Review of Hellboy (2004) by Robert L — 08 Jun 2010

I adore this movie. Del Toro takes what could have been an eccentric comic book adaptation and makes it watchable for fantasy and movie fans alike. At the center of it all is Ron Perlman, born, it seems, to play lovable lugs of silicone and prostheses, delivering one of the best superhero performances effortlessly. Hellboy is a demon brought to earth from another dimension due to a Lovecraft-meets-a-Nazi-Occult experiment gone awry (in a good way, of course. If the experiment had been successful, Earth would have been laid to waste by the Old Ones. I think Hellboy is definitely the better end of that deal). Raised by Professor Bruttenholm "Broom" (played by John Hurt), Hellboy battles the forces of evil alongside Abe Sapien (Doug Jones in costume, with a voice supplied by David Hyde Pierce - SQUEE) and his handler, newbie FBI agent John Myers (Ruper Evans). He pines for Liz Sherman (Selma Blair, who's given very little to do here but look mopey), a pyrokinetic who hates her power, it having resulted in the deaths of a lot of people over the years. Of course, fire's no big for Hellboy, so the two are effectively perfect for one another.

Whether it was the small budget or the low ambitions of the filmmakers (I'm leaning more towards the former, because this is Del Toro), 'Hellboy' shows exactly the kind of restraint a movie like this needs. It doesn't focus on spectacles (although the make-up is stellar). Instead, 'Hellboy' is about the characters, with as much going on internally as there is externally. Perlman's performance in particular grounds the film rather than alienating the viewer, resulting in a film that is nearly flawless in its completion and a joy to watch.