Hellboy 2: The Golden Army - DVD Review

Hellboy 2: The Golden Army (2 Disc Special Edition) [2008]
Directed by Guillermo del Toro

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-12-08
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 115 minutes

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
The feverish Hellboy 2: The Golden Army is a very busy sequel that might have looked unhinged in the hands of a less visionary director than Guillermo del Toro. Ron Perlman returns as Hellboy, aka "Red," the Dark Horse Comics demon-hero with roots in the mythical world but personal ties in the human realm. Still working, as he was in Hellboy, for a secret department of the federal government that deals (as in "Men In Black") with forces of the fantastic, Red and his colleagues take on a royal elf (Luke Goss) determined to smash a longtime truce between mankind and the forces of magic. Meanwhile, Red's relationship with girlfriend Liz (Selma Blair), who can burst into flames at will, is going through a rocky stage observed by Red's fishy friend Abe (Doug Jones), himself struck by love in this film. Del Toro brilliantly integrates the ordinary and extraordinary, diving into an extended scene set in a troll market barely hidden behind the façade of typical city streets. He also unleashes a forest monster that devastates an urban neighborhood, but then--interestingly--brings a luminous beauty to the same area as the creature (an "elemental") succumbs to a terrible death. Del Toro's art direction proves masterful, too, in a climactic battle set in a clockworks-like stronghold tucked away in rugged Irish landscape. But it's really the juxtaposition of visual marvels with not-so-unusual relationship issues that gives Hellboy 2 a certain jaunty appeal hard to find in other superhero movies. --Tom Keogh

Synopsis
Hellboy 2: The Golden Army begs any number of referential mash-ups to be used as description of its outlandish tonal and stylistic qualities. It's a little like a romantic and sophisticated live-action Ninja Turtles movie imbued with a cracked version of H.P. Lovecraft's monster storytelling. It's a feature-length version of STAR WARS's Mos Eisley Cantina mixed with a scrappy, proficient passion for creature design reminiscent of Ray Harryhausen. It's also kind of director/co-writer Guillermo del Toro's Hellboy (2004) wrapped in a blanket of his Pan's Labyrinth. This sequel is all these things, but none of them can accurately capture the singularity of a movie which, in some ways, stands alone in its ability to capture the crass and literary luridness of reading a comic book. It's filled with gross creatures bursting with humanity, dark poetry, and slapstick comedy; in one scene, an argument between Hellboy and Johann Krauss, a formless gas contained in a mobilized suit, escalates to the point of Tom-and-Jerry-like violence.

As Hellboy himself, a heartfelt anti-hero who regularly eliminates supernatural threat as an agent for the U.S. Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense alongside girlfriend Liz (Selma Blair) and comrade Abe Sapien, Ron Perlman again embodies the role with the kind of pathos and humour that one can only expect from a horned, red-skinned Hell-spawn who loves kittens and acts like a hardboiled detective who happens to watch TV and drink a lot of canned beer. Hellboy 2's rather interesting antagonist, Prince Nuada, isn't just an evil dude. In the mold of the complex villains typically found in Hayao Miyazaki's animated fairy tales, his intentions of restoring control over Earth to an Elvish race by regaining the key to unlock the indestructible Golden Army are at least based on a legitimately noble sentiment before megalomania kicks in.

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Customer Reviews

Hell of fanastic
Hellboy was a sucess.
Hellboy 2 is a command.
I would remomced ment this to anyone and all do respect this film has stunts which were off the hook. Ron Perlman was made for Hellboy. He's funny, violent and red. The squeal started in 2004 and returned in 2008. Who knows if Hellboy 3 will be as big.
I'm a fan of Hellboy
And I love the cast.

Could've been so much more...
I watched the first Hellboy and thought it was pretty good, so when I saw the adverts for this and noticed the outstanding visuals, I thought it definately had to be watched. Where better to watch such visual fantasies than the cinema.

It started off far from satisfactory with the worst acting I've ever seen from a child actor, I'm sure they could've someone better, luckily, John Hurt was there to save it. From that point it started to improve. I loved Del Toro's vision of tooth faires and the scenes in the auction house were chilling. The action was crisp and imaginative. I was impressed and couldn't wait to see more. The adaptation of the elves was fantastic. They looked so other-worldly, yet human and realistic. The scene in the throne room is one of my favourites in cinema history. Del Toro paid a lot of attention to the visual details. The main story was also very interesting, I'd have loved to have seen more of it, like in a spin-off epic on similar proportions as Lord of the Rings. The marketplace was astounding, I truely believed there was really a place like that, so full of life of wierd creatures of fantasy that we know nothing about. The representation of the Angel of Death was absolutely fantastic, possibley my second favourite moment in cinema history.

However, I found too many characters on Hellboys side too annoying. They're supposed to be the good guys, I'm supposed to like them. I just found them pathetic and invigorating. Abe's hastiness to fall in love so quickly and surely just reminded me of those thirteen year olds who think they know everything about love, and they really irritate me. Krauss's accent was ridiculous and his need to obey all the rules was ridiculous, the notion that he'd then go back on himself and disobey rules was just unbelievable. However, him vs Hellboy was definately a highlight of the film and the character got kudos. The inclusion of Liz's pregnancy was fearfully predictable and cheesey. In fact, I think the only heroic character I did like was Hellboy.
In addition, the end felt like it was a bit rushed.

So to wrap up my review; This could've been so much more. Cut out the cheesiness and ridiculousness and this could've been a fantastic fantasy epic. Cut out the fantastic visuals and epic storyline and this would've been good as a cheesey, generally entertaining film that doesn't have to make sense. Del Toro was trying to merge two completely different styles of filmmaking and it just didn't blend. I would much rather it wasn't a Hellboy film, but a completely new, imaginative and visually stunning fantasy epic, but that's just me.

A Potential Parent's Point Of View
If a film is rated '12', why would you deliberate whether to show it to an eight year-old? The classification surely outlines what is suitable.

It's amazing how many people buy their children '18' (or '12') rated video games (or films) and then complain about how unsuitable they are for youngsters. Saying that, my mum used to let me see Hammer and Universal Horrors as a child and I still turned out okay.

With regard to Del Toro's Hellboy 2, I loved it. I'm 42 and my inner eight year-old loved it too! Del Toro goes from strength to strength. This is a perfect melding of his Spanish language aesthetic with his Hollywood aesthetic. Roll-on Hellboy 3! Recommended!