Review of Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008) by Josh G — 09 Apr 2012

The AV Club's Nathan Rabin writes: "Hellboy II can't help but feel slight following Pan's Labyrinth, but that's part of its charm.

I disagree completely. The problem with Pan's Labyrinth, although it is perhaps THE movie that gave del Toro a name, is that it is ridiculously simplistic despite the beauty of the images. It's like del Toro's version of one of those Pixar shorts -- fun, sure, but mostly intended as an exercise in design.

Hellboy II shows that del Toro has more up his sleeves than beautiful creatures and sets. That's not to say that there aren't breath-taking beings inhabiting this world, or that there aren't fantastic buildings that seem to go on forever. Au contraire, there are tons. But there's so much more to this movie than there was to Pan's Labyrinth. There's realistic characters, humor, a stronger story with conflicting driving forces, and a musical number. Basically, this movie is everything the other movie is not. Scenes like the freeze-frame ending, Hellboy's slow-motion fall from a building, and the blue blood on the camera (which I've got a hunch is a reference to Children of Men) show how much fun the filmmakers are having with the movie, making this quite the visual treat.

Many critics have compared the movie to Star Wars, especially a scene in the Troll Market, which is populated with every sort of strange creature you can dream up. With that in mind, I couldn't help feeling that Hellboy II is everything that the Star Wars prequels SHOULD have been, but weren't. It's spectacular.

I'm impressed. Although the first movie was enjoyable, it didn't really do much for me. The sequel is superior, by far.