Review of Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008) by Filipeneto — 07 Jun 2020

This film is the long-awaited sequel to "Hellboy", based on a comic and made in the wake of the fashion of comic-based films that has been a trend in the movies. The film continues the story of the son of Lucifer who came to live among us and defends humans from the dangers of the supernatural world. In this film, he is eager to feel recognized for his efforts, but his work and his very existence remain secret. However, he will have to prevent a war between humans and beings from the supernatural world, who want to control the legendary Golden Army.

The script is the weakness of this film. To begin with, the story told is so imaginative that it becomes absurd and difficult to swallow. There are several notable holes in the plot, which can be easily shattered if you think about it. The usual clichés in adventure blockbuster are quite evident as well. But even if we are willing to accept the story told as it is, there is a void of content behind all the visual style of Del Toro and all the CGI that millions of Hollywood can afford.

The cast is good, much of it was inherited from the first film and does its job without blemish. Perlman is the highlight thanks to his talent and his chameleonic ability to transform himself into whatever he wants, film after film. The problem is that he brings little new to his character here, limiting himself to recycling the work done in the first film. Selma Blair has gained more visibility than she previously had and has done a positive job, especially when she plays with Perlman. Anna Walton is good enough but she doesn't have the space to do much. Doug Jones is a good joker able to do almost anything competently. John Alexander did a good performance too. On the other hand, Luke Goss is a villain who neither scares nor intimidates and Jeffrey Tambor has little to add to the film's positive. Finally, John Hurt's interesting cameo of honor.

Technically, the film is superb. In fact, Del Toro is a master at loading his films with a unique and striking visual style. Personally, I highlight a cinematography that uses contrast, light and shadow, intense colors and urban landscapes, and the very careful characterization of supernatural characters. In fact, the film was even nominated for the Oscar for Best Characterization, which is quite fair. The sets and costumes, as well as the choice of filming locations, are not far behind. The visual, special and sound effects are superb, and the soundtrack is discreet, but contains an excellent version of the song "Can't Smile Without You". It is really a pity that the script did not follow all this technical quality.