), I’d say you’d have quite a game in front of you.

Some of the creatures are truly majestic. The angel of death creature, with eyes in its wings and none on its face, was terrifying. And Hellboy is still as perfect a creature as he was in the first film. The young Hellboy, not so much.

Colour, creatures and the real world combine wonderfully to make this one of the best looking films of 2008.

Sounds Like…
Here I’m at an impasse. On one hand, the music suits the moment, underpinning the emotions going on and improving the scene. I’m thinking of the falling from the window, the ‘Beautiful Freak’ montage and a rather funny scene involving Hellboy and Abe singing.

The score, however, is loud and obnoxious. It plays its beats without tact or subtlety, and takes away from the action happening.

Feels Like…
I’ll answer the important question first: Yes, it is better than the first film, but only just. It hasn’t become a whole new film. The plot is more linear, but this time out the film introduces too many themes, leaving most of them hanging.

And again, the ending is drawn out, with a scene interrupting the big finale purely to set up a sequel.

But things have improved. The characters are more drawn out this time. Liz gets to be funnier and feistier, a vast improvement on the whiney emo Liz from film one. Abe gets a sub-plot too, falling in love with the elf princess.

It’s a shame to see Hellboy and the FBI chief (Maybe. I forget his actual role) hate each other once again, after the conclusion to Hellboy, but it provided nice comic relief. And Hellboy gets some nice moments too, especially following his “Public perception story”.

The fights are the highlight though. Rich and kinetic, I haven’t seen fights this energized since…well, ‘Wanted’. They are the reason the finale worked better than the first. This time we get a whirlwind battle between demon and elf, instead of the pulling of a grenade pin.

Luke Goss, and I hate myself for saying this considering his boy-band background, makes a good villain. He stands with authority and fights with skill. Its just a shame about the American accent.

The film deals more with the demon world too, which was a strong move for a director that finds his strength in demons and clockwork. The troll market is a visual feat, the tooth fairies both cute and horrifying.

Here’s hoping he can bring the same magic to ‘The Hobbit’

Verdict…
A slight, but crucial, improvement to the first film. In any other year, this would be the superhero film of the year, but a certain Dark Knight and a womanizing billionaire stop Hellboy reaching greatness.