Review of "Hellboy" (2004)
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He's 7' tall, has horns growing from his noggin, a samurai hairdo accented with mutton chops, a soul patch, and a brick-red hide so sunburned he looks like he's been vacationing in, well... Hell. I should mention he's also got an outsized stone fist, a long, dexterous tail and lives with about 100 cats. Try writing a personals ad for that guy.
His name is Hellboy (Ron Perlman) and he was born in the fiery depths of you-know-where. In 1944 as a tiny Hellbaby, he's brought to our world through a portal of evil opened by Rasputin (Karel Roden) and two of his Nazi buddies, but before they can get their hands on him he is rescued by the benevolent Dr. Broom (John Hurt). Reared in Broom's Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (BPRD), Hellboy grows up with some other "special kids" -- such as the aquaman-like creature Abe Sapien (embodied by Doug Jones, voiced by David Hyde Pierce), and Liz Sherman (Selma Blair), a telekinetic fire-starter. As they've grown up, the superheroes have had to try and come to terms with the fantastic powers that prove time and again to be both a blessing and a curse. Enter Agent Myers (Rupert Evans), the young and earnest FBI agent who soon becomes Hellboy's rival for Liz's affections. On top of all this angst is the fact that Rasputin and his henchmen haven't given up on having Hellboy for themselves -- to attract his attention and lure him out, they unleash a horrible self-resurrecting hellhound who is beyond indestructible. The creature is like the a pesky gray hair -- you pluck one, and two more grow in its place.
As directed by longtime fan of the Hellboy comic book series, Guillermo del Toro, the story moves right along with plenty of in-your-face-action, tempered with getting-to-know-you character interplay. The action sequences are not especially unique and the CG work is rather uneven (the Hellbaby reminded me, most unfavorably, of that stupid little monkey in Lost In Space), so it's the characters and the soulful little moments that draw you in and help you go with the fantastical set up and impossible battles. There are some touching scenes with Hellboy which help to humanize him: he rescues a litter of kittens from the monster; he stops traffic to save the life of Myers; he uses his superpowers for some silly things, like nicking a six-pack of beer; and he loves chocolate.
Perlman is the perfect personification of the wisecracking yet wistful Hellboy. Despite the heavy prosthetic makeup, it's impossible to imagine another actor in the role; the life-experience and the pathos shine brilliantly and intently from the actor's eyes and when he walks in our world he becomes a living, breathing part of it. The incomparable Hurt, as Hellboy's surrogate dad, shows you how it must feel to imperil the creatures he loves yet must employ to fight evil. (Broom's BPRD, sort of a Talamasca-meets-Men in Black, has a motto: "There are things that go bump in the night -- and we're the ones who bump back!") All of the characters are well-drawn, even if the bad guys' motives are a bit sketchy. I guess they're just bad guys who want to rule the world because they can.
The monsters are suitably scary, pushing the horror elements just slightly ahead of the science fiction and fantasy aspect of the story. Although the many deaths are P-13 friendly and almost completely bloodless, the Lovecraftian "Sammael" hellhound is something you wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley (or even a well-lit one, for that matter). Kroenen, an undead Nazi Ninja with a very bad attitude and a talent for blades surpassing any Benihana chef, proves to be more than a handful for the sardonic superhero and his friends.
All in all, Hellboy is an above-average comic book movie with just a little extra for the "thinking" horror fan. Del Toro's distinctive stamp of texture and undercurrents are all over this movie, so if you like it be sure and see it more than once. You're in for a helluva good time.
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Review by Staci Layne Wilson for Horror.com
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