Customer Reviews

Hellboy II: The Golden Army (Full Screen Edition)

5 star:		(122)
4 star:		(63)
3 star:		(27)
2 star:		(19)
1 star:		(19)

 

 

You know you're not watching a formulaic comic book film when one of the highlights is a drunken rendition of "Can't Smile Without You" by Hellboy and Abe Sapien. "Hellboy II: The Golden Army" is a more confident, assured outing than the first film and while it does not draw from Mignola's comics for its plot it is perhaps better off for it, lacking the usual burden of comparison and expectations. "The Golden Army" is more fantastical than the first film and is less sci-fi oriented but this is the sort of thing Del Toro does exceptionally well as a writer. He never lets the fantasy become the focus of the film, instead concentrating on characters and delivering action scenes that can only be described as, forgive the crass immaturity, kickass.

As entertaining as many comic book-to-film adaptations are it is a rare event when one can call one of these films a true artistic achievement. I am convinced without a shadow of a doubt that Guillermo Del Toro's entire career has been leading up to this film, particularly regarding his work as screenwriter here. The comedy feels less forced and is worked incredibly well into the script here, so much so that it doesn't feel remotely unnatural when the scene of comic drunken singing leads directly without a break into one of the film's most intensely dramatic sequences. Del Toro's handling of character has never been better, not even with "The Devil's Backbone", which is still my favorite of his films, and his sheer skill and ability when it comes to telling a fairytale-esquire fantasy is astonishing, as proved in the prologue to this film. In short this is Del Toro at the top of his game and providing artistry the likes of which we rarely if ever see in summer blockbusters. It's only fair that an astonishingly brilliant comic like "Hellboy" by an astonishingly brilliant artist like Mike Mignola is adapted this well and by someone as talented at what they do as he is.

How refreshing it is, a week after the release of "Hancock", which to me epitomizes everything wrong with action film-making today, that we get "The Golden Army" which features hands down some of the finest action scenes we have ever seen in this sort of film. Just stunningly beautiful, well-shot, well-crafted, the sort of thing that leaves one wondering how much time and effort went into it and endlessly thankful that some really talented people went to the trouble of making the film.

The film is generally just superb on a technical level. Why am I even saying this? Of course it is. Danny Elfman composing, Guillermo Navarro serving as cinematographer, top-notch editors, fantastic special effects wizards. It's a world-class crew that made this film. I shouldn't be surprised at its quality but "The Golden Army" really just floored and astonished me with how good it is. The cast is also excellent, proving once again that you don't need 'big names' to carry a movie. Just about everyone here is excellent, particularly Perlman with another excellent turn as Hellboy and the underrated Selma Blair as Liz Sherman.

"Hellboy II: The Golden Army" provides essentially everything a Del Toro or Mignola fan would want. I imagine it will entertain and charm many outside those circles as well with its fantastic action sequences, engaging characters, and wonderful sense of humor. I would personally go as far as calling "Hellboy II: The Golden Army" one of the top five or so comic book movies ever made.

Guillermo Del Toro has become the new master of dark fantasy -- first with the quirky clockpunk "Hellboy," then with the Oscar-winning "Pan's Labyrinth." Not to mention forthcoming travels to Middle-Earth.

So you know he has the skills to pit Mike Mignola's scarlet anti-hero against an army of fairies and elves, and not make it silly. Instead, it's a spectacular dark fantasy full of humor, action, quirky appeal, romance, and some truly astounding special effects. But what really shoves this movie over the top is Del Toro's brilliant direction, and the stunning performance by Ron Perlman.

Decades ago, Professor Broom (William Hurt) told a small Hellboy a yuletide bedtime story about the Elf King Balor and his unstoppable Golden Army, and how the crown that controls the Army was split into thirds and divided among fairies and humans.

Well, you can't really expect that kind of power to never be revived.

Cut to current day. Hellboy (Perlman), Liz (Selma Blair) and Abe (Doug Jones) investigate a strange supernatural attack on an auction house, where the archeological curiosity known as the Crown of Bethmoora was being sold -- only to be attacked by savage tooth fairies. Turns out the crown was stolen by Prince Nuada (Luke Goss), a resentful young elf who is determined to take the world back from humanity -- using, of course, the Golden Army.

