Daniel Cann

Through the eyes of new Agent John Myers (Rupert Evans) the audience learns that Hellboy has not aged and is physically in his twenties and is working for the Bureau of paranormal Research and Defence. It is here we meet Abe Sapien (played by Doug Jones and voiced by ‘Frasier’s’ David Hyde Pierce) a fellow non-human working for the Bureau, an aquatic mutant who likes to eat thousand year old eggs and has psychic and psychometric abilities. The urbane, cultured, witty, genius Sapien contrasts neatly with the bullish, cigar smoking Hellboy. We learn that Hellboy’s nickname is ‘Red’ and Sapien’s is ‘Blue.’ The banter and general exchanges between these characters are enjoyable and the film soon settles into a self assured and hugely entertaining adventure.

What sets this film apart from the usual action/superhero fare is its humour. Our hero is a cynical, moody, testy and witty creation. Ron Perlman is excellent as Hellboy, giving a wonderfully dry and laconic turn. Audiences will quickly warm to this original and unusual hero. The pace is quick and the film is full of unusual creatures, demons and special effects. It looks fantastic! The sets are wonderful and the film boasts impressive production values. Guillermo del Toro directs with flair getting exceptional performances from the cast.

It is clear that everyone involved, the writers, actors and set designers had a ball here. The dialogue is crisp, making the characters likeable, fallible and three-dimensional. Hellboy says ‘Oh crap!’ when things go wrong, not your typical superhero line! The film is full of comedy, as the wisecracking central character would rather bludgeon his way through problems rather than use tact or subtlety making for refreshing viewing.

Just as you begin to wonder if it is about to get weighed under by confrontations with otherwordly monsters we meet Elizabeth Sherman (Selma Blair) as Hellboy’s pyrokinetic love interest. She too, is an outcast like him and is being held at a psychiatric ward. Their relationship is a touching one of kindred spirits in an unforgiving and uncaring world. There is a nice comic scene as a lovelorn Hellboy confides in a boy about his feelings for Elizabeth and the problems he faces because of his love for her. Like other films of this genre our hero does brood and become introspective but all the gloom is balanced neatly with great touches of comedy.

As our team battle the evil Rasputin (played with hissable relish by Karel Roden) and his cohorts there are plenty of gags and fast over the top action that make for a unique and hugely enjoyable experience. This will not only appeal to its loyal comic book fanbase but to cinemagoers generally due to its sheer chutzpah and unique blend of action, CGI and world-weary humour. This supernatural actioner deserves to do well, as I don’t think there has ever been anything quite like it before. Enjoy!

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