Hellboy Review
by David N. Butterworth (dnb AT dca DOT net)April 14th, 2004
HELLBOY
A film review by David N. Butterworth
Copyright 2004 David N. Butterworth
**1/2 (out of ****)
If "Hellboy," the latest film from Mexican director Guillermo del Toro ("The Devil's Backbone"), were nearly as good as its eponymous, sanguine hero it'd be one hell of a movie. As it is this comic book-based, "X-Men"-inspired Mutants vs. Nazis flick lives and dies on the strength of its titular character, an amazing creation in both the makeup and acting departments. Hellboy's imposing look, a hulking blood-red demon with sheared off horns, a big clubbed lobster claw arm, and plenty of attitude comes courtesy Oscar®-winning special effects wiz Rick Baker. But it's Ron Perlman under all that prosthetics who's the real draw here, playing his misunderstood superhero with wit, sensitivity, and sheer brute strength. Perlman has such an interesting look in real life you wonder why del Toro bothered to mess with it but Perlman and Baker's talents make for an impressive combination nevertheless. The rest of the movie might appeal to 13-year-old boys hoping to augment their steady, intelligence-free diet of creature features (heads-up: "Van Helsing" is poised in the bat wings) but there's nothing here we 13+ types haven't seen a gazillion times before--big squids in caves, big squids in the ocean, big squids in outer space, all slobbering and mutating while our hapless hero juggles a relationship with an adopted father figure (John Hurt) and a romantic stiff (Selma Blair) amid the relentless punch 'em ups. "Hellboy" is better than your average fright fest because it's got sly humor, restrained violence/language, and a terrific--and very crimson--Ron Perlman. But it made me want to check out the original comic book sooner than rush to the guaranteed "Hellboy 2."
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David N. Butterworth
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