And while Hellboy chafes against strict new commander Johann Krauss (a suit filled with ectoplasm), Abe encounters Nuada's sister, Princess Nuala -- who also happens to have the last third of the crown. But Nuada will not allow anyone to oppose him as he searches for the Golden Army's location, and Hellboy and his friends must venture into a strange, ancient kingdom to stop him from destroying all of humanity.

The worst you can say about "Hellboy II: The Golden Army" is that it sticks to the formula of the demonic outsider with a dark destiny, and his continuing romantic woes. There's some retreading as Hellboy realizes anew that he'll never fit into the world of humans, because he's big and red and has horns and a tail. Okay, we got it. Next big psychological issue!

Fortunately those flaws are relatively minor ones. Del Toro is still able to spin a dark, twisted story with some truly bizarre creatures (the utterly alien, eye-winged Angel of Death), clockpunk robots, trippy underground goblin markets and a new BPRD agent who is basically ectoplasm in a suit. And for the action scenes, Del Toro does not pull punches when it comes to the smashing action scenes -- giant thrashing vines and a one-on-one duel with Nuada are among the highlights.

With all this going on, it would be easy to neglect the characters. But Del Toro packs the script with solid snappy dialogue and some poignantly romantic moments -- including some pretty startling actions from dear ol' Abe. And he also adds little moments to this epic story that remind us that these are supposed to be people -- such as Hellboy's bickering with Krauss, or Abe and Hellboy getting drunk and having a little Manilow singalong together. It's just so cute.

But what really sets this movie apart is the "children of the Earth." No flitting Victorian sprites -- these are creatures that are weird, grotesque, dangerous and immensely powerful, from nasty little tooth fairies up to vast rock monsters and plant gods. There's an alien, bizarre aesthetic to these creatures that feels wholly real, as if Neil Gaiman casually dropped a few sketches onto the drawing board.

But as amazing as the visuals are, Del Toro never neglects the characters. Perlman is perfect for the role of "big Red" -- he's gruff, sarcastic, moody, but also endearing and self-deprecatingly likable. There are more hints of his potentially dark future, and he faces some delicately-handed temptations. But Big Red's good heart is still very much in the forefront, no matter how much human beings fear him.

Blair gives a more lively performance here as a spunkier Liz, who also has some surprising developments in store. Jones is pitch-perfect as the fish-man, who experiences the first pangs of young love for Nuala, while Goss gives a chilling, whispery performance as a rebel prince who is willing to do whatever it takes -- even kill family -- if it helps him restore the fey kingdom. Pretty good villain, since he clearly isn't trying to be bad.

There's also loads of extras in this particular edition of the movie -- feature commentary with director Guillermo Del Toro, Jeffrey Tambor, Selma Blair and Luke Goss, as well as some deleted scenes also with commentary with Del Toro, a prologue to the movie, a digital script, image gallery, a "Puppet Theatre" for the opening sequences of the film, concept art, interviews, and other such stuff. Also making-of documentaries -- seven mini-documentaries that visit the set, the "Troll Market Tour" in the movie's most memorable "faerie" setting, and the two-hour "Hellboy: In Service Of The Demon." Basically, it turns the film inside-out and lets you examine its guts.

"Hellboy II: The Golden Army" is a wild, darkly ornate ride through the world of half-forgotten gods and fey. While it has a few flaws, those are far outweighed by the brilliant of Del Toro's vision.

Outside of Ron Perlman's bravo performance as the title character, Hellboy, in the first film, what wowed me the most (as I stated in my previous Amazon review) was the deeply theological and emotional subtexts of that film. As much as I loved Ron Perlman's even more bravo performance in "The Golden Army", it took me a while to clue into the fact that some of the deepest subtexts in this second movie are a bit different than the first film.

I don't wish to indulge in any real spoilers this early in the game, but this new film has exchanged the theological subtext for a psychological one that is just as deep.

In the first film, the question was one of what made Hellboy a truly 'human' character. The answer was the right to choice based on free will. In this new film, the related question is whether or not Hellboy can ever truly fit in and should he even try. "The Golden Army", with the beneficial switch to Universal Pictures, makes a clever connection between Hellboy and Boris Karloff in "Bride of Frankenstein". Mr. Karloff's little cameo appearance as Frankenstein on one of Hellboy's many television sets in a significant scene with Elsa Lanchester as the titular Bride nails that subtext in just a few brief moments of film time in a way that a lot of surface action in the film never could have.

