...moves with the virile grace of a prizefighter.
Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)
Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and some language.
Theatrical Release: Jul 11, 2008 Wide
Box Office: $52,534,295
Synopsis: With a signature blend of action, humor and character-based spectacle, the saga of the world's toughest, kitten-loving hero from Hell continues to unfold in Hellboy 2: The Golden Army. Bigger muscle, badder weapons and more ungodly villains arrive in an epic vision of imagination from... With a signature blend of action, humor and character-based spectacle, the saga of the world's toughest, kitten-loving hero from Hell continues to unfold in Hellboy 2: The Golden Army. Bigger muscle, badder weapons and more ungodly villains arrive in an epic vision of imagination from Oscar®-nominated director Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy). After an ancient truce existing between humankind and the invisible realm of the fantastic is broken, hell on Earth is ready to erupt. A ruthless leader who treads the world above and the one below defies his bloodline and awakens an unstoppable army of creatures. Now, it's up to the planet's toughest, roughest superhero to battle the merciless dictator and his marauders. He may be red. He may be horned. He may be misunderstood. But when you need the job done right, it's time to call in Hellboy (Ron Perlman). Along with his expanding team in the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Development--pyrokinetic girlfriend Liz (Selma Blair), aquatic empath Abe (Doug Jones) and protoplasmic mystic Johann--the BPRD will travel between the surface strata and the unseen magical one, where creatures of fantasy become corporeal. And Hellboy, a creature of two worlds who's accepted by neither, must choose between the life he knows and an unknown destiny that beckons him. -- © Universal Pictures [More]
Genre: Action/Adventure
Starring: Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones, Luke Goss
Screenwriter: Guillermo Del Toro
Story: Guillermo Del Toro, Mike Mignola
Producer: Lawrence Gordon, Lloyd Levin, Mike Richardson
Composer: Danny Elfman
Reviews
Del Toro seems to use this movie as batting practice for The Hobbit.
Hellboy II: The Golden Army is not a sequel that soars to new heights, but it does slip into a nice summer-movie comfort zone . . .
Further proof that franchises' second films can be better than the first. This one tops the original in a number of ways, not the least of which is its creative inventiveness.
Brimming with inventive monsters and sets straight out of a fairy tale. Albeit an especially vicious one that would put most kids back into Huggies, but a fairy tale all the same.
Despite my complaints, this is one gargantuan action film that succeeds in creating an entertaining fantasy universe.
Surprisingly rich entertainment, even takes on well known series: Star Wars, LOTR, & Die Hard; framed squarely within a sub-par opening and weak ending. Still, I liked it!
The most likely response is, with a shrug of the shoulders, 'Yeah, that was great... Can't wait for Dark Night.'
Hellboy II, like the recent Chronicles of Narnia sequel, sacrifices story and character on the altar of action, effects and underwhelming creatures.
Del Toro's compositions are dense with effects and background creatures, and he clearly sympathizes with the misfits and monsters who are weary of humankind's greed and ecological destructiveness; yet the movie is light on its feet and generous of spirit.
The film itself is lovely, a breathless feast of fantasy anchored by an authentic humanism.
The fact that the setup works for a second round can be attributed Perlman's ability to juggle brash enthusiasm with hardened sarcasm.
Combines arresting visuals, rounded characters and plenty of action.
The Golden Army's insultingly simplistic cast of a thousand Bosch and Star Wars creatures distracts from the identity-crisis that ought to be the point of a second installment and a larger vision.
While this sequel to the 2004 feature doesn't lack for visual wonders, it's utterly clumsy in the storytelling department, a genuine shock given del Toro's usual ability to spin a tall tale.
Here's a comic-book movie with a heart, a soul, a brain and a personality of its own -- as personal in its own way as del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth.
Guillermo Del Toro's love for creature features comes through, but his story is uncomfortably rote in this visually dynamic comic book sequel.
Go to the movies long enough and you'll eventually find yourself rooting for a blood red, horned monster-man from hell.
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Hellboy II: The Golden Army at IGN
Hellboy II: The Golden Army at AskMen



