I'm in two minds. I didn't dislike this movie. There was a great deal of blood & gore, which I am told adheres to the dark presentation of the original comic books. David Barbour was as usual great, and a more mature Mila Jovovich is a force to reckon with. But if I am honest, this movie lacks the heart, the humor & the pizzazz of the Guillermo del Toro adaptations featuring Ron Perlman.
Flippant voiceover Ian McShane: Plot plot plot, fuckedy plot, like you even care.
Hellboy: I'M SO ANGRY!
Director: Shout more!
Hellboy: I AM SHOUTING A LOT!
Director: Now do King Arthur references! King Arthur is so fucking hot right now.
Hellboy: WOW MONSTER YOU SURE ARE BIG AND STUPID.
Director: I said King Arthur references!
Hellboy: YOUR MOTHER SURE GETS AROUND ... TABLE.
Hellboy gets punched off screen.
Director cuts to a flashback exposition scene explaining something that doesn't matter at all.
David Harbour: ... and that's how I got into Julliard!
I thoroughly enjoyed Hellboy but surprised to see the amount of bad reviews it received. I thought the pacing was brilliant, and the violence and gore was well suited to the mood of the film. I didn’t know what to expect going and seeing the creativity of how the monsters looked and the grusesome deaths they died was worth the watch.
It’s great fun. Wish it didn’t mess up at the box office, a sequel would have been welcomed.
It reminded me of Hugh Jackman’s Van Helsing movie, just a ton of fun with some catchy one liners and an awesome roster of messed up beings!!
The gratuitous F-bombs are so incredibly distracting. It's like the script was written by a child who just learned a cool new word and wants to use it all the time even when it's totally inappropriate. The first original film was always a kind of cult classic for me but so much has been lost in translation. Really showcases how much that Ron Perlman brought to the character on the first go around, plus whoever's idea it was to give Hellboy massive face prosthetics should've been fired. You'll pretty much handicap most actors if they can't use their face, especially the lower half (there are actors who have pulled it off, this isn't one of those examples). There wasn't a single scene that didn't scream "I can barely move my face" for me. Perlman had them too, but the difference is night and day as to how they were designed and utilized.
Sadly it commits the major error of punishing you for not knowing the comics (something that never happened with the first two films for me). So many characters and references to the source material are chucked at your face in rapid succession. It follows the classic superhero formula in a lot of ways and jam packs a lot of material into the 2 hour runtime but it's mostly paint by numbers filmmaking.
DH as Hellboy not working for me at all. Seeing Mo "off of Eastenders" though = +2 points. Watchable for CGI, gore etc but pretty average 7/10 (with Mo bonus)
This was a great first effort, conserving we have a new lead actor, who does very well to take over such a great personality. Ian McShane does very well and raises the levels of fun, having as many great one liners as Hellboy does. I am glad we still have the Del Toro movies, however I see this as a more more bloody continuation of those movies.
Seeing as this has not done well financially, there may not be any more movies featuring the character, however we now have three live action releases to choose from if we wish.
The heart that others think is missing comes at the end of the movie. I think the great success of Marvel movies has set the bar high - perhaps too high for others to reach at times. Any movie that is released near Avengers: Endgame is facing tough competition, box office wise.
Overall, I enjoyed it and am glad I supported it by going to see it. I'm looking forward to the Blu Ray release.
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Comments 1 - 10 of 10
kausikdatta
I'm in two minds. I didn't dislike this movie. There was a great deal of blood & gore, which I am told adheres to the dark presentation of the original comic books. David Barbour was as usual great, and a more mature Mila Jovovich is a force to reckon with. But if I am honest, this movie lacks the heart, the humor & the pizzazz of the Guillermo del Toro adaptations featuring Ron Perlman.moldypoldy
Wants to be Deadpool, but lacks any charm.SpacedJ
Flippant voiceover Ian McShane: Plot plot plot, fuckedy plot, like you even care.Hellboy: I'M SO ANGRY!
Director: Shout more!
Hellboy: I AM SHOUTING A LOT!
Director: Now do King Arthur references! King Arthur is so fucking hot right now.
Hellboy: WOW MONSTER YOU SURE ARE BIG AND STUPID.
Director: I said King Arthur references!
Hellboy: YOUR MOTHER SURE GETS AROUND ... TABLE.
Hellboy gets punched off screen.
Director cuts to a flashback exposition scene explaining something that doesn't matter at all.
David Harbour: ... and that's how I got into Julliard!
BadFluffy
It's like a youtube movie a moron teenager could have made after reading the comics once.Jace Lightner
I thoroughly enjoyed Hellboy but surprised to see the amount of bad reviews it received. I thought the pacing was brilliant, and the violence and gore was well suited to the mood of the film. I didn’t know what to expect going and seeing the creativity of how the monsters looked and the grusesome deaths they died was worth the watch.It’s great fun. Wish it didn’t mess up at the box office, a sequel would have been welcomed.
It reminded me of Hugh Jackman’s Van Helsing movie, just a ton of fun with some catchy one liners and an awesome roster of messed up beings!!
DisneyStitch
The gratuitous F-bombs are so incredibly distracting. It's like the script was written by a child who just learned a cool new word and wants to use it all the time even when it's totally inappropriate. The first original film was always a kind of cult classic for me but so much has been lost in translation. Really showcases how much that Ron Perlman brought to the character on the first go around, plus whoever's idea it was to give Hellboy massive face prosthetics should've been fired. You'll pretty much handicap most actors if they can't use their face, especially the lower half (there are actors who have pulled it off, this isn't one of those examples). There wasn't a single scene that didn't scream "I can barely move my face" for me. Perlman had them too, but the difference is night and day as to how they were designed and utilized.Sadly it commits the major error of punishing you for not knowing the comics (something that never happened with the first two films for me). So many characters and references to the source material are chucked at your face in rapid succession. It follows the classic superhero formula in a lot of ways and jam packs a lot of material into the 2 hour runtime but it's mostly paint by numbers filmmaking.
royalspikey77
DH as Hellboy not working for me at all. Seeing Mo "off of Eastenders" though = +2 points. Watchable for CGI, gore etc but pretty average 7/10 (with Mo bonus)Emiam
6+/10Sk1337
Loved the goreaussieflickfan
This was a great first effort, conserving we have a new lead actor, who does very well to take over such a great personality. Ian McShane does very well and raises the levels of fun, having as many great one liners as Hellboy does. I am glad we still have the Del Toro movies, however I see this as a more more bloody continuation of those movies.Seeing as this has not done well financially, there may not be any more movies featuring the character, however we now have three live action releases to choose from if we wish.
The heart that others think is missing comes at the end of the movie. I think the great success of Marvel movies has set the bar high - perhaps too high for others to reach at times. Any movie that is released near Avengers: Endgame is facing tough competition, box office wise.
Overall, I enjoyed it and am glad I supported it by going to see it. I'm looking forward to the Blu Ray release.