The father/son subtext of the first film is still here, but buried even more deeply as John Hurt's character of Hellboy's adoptive father, Trevor Bruttenholm, was murdered in the first film. We are reminded of his character by a cameo appearance of John Hurt as Trevor 'Broom' in a flashback to Hellboy's younger years; but hasn't anyone ever told Guillermo del Toro that, in the original comics, an eleven-year-old Hellboy would nowhere be as small as the character is portrayed in this flashback. In the original comics, once he get past ten years old, Hellboy is almost full grown physically, if not emotionally mature.

Yet, there is a further connection in the new film to that father/son subtext of the original film. It's too bad that it is one that will probably pass right over the heads of that portion of the audience who haven't see the first movie. In this second movie, both Hellboy and Prince Nuada are the sons of murdered fathers. Where the huge difference lies between these two characters is the identity of the villain who commited the murder.

Once again, we have a film of deep emotional, religious subtexts lurking under a fun, exciting, quip filled surface. Watch out for a drunken scene between Abe and Hellboy. I thought I'd die laughing; but it is those deeper subtexts that make me love Guillermo del Toro's "Hellboy" movies and I can't wait for the third installment.

Wow! I cannot wait for this DVD. I'm not going to go into the plot details. I just want to say that this was the most entertaining movie I saw this year. Mind you, The Dark Knight was a good epic film... one of the best. Iron Man was a good super hero adventure film. Hellboy II was in a world of it's own. It had humor, adventure, sci-fi, and a dash of romance all rolled up in this one film. It had a good mix of the original Hellboy and Pans Labrynth. As a comic book fan, I enjoyed the first Hellboy... didnt love it, but enjoyed it. Hellboy II takes it too a whole new level. But hey, mabe it was so good to me becuase my expectations were low... Nah. Again, I am one of those corny extreme Batman fans so I'm looking forward to watching the Dark Knight again and just adding it to my collection, but Hellboy II is going to be one of those DVD's I'm going to want to watch again and again with friends. Del Toro always does a good job on his special features, so I'm not worried about that. You have'nt seen this yet, just buy it... dont rent it. It is worth it.

The movie revolves around an ancient story of how the human world and the elf/magic world were at war. The Elf king builds a golden menchanical army to ward off the humans. Upon seeing this destruction the king makes a pact with them. He breaks his crown that controls the army into 3 pieces, giving 1 to the humans. His son disagrees and goes into exile. Fast forward to the present, the magic world is dying and man is thriving. Prince Nuada vows to restore his people by claiming all 3 pieces and reigniting the golden army. It's up to Hellboy and the rest of the BPRD to prevent the destruction of man!

Del Toro's sequel is rich in detail, amazing sets and strange creatures. Unfortunately, it doesn't surpass the sequel because it is alittle too campy at times. The visuals are stunning and the story compelling. The campiness doesn't hurt the movie and is a must own for Hellboy fans.

NOW FOR MY BLU RAY THOUGHTS: I can't rave enough about how beautiful this transfer is! Universal does it again. The golds, ambers, reds and blues are wonderful. The sound is rich and robust. All special features are ported over. FINAL VERDICT: UPGRADE WORTHY!

Guillermo Del Toro has become the new master of dark fantasy -- first with the quirky clockpunk "Hellboy," then with the Oscar-winning "Pan's Labyrinth." Not to mention forthcoming travels to Middle-Earth.

So you know he has the skills to pit Mike Mignola's scarlet anti-hero against an army of fairies and elves, and not make it silly. Instead, it's a spectacular dark fantasy full of humor, action, quirky appeal, romance, and some truly astounding special effects. But what really shoves this movie over the top is Del Toro's brilliant direction, and the stunning performance by Ron Perlman.

Decades ago, Professor Broom (William Hurt) told a small Hellboy a yuletide bedtime story about the Elf King Balor and his unstoppable Golden Army, and how the crown that controls the Army was split into thirds and divided among fairies and humans.

Well, you can't really expect that kind of power to never be revived.

