Comic book enthusiasts are the harshest critics when it comes to reviewing films of their fort?(c). Movies such as "Batman and Robin," "Daredevil" and "The League of Extraordinary Gentleman" have been thrashed by dorks and snooty film critics alike due to their sub-par storylines and the directors' inability to capture the flair and personas of these iconic legends.
Fortunately, Guillermo del Toro ("Blade II") is one director who is determined to never let a comic book franchise go sour in his hands. Del Toro has taken Mike Mignola's 1993 comic book series, "Hellboy," and collaborated with him for more than half a decade, fleshing out the story, visuals and atmosphere to bring everything that made the comic so popular onto the big screen.
His dedication to the core material will please the most critical of fans and his eye for action films makes the movie enjoyable for both the casual and the skeptical moviegoer unfamiliar with the cult series.
Brought into the world by the Nazis in 1944, an infant demon was discovered by American soldiers and raised by Professor Bruttenholm (John Hurt) of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense. A half-century later, Hellboy (Ron Pearlman) has become the world's greatest paranormal investigator, protecting the world from evil.
After unearthing an ancient evil, Rasputin (Karel Roden), the summoner of Hellboy, has returned to seek out his creation and destroy the world. Now Hellboy - along with firestarter love interest Liz Sherman (Selma Blair) and the amphibious oddity Abraham Sapien (Doug Jones) - must stop him.
The story is typical B-movie fare, and del Toro knows it. He does not try to glorify the story or attempt to make it more realistic, but more importantly, uses the plot to drive the viewer's interest in Mignola's characters.
What many directors of comic book movies fail to do is learn the nuances of a hero's personality, but del Toro knows Hellboy well. He is not a by-the-books Boy Scout like Superman or a developing newbie like Spider-Man. The horned, crimson-skinned Hellboy is a smart-mouthed, disobedient juggernaut with the mind and heart of a child.
He lifts weights after being grounded, runs away from his "nanny squad" chaperones to fight monsters and his boyhood crush for Liz spurs jealousy towards John Myers (Rupert Evans), the newest agent assigned to watch over him.
Hellboy himself is simply a joy to watch, thanks to Pearlman's perfect execution of the characteristic "Hellboy" wit and one-liners. He blurts out ludicrous lines such as, "Red means stop," when punching a car into the air without receiving groans of cheesy disgust from the audience - something a movie character has not been able to successfully get away with since the days of Ash in Sam Raimi's "Evil Dead" trilogy.
Teenage immaturity and wisecracking comments aren't all there is to Hellboy. Though loud, sarcastic and cynical, he also has a genuine desire to succeed without the help of others in order prove he is a good person, even if he physically is a monster. His combination of humor and humanity makes Hellboy - unlike other cookie-cutter heroes - a tragic character that the audience can truly adore.
While only a supporting character, it would have been nice to see more of Abe Sapien. His eye-catching fish-man design, combined with Jones' hypnotically bizarre movements and David Hyde Pierce's (who plays Niles Crane in "Fraiser") elegant voice-over lends to a truly unique and enjoyable creature. It is a shame that del Toro didn't use him more in the film, as Abe is the calm, stable yin to Hellboy's rash and violent yang.
The bigger problem with the film lies in the spotty villains. The immortal hell-hound Sammael and the knife-wielding Kroenen (uncredited) are truly disturbing enemies that lack personality while Rasputin and his female counterpart Ilsa (Biddy Hodson) have the opposite problem. Thankfully, del Toro uses these antagonists-much like the simplistic story-as a way to bring focus to Hellboy himself, so their lack of depth is easily forgiven.
Aside from these qualms, "Hellboy" is by far the best comic book movie released in the past decade. It is escapism at its purest, with memorable heroes, spectacular action and a love story that is surprisingly captivating. Del Toro has put his heart into crafting "Hellboy," proving that in the end, a labor of love is all it takes to please the fans.
Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki
