In the age of cute Disney pixies and cookie-baking Elves, it is easy to forget that old school fairy tales were friggen creepy and meant to teach us common folk a lesson. Well, Guillermo del Toro and Mike Mignola sure as hell didn’t forget, and they’ve got a good ‘ol fairy tale for us. Hellboy II: The Golden Army has it all: plotting Elves, ghastly Trolls, unstoppable Tin-Men, voracious Fairies, and the son of a fallen angel that is our only hope.
Dammit, I wouldn’t want it any other way...
The plot, as shown in the trailer, is relatively simple. Human and Elves used to live in an uneasy peace. The Elves thinks humans have overstretched their bounds. Humans are clueless. Elves want to resurrect the Golden Army (a nigh unstoppable force of killing machines, like Tik-Tok of Oz on HGH). Hellboy and the gang at the B.R.P.D. have to stop them before, forgive the pun, all hell breaks loose. Okay, so maybe that isn’t the whole plot, along the way we have interpersonal problems with teammates, moral questions of what is right and what is wrong, and a life-lesson about looking beneath the surface that would make the sweetest After School Special go into Insulin shock. You know what? I don’t care. In fact, I again wouldn’t want it any other way. Hellboy II is everything I’ve come to expect from Mika Mignola and Guillermo del Toro, a modern-day Greek myth with larger than life, but still flawed, heroes and the a villain that would make William Shakespeare clap with glee!
Everyone “gets” their character this time out.
That isn’t to say the first Hellboy had character missteps, it just feels like everyone is far more comfortable in their roles in Hellboy II. Can anyone think of another character Ron Perlman was born to play besides the Big Red Monkey? No, you can’t, because Perlman is Hellboy, he morphs into the character with such flawless perfection; I expect to see a Samaritan-packing demon leaping from building tops. Selma Blair returns as the Liz Sherman, the pyrokinetic that melted Hellboy’s heart. She is no longer the shy and cautious character we saw in the first film. No, this is a battle-hardened member of the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense. Sure, Hellboy might pack the big guns and go toe-to-toe with mythical beasts, but petite Liz is the big gun. When she tells you to run, you better listen cause she’s bringing the pain and the heat and the fire and the boom!
Doug Jones returns as the body (and now voice) of my personal favorite member of the B.R.P.D., the gentile Abe Sapien. For such a long-lived character, Jones inserts a wonderful hint of innocence and childlike curiosity. Sure, Abe knows some monsters need to be put down for the greater good, but he’s rather talk it out and find the root cause before pulling the trigger. Seth MacFarlane voices the newest team member, Johann Krauss. German. Genius. Ghost. From the first moment Johann walks into the screen, you know he’s gonna’ be a blast to watch. While little is explained from his past, you get the feeling he’s seen everything before, but still has lessons to learn from these bullish Americans. John Hurt returns in a small role as Professor Bloom and is his usual self. Soft-spoken while stern and loving to his adopted son. Finally, Jeffery Tamborne returns as the rather wormy but wholly fantastic Agent Tom Manning. An average everyday Joe that so desperately wants respect from his fellow government suits, but alas, has to watch over “the freaks”. You can’t help but love the guy.
Then the others.
Luke Goss is the “evil” Prince Nuada and does so with scene chewing gusto. I put “evil” in quotes because, like all classical villains, Prince Nuada truly believes he is doing what is right by his people and kin. In a way, he is. We humans have been encroaching on the “Fairy Lands” for a long damn time, treaty or no, the Prince feels it is time to encroach back. True, his plans will kill pretty much every human on Earth, but you can’t completely hate the guy. Anna Walton turns in a powerfully quiet performance as Prince Nuada’s twin sister, Princess Nuala. Her voice carries the weight of time and you can’t help but be enthralled whenever she speaks. Then there are all the other characters living within the world of Hellboy II: The Golden Army. The characters that look like they sprung from the mind of a demented Muppeteer. (Indeed, one can only wonder with sad longing what a Guillermo del Toro / Jim Henson production would look like).
In fact, most of the creatures you seen in Hellboy II appear to be practical suits and puppets. Something I hope we see more of. Yes, CGI technology is a near perfected tool (see Wall*E), but there is something to a person in a suit interacting with another actor or person in suit that just feels…well…magical. Mike and Guillermo opened their collective imaginations and simply cut loose. (Or, let their art department cut loose. Either way, well done). The otherworldly lands in Hellboy II are beautiful, dark, dreadful, and whimsical. Just like the fairy tales of old.
The film isn’t perfect. Some of the fight scenes drag on a tad too long for my taste. (I will admit that I could watch the B.R.P.D. folks hang out with Trolls and Goblins, and just drink beers for 2 hours and I’d be happy). Guillermo del Toro has improved as an action director and the fights scenes are much tighter than the first Hellboy and Blade II. A few times the CGI aspect is glaringly obvious, but far more forgivable than Wanted or the last Indiana Jones films. There are a few plot jumps in the story and you can see the ending coming from damn near miles away. But, when you are in the moment, none of that seems to matter. The characters in Hellboy II are like friends you haven’t seen in a while and it is fun to catch up with their lives.
Some critics and audience members complained about the undercurrent of light-heartiness in this film. I don’t think they got the point. Guillermo del Toro and Mike Mignola set out to create modern fairy tales. Sure, these tales are filled with monsters and demons, but they are also filled with people. People that hope, dream, love, laugh, and cry. Just because his name is Hellboy and he’s the son of the Lord of Darkness doesn’t mean everyone needs to brood while saving the world from vengeful Elves and zombie'esque machines of destruction. I love the fact that Hellboy, Liz, Abe, and Johann can make jokes with each other while saving the world.
Hellboy II: The Golden Army is a grand adventure of the highest order. Guillermo del Toro and Mike Mignola have created a damn fun world filled with damn interesting characters.