Cut to current day. Hellboy (Perlman), Liz (Selma Blair) and Abe (Doug Jones) investigate a strange supernatural attack on an auction house, where the archeological curiosity known as the Crown of Bethmoora was being sold -- only to be attacked by savage tooth fairies. Turns out the crown was stolen by Prince Nuada (Luke Goss), a resentful young elf who is determined to take the world back from humanity -- using, of course, the Golden Army.

And while Hellboy chafes against strict new commander Johann Krauss (a suit filled with ectoplasm), Abe encounters Nuada's sister, Princess Nuala -- who also happens to have the last third of the crown. But Nuada will not allow anyone to oppose him as he searches for the Golden Army's location, and Hellboy and his friends must venture into a strange, ancient kingdom to stop him from destroying all of humanity.

The worst you can say about "Hellboy II: The Golden Army" is that it sticks to the formula of the demonic outsider with a dark destiny, and his continuing romantic woes. There's some retreading as Hellboy realizes anew that he'll never fit into the world of humans, because he's big and red and has horns and a tail. Okay, we got it. Next big psychological issue!

Fortunately those flaws are relatively minor ones. Del Toro is still able to spin a dark, twisted story with some truly bizarre creatures (the utterly alien, eye-winged Angel of Death), clockpunk robots, trippy underground goblin markets and a new BPRD agent who is basically ectoplasm in a suit. And for the action scenes, Del Toro does not pull punches when it comes to the smashing action scenes -- giant thrashing vines and a one-on-one duel with Nuada are among the highlights.

With all this going on, it would be easy to neglect the characters. But Del Toro packs the script with solid snappy dialogue and some poignantly romantic moments -- including some pretty startling actions from dear ol' Abe. And he also adds little moments to this epic story that remind us that these are supposed to be people -- such as Hellboy's bickering with Krauss, or Abe and Hellboy getting drunk and having a little Manilow singalong together. It's just so cute.

But what really sets this movie apart is the "children of the Earth." No flitting Victorian sprites -- these are creatures that are weird, grotesque, dangerous and immensely powerful, from nasty little tooth fairies up to vast rock monsters and plant gods. There's an alien, bizarre aesthetic to these creatures that feels wholly real, as if Neil Gaiman casually dropped a few sketches onto the drawing board.

But as amazing as the visuals are, Del Toro never neglects the characters. Perlman is perfect for the role of "big Red" -- he's gruff, sarcastic, moody, but also endearing and self-deprecatingly likable. There are more hints of his potentially dark future, and he faces some delicately-handed temptations. But Big Red's good heart is still very much in the forefront, no matter how much human beings fear him.

Blair gives a more lively performance here as a spunkier Liz, who also has some surprising developments in store. Jones is pitch-perfect as the fish-man, who experiences the first pangs of young love for Nuala, while Goss gives a chilling, whispery performance as a rebel prince who is willing to do whatever it takes -- even kill family -- if it helps him restore the fey kingdom. Pretty good villain, since he clearly isn't trying to be bad.

There's also loads of extras in this particular edition of the movie -- feature commentary with director Guillermo Del Toro, Jeffrey Tambor, Selma Blair and Luke Goss, as well as some deleted scenes also with commentary with Del Toro, a prologue to the movie, a digital script, image gallery, a "Puppet Theatre" for the opening sequences of the film, concept art, interviews, and other such stuff. Also making-of documentaries -- seven mini-documentaries that visit the set, the "Troll Market Tour" in the movie's most memorable "faerie" setting, and the two-hour "Hellboy: In Service Of The Demon."

As if that wasn't dizzying enough, the blu-ray edition has a bunch of EXTRA extra stuff, namely a bunch of interactive features -- backstories of the characters, a create-your-own-Hellboy-comic thingy, Director's Notebook, footage from the movie "Wanted," CGI rendering backstory, and loads more. I get tired just thinking about it.


"Hellboy II: The Golden Army" is a wild, darkly ornate ride through the world of half-forgotten gods and fey. While it has a few flaws, those are far outweighed by the brilliant of Del Toro's vision.

