'Hellboy: The Golden Army' Movie Review

Selma Blair's Liz has matured and is more in charge of her destiny – and her pyrokinetic abilities – than in the first Hellboy film. Liz is the only person who really gets Hellboy, and Perlman and Blair sell that special connection on the screen.

The third member of their intimate circle, Doug Jones, is a master at bringing to life del Toro's kooky creatures (he played both Fauno and the Pale Man in del Toro's critically acclaimed, Oscar-winning Pan's Labyrinth). Jones takes on two characters in addition to Abe in Hellboy II, playing the sinister creatures The Angel of Death and The Chamberlain. This time around not only does Jones do triple duty, he also was afforded the opportunity to provide the voice of Abe, something he didn't get to do in the first film (David Hyde Pierce did the voice work in the 2004 film). And even hidden beneath Abe's amphibious attire, Jones' expressive body language and outgoing personality shine through.

The Bottom Line

Guillermo del Toro's attention to detail and his love of the genre are readily apparent in Hellboy II: The Golden Army. This is a brand new Hellboy story created just for the big screen and because of that, del Toro was able to populate the film with an astounding amount of fresh - and bizarre - creatures. Yet he never let his love of these fantastical characters overpower the story. There's plenty going on with the plot, even maybe a little too much at times. Three quarters of the way in Hellboy II hits a snag and slows down some, but not enough that it killed my overall enjoyment of this magical journey into a world where demons aren't necessarily bad and an overgrown elf-ish looking guy who wants to kill humans actually has a nearly justifiable reason for doing so.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army has grander fight scenes, more monsters, and the characters face a bigger challenge than they did in the first Hellboy movie. del Toro and company have managed to top the first film with The Golden Army and, wouldn't you know it, they left plenty of room for Hellboy III.

What I wouldn't give to crawl inside Guillermo del Toro's mind for an hour or two. I might emerge seriously psychologically damaged from the experience, but just to see the collection of fantastical creatures he's yet to unleash on audiences would be worth the risk.

GRADE: B

Hellboy II: The Golden Army was directed by Guillermo del Toro and is rated PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and some language.

Theatrical Release Date: July 11, 2008