Hellboy II: The Golden Army

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Horrorphile - August 2008

Hellboy II: The Golden Army

August 19th 2008 05:06

I’m not familiar with the graphic novel created by Mike Mignola, and I had trouble with the first Hellboy (2004); I found it wildly uneven in tone, and several of the characters really annoyed me. At the time I saw the movie I wasn’t as accepting of director Guillermo del Toro’s unique blending of comedy and action, pathos and irony.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008) is again screen-written and directed by Guillermo del Toro, with a story conceived by creator Mignola and del Toro. It’s a spectacular visual and aural assault on the senses and I can safely say is a superior movie to the original, which makes it a rare beast indeed.

Ron Perlman is Hellboy

The movie opens in 1955 with a young Hellboy being read a bedtime story by Professor Bruttenholm (the always bankable John Hurt) which tells of a mythical war between the humans and the people of the mystical realm. King Balor, leader of the magic elfin race, had a magical Golden Army created; huge mechanical soldiers that will obey whomever (of royal blood) wears the crown. A truce was called between the warring factors. As a peace offering, Balor shattered his crown and gave one piece to the humans, and kept two for himself. One of the few who did not agree with the truce was Balor's son, Prince Nuada. The Prince went into exile, vowing to return when his people needed him. And so the Golden Army lay dormant.

Selma Blair as Liz

Present day Manhattan and Prince Nuada (Luke Goss, yes that Luke Goss) is under the city brandishing his lethal sword, ready to seize the moment, his troll-like bodyguard Wink (Brian Steele) waiting in the shadows. And seize he does: at a nearby artifacts auction house the fragments of the crown are up for grabs, and the albino prince enters the scene and lets all manner of nightmarish monstrousness loose as he steals back what is rightfully his.

Luke Goss as Prince Nuada

Anna Walton as Princess Nuala

The Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense are called in, but Agent Tom Manning (Jeffrey Tambor) wants to make sure Hellboy (the incomparable Ron Perlman) remains discrete. Discrete is a foreign word to Hellboy. It doesn’t help that his relationship with pyrotechnic Liz (Selma Blair) is tense. Still, along with Abe Sapien (Doug Jones) and Liz, Hellboy aka Red manages to contain the situation … just. Prince Nuada is relentless in wanting to let loose The Golden Army, and his rival twin, Princess Nuala (Anna Walton), has the third segment to the crown.

Doug Jones as Abe Sapien

James Dodd/John Alexander as Johann Krauss

Hellboy II is essentially a quest movie (anti-hero's journey), but told with awesome cinematic verve and invested with a ferocious imagination for all things supernatural and nightmarish. Forget The Golden Compass or The Chronicles of Narnia, The Golden Army is where the fairytale is at.

What I love about del Toro’s aesthetics is his passion for using, whenever possible, animatronics and prosthetic make-up. He does use CGI, and extensively, but only when it would be impossible to realise the desired effect with mechanical or make-up effects. His love of clockwork is strongly evident in Hellboy II; the automatons themselves are like giant humanoid cogs and wheels.

One of the Golden Army automatons

There is much within Hellboy II to compare it with his earlier audience and critic’s darling Pan’s Labyrinth (2006); the darker, broodier elements of mythology and fairytales, the outlandish, often grotesque, creatures and beasts. There are some truly startling designs in Hellboy II that one can only marvel at. To have the technology at your fingertips to conjure forth one’s own (bad) dreams must be a revelation for a maverick filmmaker like del Toro. All his films possess a vivid and memorable production design and ground-breaking special effects from Cronos to Mimic, Blade II to Hellboy II.

Brian Steele as Wink

The rich array of supporting characters in particular the peculiar, scene-stealing, Johann Krauss (played by two actors; James Dodd & John Alexander and voiced by a third Seth MacFarlane): a Germanic disembodied ectoplasmic spirit with psychic abilities who maintains a tangible form via an old-fashioned diver’s suit. There’s the awesome Elemental (Cloverfield eat yer heart out!) forest god, which doesn’t have any lines of dialogue, but boy, it makes its presence known. There’s the troll markets, del Toro’s own “Mos Eisley cantina”, and, of course, the Golden Army itself, which bookends the movie.