The Golden Army - an army made to keep humanity in check because humanity has a problem with consuming everything around it. Of elvish thought and goblin design, it has the power to do things that only the desperate - or a madman - would want. The elvish kind figure that out, split their toy up, and let the army rust. Unfortunately for humanity, rust is an arbitrary word and the Golden Army is something that never stopped being a threat. And when the powerplay begins to emerge, the BPRD are the only ones around that have the skills to stop it.

When I heard what the source material for the movie was, I knew the director/ Migola knew what they were doing BUT it frightened me a bit. I say that because Hellboy II was creatively based on a novelization between Christopher Golden and Mike Mignola and is not truly reflective of Hellboy. It had a good idea and some good creature-features but, in the end, the book was a mild disappointment. Fast-forward to the book and you saw what a good director could do with something that needed a golden (pardon the pun) touch. The toothfairies, Wink, the elemental, the goblin, the angel (if you want to understand that little beastie and what it says more, check out the backstory to Anung Un Rama and the way the beast was created. This takes place in a short story and highlights some lovely little things that a person should see for themselves to truly understand everything) and all the characters in-between. Happily, the casting has always been good, the direction is fabulous, and Hellboy is portrayed the way Hellboy should be portrayed.
This means that he thinks with his fist, has a gun the size of a small man, and is not really filled with a little thing called respect.

As far as what the movie offered, let me just say that it had a bit of everything. The action was quite good, the human (and I use human loosely) elements of the tale were fantastic, and the movie explored some more of what the BRPD is. They allowed viewers shapshots into the each person, into their likes and their wants, and they added a new character that translated oddly from book-to-movie but still translated well as a character. Ron is a perfect Hellboy, too, and he lets this shine in this new installment. In the part with the elemental you can see how much he is impacted, and in the fights with specific beings you can tell he doesn't want to hurt them. He wants to be liked by everyone and understands the plight of the things that "threaten" humanity. Del Toro adding that in made in amazing because that is one of Hellboy's things in the books - enough so that the BPRD and he really have some major problems.

If you like Hellboy and you want a movie on the subject, this is good work. I know there have been a lot of complaints here and there about certain aspects of the film, but Hellboy is a solid follow-up and fans of the novels/ the first movie will enjoy themselves. If you pay extra attention to the details involved you will find all sorts of good stuff hidden in the backdrop, allowing a peek at what Anung Un Rama is struggling with as a demon-made-human by his own choices. You can also see potential elements that could have ramifications for the world and everyone inhabiting it - I liked that a lot as well. Combine that with a LOT of extra (we even get a comic that moves about to keep the ADD watchers in us sated), and you have a second helping that explores what the first movie could only build.
Highly beloved.

The big red man known as Hellboy (Ron Perlman) with his fellow B.P.R.D. member Abe Sapien (Doug Jones) and girlfriend Liz Sherman (Selma Blair) returns for more monster hunting. This time an evil Elf prince named Nauda (Luke Gross) who lives in the underworld where fairies and other magical beings rule as he has murdered his father and has obtains two special parts of a magical crown to control an ancient army of warriors called The Golden Army who has been said to be industructable beings. His twin sister Princess Nuala (Anna Walton) has the final piece as she runs away with it to hide the object before he can get his hands on it. The Bearau Of Paranormal Research and Defense leaded by Agent Manning (Jeffery Tambor) with new ectoplasmic spirit creature recruit Dr. Johann Kruass (Voiced by Seth McFarland and played by John Alexander) all join forces with Hellboy, Liz and Abe to investigate the bizarre incidents that occurred in the city of New York. Once they discover a mystical underworld of magic, that's when the battle between good and evil begins as Big Red himself must stop the evil prince before humanity is lost.

A grand and spectacular follow-up to Guillermo Del Toro's brilliant and underrated instant cult horror fantasy comedy adventure "Hellboy" manages to succeeded more then the original. The man who brought you the modern masterpiece "Pan's Labyrinth" Del Toro who co-wrote, produced and directed this movie has delivered another fine film is his as he's now one of the most visionary directors in recent memory. The storyline is quite good including the acting, there's a good sense of humor like the memorable Hellboy singing along to Barry Manillow while being drunk scene. An excellent mix of puppetry, CGI and make-up effects for the imaginative creatures in this feature, a very cool prologue featuring a young Hellboy with a cameo by John Hurt and of course some heart with a moral about power & self-sacrifice with the power of love. The action sequences are also outstanding to go along with this film, now here's a rare sequel that can surpass the original and any fan of fantasy, action, horror and even the comics would enjoy this movie.

