Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Demons with guns? Rogue Elven Prince? Robot Army? Guillermo del Toro? There is a God!

July 14, 2008 – In a perfect world, Guillermo del Toro would get to do these kind of films more often. As the man behind Pan’s Labrynth, Blade 2, and the original Hellboy, he’s building a very nice portfolio of movies with stunning and unique looks. He also knows how to make a movie with heart, which is the key ingredient to most films. If there is any one weakness to his films it is their occasionally poor plotting. This is, unfortunately the problem with Hellboy II.

Now before anyone starts flinging the flames of hate at me, let me state that the plot is entirely serviceable, and worthy for the films purposes. It isn’t always coherent, such as the choice of the elven prince to hold his sister hostage, when he’d die if he killed her. Add a couple odd inconsistencies in the behavior of minor characters and the sudden inexplicable shift in the attitude of the ectoplasmic agent Johann near the end of the film, and you have a plot that doesn’t entirely stand up straight on its own two legs. Thankfully, the plot has excellent backup. Though the nature of the plot isn’t terribly original, the characters, and objects that fill, it are. Even though there are hints of the films that have gone before, Hellboy’s characters, settings, and creatures, all feel new. You don’t come out of Hellboy II thinking “I’ve seen that before”. And in a time where everything under the sun feels already done, it is quite an accomplishment.   

The basic premise of the story is that mankind once lived alongside the fantasy world. However, mankind was greedy and tried to conquer their magical neighbors, such as elves, ogres, goblins etc. In the ensuing war, man was winning, until the titular Golden Army, an army of seemingly indestructible robots, was built. Mankind’s armies were decimated by the magical race’s new weapon. But the heart of the king of the elves was grieved for all the death and destruction, and so called a truce between Man and Magic. Man would stay in the cities and the Magical races would keep to the forests. Fast forward several thousand years and mankind has not kept the bargain, encroaching on the territories of the Magical races. The old king is still willing to keep the truce in the name of peace, but the exiled prince, now returned, has vengeance on his mind. Bloody, golden, robotic vengeance. Into this dicey situation steps Hellboy and his teammates, the last defense of mankind against this new, old, enemy. Anyone still not tired of tried and true fantasy stories lines, myself included, will appreciate the plot more than it is probably worth. It still beats the pants off of movies like Hancock and Eragon, from a couple years back.

The plot, though only ‘good’, is the perfect vehicle for some excellent characters, art direction, exciting action, and laugh out loud moments. Ron Perlman is back as Hellboy, and no more perfect casting could be made. He fits into the role like slipping into some favorite shoes, and he brings the character to life so well that you don’t even really see the makeup, only the character. Selma Blair is also back as Hellboy’s girlfriend Liz, and she seems much more comfortable in the role than her debut appearance, and though she still isn’t given much to do, she makes the most of her screen-time, so that you feel her presence throughout the movie. The character she plays makes some important steps forward, and becomes a deeper character. Her relationship with Hellboy, like the princess’ relationship with Abe, provide the heart and humanity of the story, which truly needed it to connect with the audience. Speaking of Abe, Doug Jones does an admirable job of acting the part, as well as filling in the vocal shoes of David Hyde Pierce from the first movie. If I didn’t know there had been a change of voices, I would never have realized it by watching the films. As long as I’m paying attention though, I do kinda miss the old voice. I don’t mean to take away anything from Jones’ acting, though. The character goes through a lot more development this time around, and he comes across as far more complex, if perhaps a bit gullible. Prince Nuada, played very well by Luke Goss, is ruthless and dangerous as a villain, but he is also relatable and a sympathetic character in some respects, much like Magneto of the X-Men movies (less so, the third iteration). A part of me misses Agent Myers from the first film, just because he made a solid human character to play off of, even if he didn’t do the greatest acting.

Some of the best moments in the film are entirely character driven. The slapstick fight between Johann, voiced by Seth MacFarlane, and Hellboy comes to mind as a very well choreographed and hilarious moment, and the drunken singing of Abe and Hellboy is funny as well as poignant and full of character charm. I also loved the way Liz’s little secret is handled in the film, and it plays out very nicely. Come for the action, stay for the characters.

Of course the action is very nice too. The choreography is excellent, and you almost never get the feeling that what you’re watching is artificial. This lends a lot of weight to the world and every encounter the character’s have. The special effects and men-in-suits, all blend together better than I really could have hoped for, and the colorful marketplace scene is reminiscent of both the Star Wars cantina and the magical market of Stardust. The combination is very well done. The only exception to the special effects drawing you further into the world is the fight between the Forest God and Hellboy. Not to say it isn’t about as well done as possible, but after the marketplace scene, the giant flower headed monster comes across as too computer generated. Furthermore, with its funny face it feels like the least inspired creature in the film. That is until it dies, at which point it really becomes something to look at.

The soundtrack by Danny Elfman is superb and fits every scene like a glove. While not overly memorable, it’s not forgettable either, and could even merit a purchase of the soundtrack for the serious fan. The sound effects are generally excellent, especially the clanking and whirring of the Golden Army. It does trip up once or twice however, when the sounds don’t match the on-screen action in a few relatively unimportant scenes, particularly the slapping incident where Hellboy is trying to slap some information out of a creature, and the slapping sounds are one too many and out of sync with the physical slaps.

Closing Comments:

Don’t let anything I said about the plot fool you, this is a very good movie. It’s something of an acquired taste, accept for action/fantasy fans who’ll probably lap it up with relish like I did, but even the non-fantasy indulgent should appreciate the skill behind the make-up, choreography, music, and especially the acting and characters. Hellboy II expands upon the groundwork set by it’s predecessor marvelously, and despite a slightly more unwieldy plot than the first manages to find the sweet-spot for what a summer film should be. Trust me when I say it’s worth it. Now I just have to wait till the DVD comes out to add it to my personal collection.

Rating out of 10     Description

         7/10               Story:  Light, with a few plot holes, it still manages to be one of the better

                                            fantasy yarns out there today, and it serves it’s purpose as a vehicle

                                            for the characters and action sequences.

         9.5/10               Character: Ron Pearlman and crew are excellent actors, particularly in

                                            these parts, which seem to have been built for them. The characters

                                            themselves go through a lot of growth, and become more fully-

                                            fleshed characters by the time the credits roll. This is definitely the

                                            heart of the film. Now if only Seth MacFarlane didn’t have such an

                                            annoying German accent…

         9/10                Look:  Excellent makeup and costumes combined with terrific special

                                            effects. Guillermo del Toro’s style is all over this thing, which only

                                            makes it that much better. The Forest God could have used some

                                            work though.

        8.5/10              Cinematography: Generally great, some scenes may have used a more

                                             dynamic camera, but overall more than competent. Even

                                             if it won’t be held up as a marvel of modern cinema.

          8/10                  Audio: Beautiful score by Danny Elfman. Disappointing slap flub.

        9.5/10                  The Spark: The movie promised to be an action packed popcorn muncher

                                            with big guns, big flying fists, big monsters, and one big red demon.

                                            It not only delivered it, despite a somewhat derivative plot, but it also

                                            delivered some great acting, humorous moments, character growth,

                                            and the joy of Guillermo’s unique style. I can’t wait to see how he

                                            tackles The Hobbit.