Doug Jones (again) as the Angel of Death

The dialogue crackles (“I’m not a baby, I’m a tumor”), the combat sequences are stunning, and ex-Bros boy Goss chews the scenery with serious presence. Apart from a hilarious, but strangely incongruous scene where Red gets drunk with Abe and both karaoke to Barry Manilow’s I Can’t Smile Without You Hellboy II is a very entertaining joyride through the wild anti-superhero imagination of del Toro and Hellboy creator Mignola (NB: there's a sly reference to John Landis's An American Werewolf in London with a Manhattan downtown cinema screening the blue movie See You Next Wednesday).

Hellboy II James Dodd, Doug Jones, Ron Perlman and Selma Blair

Krauss, Abe, Hellboy and Liz face the wrath that is the Golden Army

After being privy to a Q&A via telephone with del Toro at Popcorn Taxi last night I honestly cannot wait to see how del Toro brings Tolkien’s The Hobbit to the big screen (it’s due to be released as two movies, 2010 & 11), especially the dragon Smaug.

Here's one of the trailers:

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Posted By: Bryn - Category: movie reviews

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Comments

9 Comments. [ Add A Comment ]

Comment by Aimzster

August 19th 2008 05:51

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I was quite disappointed with the movie, actually. Having said that though, I did think it was better than the first one which was rather unforgettable. It may have something to do with me not liking Hellboy's character and not being a fan of Selma Blair's acting. My only favourite bit was Hellboy and Aba singing Barry Manilow.

Comment by Bryn

August 19th 2008 06:16

Horrorphile

I was quite disappointed with the movie, actually. Having said that though, I did think it was better than the first one which was rather unforgettable.

Huh? Aimzster, did you mean to write that you found the first movie forgettable?
Yes, well, this is what makes movies so interesting is that one person's trash is another's high art ... I didn't like Hellboy's character either in the first one (didn't like many characters at all. period.), but the sequel captivated me. I'm curious as to other people's opinions on this ... perhaps it will end up one an inverse of those movies like Luc Besson's The Fifth Element which I loathe and yet everyone seems to love.

Comment by JohnDoe

August 19th 2008 06:41

Film & TV on DVD

Hi Bryn

I didn't mind the original Hellboy for what it was, but agree it lacked that special something to put it into the big league of comic book adaptations.

Granted I have been a Del Toro geekboy since Cronos, but strangely this sequel didn't really entice me.....till now.

You and I often agree on this type of film so I may have to give it a go. Then again you did like Iron Man alot more than me, so who knows?

Comment by Damo

August 19th 2008 09:56

For the Sake of Argument
My Apologetics

The first Hell Boy was a good enough movie. It entertained with enough BS to make it interesting but no too much to make you cringe.
However I hated the Fish-man and hoping that he would be killed soon.

I did like the wind up assassin and Rasputin.

Please make me happy and tell me that Abe the fish get killed in this film.

Comment by Cibbuano

August 19th 2008 22:32

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I read a few Hellboy comics - great stuff. Mignola's style is creepy and filled with blocky shadows, which makes his nightmarish art even more surreal. It's hilariously contrasted to the 'Buddy' personality of Hellboy.

I didn't see the first movie, but I'd give this a shot... I'd like to see that Troll Market!

Comment by Bryn

August 20th 2008 02:07

Horrorphile

JD, hmmmm, can't say for sure then.

Damo, ummm ... no comment.

Cibby, the trolls rock in this movie!

Comment by Jason King

August 20th 2008 05:51

Salty Popcorn
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I can't wait for this one - I think it comes out Thursday week. I really enjoyed the first one - didn't LOVE it but liked so if you think this one is better I am set!! Cool review!

Comment by Arnold

August 29th 2008 07:20

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One for tight-arse Tuesdays, Bryn, or only worth renting on DVD?

Comment by Bryn

September 3rd 2008 00:28

Horrorphile

cheers Jason,

Arnold, see it on the big screen mate!

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