This 2-disc Blu-Ray is outstanding stuff as it features mind-blowing picture and sound that will blow you away. The Extras are incredible such as the Blu-Ray exclusive U-Control features like Concept art Gallery to view the art during the movie, Director's Notebook as it tells Del Toro notebook with sketches, notes and inteviews including Behind The Scenes tour through the Hellboy 2 set during the movie as it also views alternate takes from the movie and more stuff. There's also an Scene Explorer Google View that explore on-screen action from four different Perspectives with this multi-angel feature. There's also a two hour look at the making of Hellboy 2 called "Hellboy: In Service of the Demon", Deleted scenes with optional director commmentary, BD-Live Features including share your own comic book as you can build, publish and send your friends on BD-Live scenes from the movie as a comic, cTroll Market tour with Del Toro, Epilogue Animated Comic, disc 2 intro, DVD-Rom: Script, Print gallery and Poster Explorations galleries.

Outside of Ron Perlman's bravo performance as the title character, Hellboy, in the first film, what wowed me the most (as I stated in my previous Amazon review) was the deeply theological and emotional subtexts of that film. As much as I loved Ron Perlman's even more bravo performance in "The Golden Army", it took me a while to clue into the fact that some of the deepest subtexts in this second movie are a bit different than the first film.

I don't wish to indulge in any real spoilers this early in the game, but this new film has exchanged the theological subtext for a psychological one that is just as deep.

In the first film, the question was one of what made Hellboy a truly 'human' character. The answer was the right to choice based on free will. In this new film, the related question is whether or not Hellboy can ever truly fit in and should he even try. "The Golden Army", with the beneficial switch to Universal Pictures, makes a clever connection between Hellboy and Boris Karloff in "Bride of Frankenstein". Mr. Karloff's little cameo appearance as Frankenstein on one of Hellboy's many television sets in a significant scene with Elsa Lanchester as the titular Bride nails that subtext in just a few brief moments of film time in a way that a lot of surface action in the film never could have.

The father/son subtext of the first film is still here, but buried even more deeply as John Hurt's character of Hellboy's adoptive father, Trevor Bruttenholm, was murdered in the first film. We are reminded of his character by a cameo appearance of John Hurt as Trevor 'Broom' in a flashback to Hellboy's younger years; but hasn't anyone ever told Guillermo del Toro that, in the original comics, an eleven-year-old Hellboy would nowhere be as small as the character is portrayed in this flashback. In the original comics, once he get past ten years old, Hellboy is almost full grown physically, if not emotionally mature.

Yet, there is a further connection in the new film to that father/son subtext of the original film. It's too bad that it is one that will probably pass right over the heads of that portion of the audience who haven't see the first movie. In this second movie, both Hellboy and Prince Nuada are the sons of murdered fathers. Where the huge difference lies between these two characters is the identity of the villain who commited the murder.

Once again, we have a film of deep emotional, religious subtexts lurking under a fun, exciting, quip filled surface. Watch out for a drunken scene between Abe and Hellboy. I thought I'd die laughing; but it is those deeper subtexts that make me love Guillermo del Toro's "Hellboy" movies and I can't wait for the third installment.

Hellboy 2 continues the story of Hellboy and his work with a paranormal agency. He is still surrounded by friends and a new leader who reminds me of the Brain of Morbius from Doctor Who. What transpires during the film is a battle of the Earth between Humans and Elves/Goblins/Ogres/Trolls, and Humans are almost wiped out by the Elves Golden Army of giant robots. But in a moment of compassion the King of the Elves decides to not finish off the remaining Humans and calls a truce that Humans may build their cities but leave the forests to the Elves and Trolls. Years pass and humans have forgotting the truce and have taking over to much of the Elves and Trolls land. The prince of the Elves has decided his Father is to weak to do anything about the Humans and decides it's time to wake the Golden Army again.
Filled with tons of action and a mean twist on what it is like to be different, Hellboy 2 delivers the goods.
Also included are the following special features: 6 deleted scenes, Troll Market Tour, Commentary, set visits and an epilogue animated comic.