The Unseen Movie Review

Hellboy

Nazis summon a demon in the dying days of World War II, planning to use him against the Allies. The Allies raid the base; the demon joins them, fighting for truth, justice and the American way as part of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defence. Hellboy is born.

Yep, it’s yet another comic book movie, but this time it’s based on the cult series by artist/writer Mike Mignola which has been running successfully to the delight of a rabid fanbase for the last decade. More importantly, it has been brought to the screen by Mexican cult maestro Guillermo del Toro, best known by mainstream audiences as the director of the dark, violent and supremely cool Blade II and as friend and mentor to Quentin Tarantino.

Director and material, as anyone who has seen any of the helmer’s early Mexican movies will attest, have rarely been more perfectly suited for each other – del Torro even turned down the offer of insane money to direct the most recent Harry Potter in favour of this slice of blackly comic action, which he also scripted. Mignola was also closely involved – a rarity for Hollywood movies – which helps explain why the look of the often outlandish characters and film is so similar to the frequently highly stylised artwork of the comics. It promises to be one of the most faithful comic book adaptations yet seen.

The only trouble is, it’s a fair bet that most people have never heard of Hellboy, even though he nominally inhabits the same universe as Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and the like. Plus, on the surface, it could sound like a blatant ripoff of Men in Black, only with demons rather than aliens being battled by the clandestine government agency. But don’t let that put you off. Ron Perlman, long a del Torro favourite for his distinctive looks, is perfectly cast as this hellspawn hero, a hulking, ugly, cigar-chomping red pile of physicality at the heart of the movie, and is backed up by a great supporting cast, ranging from British movie legend John Hurt to the sultry teen idol Selma Blair.

How is it possible not to love a movie where one of the villains is the mad monk Rasputin himself and Nazis run around trying to raise the hoards of hell? It’s got some nice special effects, some superb production design – appropriately enough, given the comedy Nazis, by one of the team responsible for the look of the Indiana Jones movies – and, again appropriately enough considering Hellboy’s appearance, even features the classic Nick Cave song “Red Right Hand”. If that’s not indication enough that this film has both a sense of humour and a definite style and understanding of the genre it is working in, I don’t know what is.

In short, if you have ever enjoyed science fiction or superhero film, give this a try. You are unlikely to regret checking out what is one of the best examples of this kind of movie yet to hit the screen.

posted by Nosemonkey @ 12:00 AM