Customer Reviews

Hellboy [Import]

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I like Ron Pearlman and i do enjoy many of the fantasy adventure movies.
The special effects and cinematography are rather cool.

Special edition? I don't think so. Every DVD release nowadays is a "Special Edition". Let it be known that a Directors Cut with tons of deleted scenes edited back into the film will be released on DVD as well in December or early 2005. Talk about double-dipping.

While some good directors never quite "get it," it took Guillermo Del Toro only one misfire -- the icky, slow-paced "Blade 2" -- to get the whole comic-book adaptation thing right.

In fact, just about everything is right with "Hellboy" -- Del Toro crafted an action blockbuster with a grimy, slimy cult-movie feel and a quirky sense of humor. It's graced with excellent acting, spectacular action scenes, and the trappings of clockpunk and Lovecraftian horror -- not to mention that it stars a six-foot-tall scarlet demon with a soft spot for kittens.

In 1944, young Professor Broom accompanied an army regiment to a remote Scottish island, where the Nazis -- led by Rasputin -- were about to open a portal to another world, and allow the vast tentacled Ogru Jahad (Seven Gods of Chaos) to enter our world. Rasputin and the Nazis were destroyed, but something came through the portal -- a baby demon, whom Broom names Hellboy.

Fast-forward sixty years -- a grown Hellboy (Ron Perlman) and his fishy friend Abe (Doug Jones) are working at a paranormal government agency that specializes in policing the supernatural, with the weirded-out Agent Myers (Rupert Evans) just joining the team. Soon afterwards, Hellboy is called on to kill Sammael the Hellhound -- but it turns out that Sammael can replicate himself indefinitely.

As Hellboy and his team try to hunt down the remaining Sammaels, the dying Professor Broom (John Hurt) finds that a revived Rasputin and his immortal Nazi followers have orchestrated all this. And Rasputin is continuing to pull the strings behind the scenes -- including using Hellboy's love Liz (Selma Blair), a depressed pyrokinetic. And when Hellboy suffers a devastating loss, his journey will take him right back to his roots -- and the potential destruction of the world.

Watching "Hellboy," it's easy to see how Guillermo Del Toro because world-famous for the exquisitely dark "Pan's Labyrinth," and why he's been chosen to direct the forthcoming "Hobbit" movies. This adaptation could have just been another paint-by-numbers comic-book story, but Del Toro gives it the kind of grime, quirk, brains and heart that a lasting cult movie should have.

Part of that cult appeal is "Hellboy's" distinctive look, with Lovecraftian tentacle-gods and some steampunky details. And the action scenes are pretty spectacular -- trains, slimy hellhounds, sword-swinging Nazis with chopped-up faces, giant clock cogs, and a fiery explosion in a mental asylum. And there are some truly spectacular action scenes in a vast underground labyrinth, full of ancient hammers and collapsing bridges. There's just enough action and grossness, without going overboard.

But Del Toro is able to balance out the action with some truly touching moments, such as the aged Broom's final scenes in his firelit study. And there's a lot of dark humor here as well -- and not all of it is Hellboy's dry one-liners. The movie is liberally peppered with dark humor moments ("1945, you mean. Hitler died in '45." "DID he now?"), including some hilariously macabre scenes involving a bad-tempered Russian zombie ("This is Ivan Klimatovich. Say hi, Ivan." "Go that way, Red Monkey!").

Most importantly, Del Toro is able to give his characters little human quirks -- hair plugs, love of cats, and Hellboy sanding down his horns in the morning. Perlman is simply amazing as "Red," whose gruff scarlet exterior hides a kindly, affectionate heart. Not many actors could emote through that many prosthetics (including a very lifelike tail), but Perlman makes it look natural.

Though he's playing a ninetyish old professor, Hurt plays his role with a quiet, powerful sense of goodness. Jones and Evans also do excellent jobs, one as an erudite psychic fish-man ("We lead a charmed life," he observes as cockroaches skitter around him) and an earnest young agent. Selma Blair is the one downside -- she sort of mumbles in a monotone most of the time.

"Hellboy" is one of the best comic-book adaptations that Hollywood has turned out, primarily because of the darker, eerier aesthetic Guillermo Del Toro brings to it. Definitely a must-see.

i kinda liked this offering from Guillermo Del Toro.it's a sort of
science fiction action adventure hybrid,with some humour thrown
in.there's a great mix of oddball characters,some good stunts,and the
look of the film is fantastic.the movie also has a great assortment of
weird creatures.yet i came away feeling a bit empty,like there was
something missing.despite all the good things about the movie,i guess i
felt it had very little heart or soul.having said that,from a shallow
point of view,i liked it.it isn't boring.i just think it had the
potential to be more.when you add it all up,my vote for Hellboy is a
3/5

One of the few comic adaptations that is not horrible! Far from it in fact. Hellboy is dark and edgy without being horror; it balances fantasy, action, and humour, with an engaging plot, excellent acting, and--surprisingly--emotionally resonant drama. There is honestly nothing negative I can say about this movie. Buy it!

