With all pro's and con's tallied, Hellboy stands as a durable popcorn entertainment with definite potential to become a franchise.
Hellboy (2004)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:190
Fresh:153
Rotten:37
Average Rating:6.8/10
Consensus: Hellboy is pretty derivative, but there's enough wit and humor here to keep it entertaining.
Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for sci-fi action violence and frightening images
Runtime: 2 hrs 12 mins
Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy
Theatrical Release:Apr 2, 2004 Wide
Box Office: $59,035,104
Synopsis: Based on the comic book series by Mike Mignola, Guillermo del Toro's gleefully eccentric film follows the supernatural adventures of Hellboy (Ron Perlman), a cigar-chomping, horn-filing demonic... Based on the comic book series by Mike Mignola, Guillermo del Toro's gleefully eccentric film follows the supernatural adventures of Hellboy (Ron Perlman), a cigar-chomping, horn-filing demonic hero enlisted by an occult scholar (John Hurt) to fight evil in the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense. Along with the fire-throwing Liz Sherman (Selma Blair) and the amphibious psychic Abe Sapien (Doug Jones, with the voice of David Hyde Pierce), Hellboy is joined by new recruit John Myers (Rupert Evans), a squeaky-clean FBI agent assigned to keep the big red devil's exploits in check. Things get out of hand, however, when a vicious monster is unleashed by the villainous Rasputin (Karl Roden), leading to events that may set off an apocalyptic nightmare for humanity. Echoing Peter Jackson's passion for THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy, HELLBOY is a labor of love from del Toro, a longtime fan of the comic and its creator. The director's enthusiasm shows, since HELLBOY is a wondrously strange slice of pulpy adventure, mixed with horror and humor, and enhanced by stunning visual effects. In the title role (and lots of red makeup), Perlman is pitch-perfect, giving the good-natured misfit a powerful--yet surprisingly sensitive--presence. Blair, Evans, Hurt, and other actors are similarly well cast, rounding out an ensemble intent on retaining the movie's dark yet superbly entertaining tone. [More]
Starring: Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Rupert Evans, John Hurt
Starring: Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Rupert Evans, John Hurt, Jeffrey Tambor, Karel Roden, Doug Jones, David Hyde Pierce, Corey Johnson
Director: Guillermo Del Toro
Director: Guillermo Del Toro
Screenwriter: Guillermo Del Toro
Story: Peter Briggs
Producer: Lawrence Gordon, Mike Richardson, Lloyd Levin
Composer: Marco Beltrami
Studio: Columbia Pictures
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Release:
Aug 4, 2009
DVD Features:
- Region 0
- Keep Case
- Anamorphic Widescreen - 1.85
Audio:
- Dolby Digital 5.1 - English, French
- Subtitles - English, French
Features:
- 1. Branching DVD Comics Drawn By Mike Mignola,with all new expanded text from Guillermo Del Toro
- 2. Video Introduction By Guillermo Del Toro
- 3. Cast Video Commentary with Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Jeffrey Tambor And Rupert Evans
- 4. Creator Commentary: Guillermo Del Toro & Mike Mignola
Reviews for Hellboy
Eat your heart out, Hulk; watch your back, Spider-Man. Hellboy promises to heat up the superhero competition.
I've seen bad superhero movies before. This is not a bad superhero movie. Enjoy.
This is the kind of movie you watch for its aura, for its appealing characters, for its marvelously sustained seriocomic romantic mood.
A wonderfully pulpy thrill ride full of awesome computer-generated and make-up effects.
The film hits its stride in all the moments where del Toro forgets about his silly hocus-pocus Apocalypse and lets his heroes interact and grow.
Somehow del Toro gives the movie unexpected rhythm and spirit; don't be surprised if you get caught up in this weirdly affecting tale...
This superhero character would seem to confirm the oft held view that we are molded by our environment.
Del Toro moves his story along with unrelenting energy and wit while introducing the opposing parties with admirable efficiency.
Comic book fans are sure to be delighted by Hellboy, Guillermo del Toro's surprisingly smart, graphically faithful live-action adaptation of the Mike Mignola series.
[Hellboy] is gloomily gorgeous, but its tone careens recklessly between light comedy and dark portentousness and the character relationships suffer.
[del Toro] doesn't quite knock it out of the park like X2 or Spider-Man, but that's not because of a weak swing.
If you don't normally go to films where the lead characters look like giant Pez dispensers, the slogging fights of Hellboy may seem like purgatory. But there's enough going on in between the big action sequences to save the movie from mediocrity.
It's a movie for people (the guy kind) who can't stop turning the pages of comic books, who want life to be serialized.
Hellboy is at its best in the first half. That's when we get to watch him in action. But director Guillermo del Toro ultimately allows the film to run out of steam.
The whole movie rides on whether Del Toro and Perlman can make Hellboy into a character worth watching, and they do.
While the character of Hellboy is entertaining, the film in which he appears is largely an exploitative jumble.
Latest News for Hellboy
April 22, 2009:
Ron Perlman Talks Hellboy III, Bubba Nosferatu ![]()
We know Guillermo del Toro is wrapped up in "The Hobbit" for the next few years, but could a third "Hellboy" come together without his direct participation? Not if Ron Perlman... More...
April 21, 2009:
Five Favorite Films with Ron Perlman
While he's become best known for portraying a red, horned antihero in Guillermo del Toro's popular comic book adaptations Hellboy and Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Ron Perlman... More...
November 14, 2008:
Five Favorite Films with Guillermo del Toro
RT caught up with Hellboy II director Guillermo del Toro at the DVD/Blu-ray Launch Event for Hellboy II: The Golden Army, where the celebrated fantasy auteur shared his favorite... More...
November 12, 2008:
Five Favorite Films with Hellboy's Mike Mignola
RT speaks with Hellboy comics creator Mike Mignola to learn his Five Favorite Films of all time, which appropriately span the cinematic landscape where art meets horror. More...
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