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  1. #1
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    Hellboy II: Early Review

    for those of you who did not see Hellboy I, I don't think there is much, if anything, from that movie that you really need to enjoy Hellboy II. I guess there is some context that you get from the first but the plot and story of the second film have very little to do with the first.

    Hellboy II is at its best when it plays for laughs. This is a film with a lot of sarcasm and attitude -- especially from the main character -- and is fun to watch during these comedic moments. It is not slapstick or over-the-top comedy, not at all, it is almost like sitting in your living room with friends making amusing banter about what is going on onscreen. Hellboy is the good buddy we all like having around, the one who buys the beer and only complains if you refuse to drink with him.

    Where the film struggles a bit is in the actual plot and the more dramatic scenes. Much of it just did not work for me the way it should have. The story is ok, but I pretty much guessed the exact resolution to the film in the first 10-15 minutes of it. Maybe it was the gobs of effects/makeup on everyone or maybe it was all the wisecracking going on but I had trouble really caring about the characters very much. There was some fairly emotional stuff going on with some of the characters and yet I never connected with any of them.



    I also found the myriad of creatures and visual effects to be offputting. Guilermo Del Toro is a remarkable director but he takes the visuals too far in this film. Part of the fun of Hellboy is putting that strange character and his mystical friends/opponents in the real world. Sadly, much of this film takes place in the a "magical" world that is so foreign and different from our reality that you lose any connection to reality. When everything you see if freaky and magical that becomes the norm and it is hard to feel much "wow" when we encounter another freaky and magical creature or situation.

    I don't want it to seem like this is a bad flick or a bad review. I liked Hellboy II about as much as I like Hulk, though it is not even in the same ballpark with the great comic book movies (Iron Man, Spiderman, and a few others).

    Ron Pearlman is great at Hellboy but the rest of the cast is below-average. Selma Blair pretty much sleepwalks through her role as Hellboy's fire-throwing girlfriend. The "bad guy," played by Luke Goss is largely boring though his fight scenes were decent. I think his character's motivation was somewhat green/environmental, though it was never really explained enough to matter to me. There is a ghost-like character who works with Hellboy named Johann that is one of the worst characters in comic-book film history. He's just goofy most of the time, an over-the-top, by-the-book German. The audience never even begins to connect with him.



    I am the type to always see the flaws before the successes in a film, it is a curse, so I am dwelling upon the problems with this flick more than I should. As I said, the humorous moments are very funny and enjoyable and Ron Pearlman is just fun to watch as this character. I think fans of the first film and folks who like comic-book films will enjoy this sequel. They won't go ga-ga over it and see it multiple times, but they won't leave the theater feeling ripped off either.

    On a scale of 1-10, I'd give it about a 6.5 or a 7.

    --Jason "seeing Mama Mia tonight, Space Chimps on Saturday, and then Dark Knight early next week" Evans

  2. #2
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    I'm wondering, are there many folks here who plan on seeing this film? I was talking about it with some friends who are dying to see it and was surprised at the level of excitement over it.

    --J
    Last edited by JasonEvans; 07-10-2008 at 11:01 AM.

  3. #3
    This is one of those movies that I'm excited for it being on DVD or OnDemand. I like Ron Perlman, and think he's an ideal fit for the lead, but I don't often go to movies anymore (I suspect I will have been to a theater a total of four times by the end of the summer) and there are enough others out that I would rather see.

  4. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by JasonEvans View Post
    I'm wondering, are there many folks here who plan on seeing this film? I was talking about it with some friends who are dying to see it and was surprised at the level of excitement over it.

    --J
    My wife who is not an action or "comic book" movie fan loved the first one and can't wait to see this one..We are on vacation the week after next and it will be a battle to wills over whether we see this or the Dark Knight first...

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by bluebear View Post
    My wife who is not an action or "comic book" movie fan loved the first one and can't wait to see this one..We are on vacation the week after next and it will be a battle to wills over whether we see this or the Dark Knight first...

    If you can even get tickets to see Dark Knight the opening weekend then you will be doing quite well. The forecast is for sellouts as far as the eye can see.

    --Jason "FYI-- Hellboy 1 is on USA right now!" Evans

  6. #6
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    Seattle, WA
    The trailer for Hellboy II intrigued me enough that I downloaded HB1 this weekend and watched it, just to make sure I wasn't missing anything when we went to see HB2. The unfortunate downside of that was, now I'm not so psyched about HB2 -- the first was good, not great, so I think I can wait until HB2 hits DVD/download status.

  7. #7
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    Washington, DC
    I loved Pan's Labryinth enough to give Hellboy II a shot this weekend despite my lukewarm feeling about the first Hellboy.

  8. #8
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    I'll see it but will probably wait until DVD--they come out so fast now--why go see anything in the theater other than to be able to talk with your friends about it sooner? Unless my wife makes me go b/c she loves Ron Perlman. I watched the Oscar-nominated stuff before the Oscars, I guess. But I have to really like some who's involved to go watch it in the theater.

    I would watch anything Del Toro does. I'm a big fan of his brand of Magical Realism, especially Devil's Backbone and of course Pan's Labyrinth, which is one of the 3 or 4 best films I've seen this decade. Del Toro's involvement is the only reason I'll see this, since I'm not into comic stuff.

    A movie is not about what it's about; it's about how it's about it.
    ---Roger Ebert


    Some questions cannot be answered
    Who’s gonna bury who
    We need a love like Johnny, Johnny and June
    ---Over the Rhine

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by JasonEvans View Post
    If you can even get tickets to see Dark Knight the opening weekend then you will be doing quite well. The forecast is for sellouts as far as the eye can see.

    I was afraid of that. We *still* haven't seen Indiana Jones because every time we go to a Rave, the stupid thing is sold out.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by blublood View Post
    We *still* haven't seen Indiana Jones because every time we go to a Rave, the stupid thing is sold out.
    Can you explain this line. What does going to a rave have to do with going to a movie?

    -Jason "Indy 4 is not sold out at all anymore, is it?" Evans

  11. #11
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    As an aside, Rotten Tomatoes is very strong on Hellboy II. It is at 87% at last check. I think that is a high number, but it is a good flick.

    --Jason "interested in hearing other opinions on it" Evans

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by JasonEvans View Post
    As an aside, Rotten Tomatoes is very strong on Hellboy II. It is at 87% at last check. I think that is a high number, but it is a good flick.

    --Jason "interested in hearing other opinions on it" Evans
    I liked Hellboy. Fun movie, didn't take itself very serious. Hellboy II was different for me. I expected the movie to feel like HBI, and so I thought the dramatic scenes were too long, too numerous, and most didn't seem to flow with the movie.

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by JasonEvans View Post
    If you can even get tickets to see Dark Knight the opening weekend then you will be doing quite well. The forecast is for sellouts as far as the eye can see.

    --Jason "FYI-- Hellboy 1 is on USA right now!" Evans
    Some theaters are even selling tickets to 3 AM and 6 AM showtimes due to demand. As for HB2, a strong opening weekend should lead to higher grosses than the first movie and they're already talking HB3.

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