Hellboy starts out by taking us to the end of World War II, and in a last ditch effort the Nazi's have turned to black magic to hopefully turn the tide of the war back in their favor. Allied forces however, are able to stop the Nazi's before they can do serious issues with opening a portal, but not before a baby demon comes through. Hellboy is raised in the U.S. in a secret government facility where he has chosen in adulthood to fight against evil in the world. While this was a lesser known comic book to me, I think the dark aspect of a superhero type character is definitely a unique take. This was a movie that I did not get to see in theaters, but looking back I wish I would have because it would have been great to see the action that takes place throughout the movie on the big screen. While as an adult Hellboy is working in conjunction with the U.S. government, hes goes about it in his own maverick way by constantly going against the rules that have been set up and established to keep him a secret to the outside world.
What worked best for me was the material that showed Hellboy, portrayed amazingly by Ron Pearlman, as just a regular guy with the maverick detective approach who just so happens to be part demon. Even though he is half demon, from what I have learned about the comics, and this is hinted at in the film particularly in the climax, is a continued nurture vs. nature "debate." I found this very interesting for a comic to hint to a "debate" that seems to be an interesting issues that intrigues most anyone. Hellboy was raised by humans, who were as normal as they could be being government agents in a bureau dedicated to the paranormal. So he has a large number of human-like quirks including: a love of old music, beer, cars, pancakes and chili which works to really endear this intimidating looking character to the audience that really makes it hard for the audience to remember that he is part demon as well.
Ron Pearlman does a great job in the role of Hellboy. He makes this character extremely likable to the audience, yet he still able to play the role with a slight gruffness that works perfectly with his dominating presence onscreen. The aspect as well that he brings is the cigar smoking, wise cracking detective characteristics feel so natural that you do not feel like Pearlman is forcing anything on you with who Hellboy truly is. Karel Roden in the role of Rasputin is such a perfect fit. Being the villain just worked perfectly. Roden was so immersed in his role that he just exuded an air of evil. When he was onscreen he commanded his presence with strength in the way that he was not outshining or not shining enough, but seemed to know that in order for his portrayal to be strong he needed to view those he was onscreen with as a partnership working to make the scene the best it can be. Selma Blair in the role of Liz Sherman does a great job as the woman who turns to fire when worked up. I just enjoyed that this "freak" in her own right was the love interest to Hellboy. Even though Blair's character looked like the complete opposite to Hellboy, her being the love interest worked. Blair gave a strong performance with a great range of emotions and characteristics. The audience is able to see almost through her the way she saw Hellboy, which in turn helps the audience see why she has an interest in Hellboy herself.
The CGI and special effects were spot on and really deliver to what is expected currently in a movie. Pearlman was a definite trooper to undergo all the makeup he had to put on every day. Yet the attention to detail on the makeup as well as the prosthetics worn were so flawless that Hellboy truly looked real and not like an actor in makeup. I was pleasantly surprised that even with the makeup the facial expressions still shone through perfectly. The pacing for Hellboy works so well. It moved well, didn't get stalled anywhere, and both the action and drama were moderated with smooth transitions, not to mention they wasted no time in getting right into the story and action.
Hellboy was a movie I greatly enjoyed. However for anyone to enjoy this movie I think there are a few things for any viewer to have a high opinion of Hellboy. First, you must have a taste for fantasy. Where the creators are not very concerned with making the material coherent with or plausible in the real world. Second, You have to not hate CGI creatures. The filmmakers really put in the time and attention to detail necessary to make the creatures feel like they were plausible and not hooky. Lastly, you have to enjoy your fantasy both very dark and humorous/sarcastic at the same time. Hellboy is constantly making smart remarks to other characters. The number of these criteria that you meet will determine how well you'll like Hellboy. I am giving Hellboy three and a half buckets of popcorn out of five. This is one that I have in the DVD collection and is always an enjoyable film to watch from time to time. It is most definitely worth the price to rent.
-The Movie Man
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