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 Hellboy
Starring: Ron
Perlman. Sema Blair and John Hurt
Directed by: Guillermo Del Toro
Bluntly Speaking? Hellboy
is one of those fantastical goofy-fun, thoroughly engaging, sci-fi
comic book tales. Master director Guillermo Del Toro artistically
glues the fanciful bits to his celluloid canvas creating a visual
feast for the imagination!
Story goes....
Hitler and his conniving Nazis, fearing the war was to be lost,
branch their evil out to include the ancient demons of the occult
- anything to win. They've hired a wizard of sorts to perform
a ceremony (on sacred ground - natch). This evil man will bring
forth an evil so evil it means the end of the world. He's opening
a portal to Hell, or what we would call Hell, and releasing its
fury on little old Earth.
As the music
crescendos and the storms whip about ...a good-guy scientist leads
a group of soldiers to the secret lair and busts up the portal
party. The Nazis are stopped in the knickity-woo of time!
But, oospie,
"something" did slip through the other-dimensional portal.
It's a little red monkey thingy. No, it's a boy...he's just red
and has horns and looks a tad like a Rhesus primate. The kind
scientist spares the creatures life and adopts the little guy,
nicknaming him (dadadadum), Hellboy!
Shoot
ahead sixty years and we meet a sarcastic, misanthrope that enjoys
saving humans from demons and monsters for the FBI. Hellboy's
now this six foot six mega-muscled chap (Ron Perlman) that files
his horns so he fits in, whines about his woes, chain smokes cigars
and has an addiction to cats. Hehe.
HB's
daily routine of saving mankind is going to be truly tested as
a few Nazis from his past return. They need him - he's the key
- to open the portal, and thusly end the world, once and for all.
Can
Hellboy stop the evil walking dead Nazis' dastardly world-ruining
plan before they can release the other-dimensional multi-eyed
Hellhounds, Octopus-like giantatour slugs and a sand filled eyelid-less
assassin on the world? Hmm. Maybe.
The
film's director, Guillermo Del Toro never disappoints and his
wildly imaginative style truly shines here - of course his casting
Ron Perlman as anger-pod with-a-heart Hellboy was genius too.
Perlman looks as if he just spray-painted himself red and chatted
at the camera - he's that good. He always is. But here the movie
works because of his work. Period.
And
the special effects are very Del Toro. Those familiar with his
particular "style" will have an extra giggle when they
see he's even managed to slip in his signature Baron Von Munchausen-eqsue
time stopping clockwork props!
I
know nothing about the comic but I do know this was a helluva
bit of entertainment - but then it's Guillermo Del Toro I for
one expected nothing less.
Snack
recommendation: Pancakes and Baby Ruth bars (Cosco sized)
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