"There lived a certain man in Russia long ago
He was big and strong, in his eyes a flaming glow"
("Rasputin" by Boney M)

Short Attention Span Summary (SASS):

1. German military says "Ra Ra Rasputin" , and tries to open a portal to another dimension
2. US Army shows up and all Hellboy breaks loose
3. Forget music - it's a Baby Ruth that soothes a savage beast
4. Fast forward 60 years and Hellboy and his friends are attached to the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense
5. His friends include a fishy character named Abe, and a hot chick named Liz who's in denial
6. Rasputin and his gang show up and release a nasty creature named Sammael who goes forth and multiplies
7. Newbie from the FBI gets baptism by fire
8. Lots of killings follow
9. As Inigo Montoya (from Princess Bride) once said (several times) "......Prepare to die"

Lots of paranormal stuff, out-of-this-world special effects, and strong performances by Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, John Hurt, Doug Jones and Karel Roden, among others, make for an action-packed fantasy adventure in itself, and recommended viewing before watching Hellboy II

A red hot love story that's definitely not a chick flick.

Amanda Richards

While some good directors never quite "get it," it took Guillermo Del Toro only one misfire -- the icky, slow-paced "Blade 2" -- to get the whole comic-book adaptation thing right.

In fact, just about everything is right with "Hellboy" -- Del Toro crafted an action blockbuster with a grimy, slimy cult-movie feel and a quirky sense of humor. It's graced with excellent acting, spectacular action scenes, and the trappings of clockpunk and Lovecraftian horror. All this, and it stars a six-foot-tall demon with a soft spot for kittens.

In 1945, young Professor Broom accompanied an army regiment to a remote Scottish island, where the Nazis -- led by Rasputin -- were about to open a portal to another world, and allow the vast tentacled Ogru Jahad (Seven Gods of Chaos) to enter our world. Rasputin and the Nazis were destroyed, but something came through the portal -- a baby demon, whom Broom names Hellboy.

Fast-forward sixty years -- a grown Hellboy (Ron Perlman) and his fishy friend Abe (Doug Jones) are working at a paranormal government agency that specializes in policing the supernatura. The nervous newbie Agent Myers (Rupert Evans) is kind of weirded out. Soon afterwards, Hellboy is called on to kill Sammael the Hellhound -- but it turns out that Sammael can replicate himself indefinitely.

As Hellboy and his team try to hunt down the remaining Sammaels, the dying Professor Broom (John Hurt) finds that a revived Rasputin and his immortal Nazi followers have orchestrated all this. And Rasputin is continuing to pull the strings behind the scenes -- including using Hellboy's love Liz (Selma Blair), a depressed pyrokinetic. And when Hellboy suffers a devastating loss, his journey will take him right back to his roots -- and the potential destruction of the world.

Watching "Hellboy," it's easy to see how Guillermo Del Toro because world-famous for the exquisitely dark "Pan's Labyrinth," and why he's been chosen to direct the forthcoming "Hobbit" movies. This adaptation could have just been another paint-by-numbers comic-book story, but Del Toro gives it the kind of grime, brains and quirkiness that a cult movie should have.

Part of that cult appeal is "Hellboy's" distinctive look, with Lovecraftian tentacle-gods and some steampunky details. And the action scenes are pretty spectacular -- trains, slimy hellhounds, sword-swinging Nazis with chopped-up faces, giant clock cogs, and a fiery explosion in a mental asylum. And there are some truly spectacular action scenes in a vast underground labyrinth, full of ancient hammers and collapsing bridges. There's just enough action and grossness, without going overboard.

But Del Toro is able to balance out the action with some truly touching moments, such as the aged Broom's final scenes in his firelit study. And there's a lot of dark humor here as well -- and not all of it is Hellboy's dry one-liners. The dialogue tends to be a bit on the funny side, including some hilariously macabre scenes involving a bad-tempered Russian zombie ("This is Ivan Klimatovich. Say hi, Ivan." "Go that way, Red Monkey!").

Most importantly, Del Toro is able to give his characters little human quirks -- hair plugs, love of cats, and Hellboy sanding down his horns in the morning. Perlman is simply amazing as "Red," whose gruff scarlet exterior hides a kindly, affectionate heart. Not many actors could emote through that many prosthetics (including a very lifelike tail), but Perlman makes it look natural.

Though he's playing a ninetyish old professor, Hurt plays his role with a quiet, powerful sense of goodness. Jones and Evans also do excellent jobs, one as an erudite psychic fish-man ("We lead a charmed life," he observes as cockroaches skitter around him) and an earnest young agent. Selma Blair is the one downside -- she sort of mumbles in a monotone most of the time.

"Hellboy" is one of the best comic-book adaptations that Hollywood has turned out, primarily because of the darker, eerier aesthetic Guillermo Del Toro brings to it. Definitely a must-see.

When I first watched this movie, judging the cover, it is as expected. A really good curios movie. I found it to be quite interesting, although not a fan of Selma Blair (Ultra Violet), I found the characters and the roles performed to the movies liking. As well as Del Torro's. A different look on (colorful)and atmospheric tone that matches the quality of how todays society looks at the supernatural. In a corny way but yet kind of serious. I love the way they show images of blurred pictures of supernatural occurences much the way the true governments today would debunct any government involvment in the supernatural. Something to think about. I give it two thumbs up and a definite movie to own whether some people picture it as a cult like film. Rocky Horror Picture Show #2 in production by the way.

As people know, cult films will always have people who love it, and people who hate it. I hate it. There's just too much stuffed in, not as much demon fighting as expected, the scene with the demon killing the dude and his blood cousing through the maze...it looked unbelievably fake.
This film isn't loyal to the comic. Although I've only read a few books, it isn't very similar to the ones I've read. Just a bad film, for those who enjoy this movie, great. For those who don't, I understand why.

this movie is high pace full of laughs and action. really good movie to watch.