Hellboy B

On DVD, 122 minutes, PG-13

2004 came and went without me so much as considering laying down my hard-earned money on a movie adaption of the little-known comic book Hellboy, directed by little-known Spaniard Guillermo del Toro. A lot can change in four years. Del Toro’s 2006 Pan’s Labyrinth (A) placed him on the short list of directors with things to say and interesting ways to say them. Fired by the success of that film, Guillermo received the holy grail, two sure-fire blockbuster Lord of the Rings pre-quels with Peter Jackson producing. More to the point, he also got the green light on a bigger-budgeted Hellboy 2, with increased advertising dollars and increased expectations to match. So, after taking in another of del Toro’s earlier works, The Devil’s Backbone, I decided to give Hellboy the consideration I’d denied it.

Hellboy is brought to life by voice and character actor Ron Perlman, who brings the perfect mix of humor, poignancy, and nonchalance to the title roll. Joining him are John Hurt (Oxley in the last Indiana Jones), as Hellboy’s “father” who rescued him and raised him as a man, Selma Blair as a human flame and love interest, Rupert Evans as a young buck working for the American government and sent to keep up with Hellboy, and Jeffrey Tambor (Arrested Development) as CIA chief. The plot is as follows, a baby Hellboy comes through a vortex from somewhere akin to hell as the Nazi’s are trying to harness the armies of darkness in WWII. He is raised by American paranormal CIA expert John Hurt. The American Government pulls in Hellboy and a couple other weirdo’s whenever things that go bump in the night threaten national security. Eventually the original Nazi instigators want to open up another vortex to hell, but they need our now full-grown red friend’s help to pull off this feat, so they begin unleashing devilish dragon creatures (played, incidentally, by a dressed-up del Toro) in an attempt to lure out the main players.

“What is it that makes a man a man?” Is it something he’s born to, or is it something more difficult to define? This is the question ostensibly at the heart of this film, although to call that a non-bifurcated heart would be a stretch. As large a chunk of the core of this movie is unmitigated comic book action. But, unlike so many films from the genre, this movie’s got no problem reveling in its geekness and far-fetched storyline. There’s no attempt to explain seven Gods of Chaos sleeping in their prison, or the stargate-like vortex that opens it to this world, or the emergence of Russian legendary figure Rasputin, or how Hellboy can be both a demon and, basically, a red dude with a really, really big, stone hand. And that’s just as well, because once the set-up is established, del Toro can return to the split center of his film. And, while the philosophical edge is a little dull, the action and suspense scenes are as well done as all but the best in Hollywood. Plus, extra props to Toro for merging CGI with good old-fashioned muppetry to lend the monsters a more realistic look.

The themes that del Toro is choosing to work with are beginning to emerge from his films. First, who gets to define the difference between a man and a monster? In The Devil’s Backbone and Pan’s Labyrinth, men are more monstrous than any ghoul, while in this film, the demon is the best man. Likewise, del Toro seems fascinated with fathers, children, and their separation. The Devil’s Backbone, Pan’s, Hellboy, and The Orphanage all deal directly with what happens to children when they are left without fathers in a world of chaos. I won’t say too much for the uninitiated, but let it suffice to say that the world of del Toro is not a safe world for children. Or their parents.
Enough about the director and back to this film. The unsolicited opinion of Brother-of-Priest sums up this one best. “Not an amazing movie, but for what it was, it was a lot better than it could have been.” B