Hellboy II: The Golden Army
What a difference a movie (and a studio) makes. Back in 2004, Mexican writer-director Guillermo Del Toro brought Mike Mingola’s Dark Horse comic book antihero “Hellboy” to life with actor Ron Pearlman over at Sony. The result was a good superhero movie, but nothing spectacular, although repeat viewings (and a DVD-released Director’s Cut) would improve this viewer’s impression a great deal.
Four years later, Del Toro and Pearlman are back with “Red” on the big-screen. Their love of the big red guy is the same, but the budget is bigger, and the studio is different (Universal picked up the bill this time after Sony let the rights go). But that’s not all that’s different. The first film felt more like your typical superhero origin story- perhaps a mistake since Hellboy isn’t your typical superhero; he’s more like a misfit who was taken in by a young paranormal investigator Professor Trevor “Broom” Bruttenholm (John Hurt, who makes a cameo at the beginning of this film) and is strolled out (in relative obscurity) by a government agency when something out-of-the-ordinary happens.
This time around, Hellboy’s in the same position- with FBI boss Tom Manning (“Arrested Development’s” Jeffrey Tambor, reprising his role a bit from the first film) now calling the shots at the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, but Del Toro takes the film in a different direction storywise. Perhaps since he was coming off of 2002’s “Blade II” when he directed the original, Del Toro felt it necessary to make “Hellboy” more like “Spider-Man” or your average comic book movie. “The Golden Army” points to why that might’ve been a mistake. This time around, Del Toro had the unenviable task of following up his 2006 Oscar-winning fantasy “Pan’s Labyrinth,” and though the idea for “Hellboy II” has been around since prior to that masterpiece, one senses Del Toro felt more freed to take a less-conventional creative road with his follow-up as a result, with the full blessings of Universal no doubt contributing to the matter. (Getting tapped by New Line and fellow visionary Peter Jackson to direct the upcoming “Lord of the Rings” prequels couldn’t have hurt, either.)
We begin with a story told by Bruttenholm to Hellboy when he’s a pimply-faced teenager (or at least, as close to one as a bright red demon with horns, a tail, and a massive right hand can be). A long time ago, a truce was forged by man and demon kind, with man taking the cities, and the demons (fairies) taking to the forest. The truce was struck when the demon world’s king had built for him a Golden Army of 70-by-70 soldiers. Whoever would control such an army was, suffice it to say, invincible. As a way of holding the peace, the crown was split into three pieces- two held by the demons, one by man. But centuries have passed, and demon Prince Nuada (Luke Gross, a villain who’s actually terrifying) is restless as he is in exile. He feels mankind is unworthy of its existence, has squandered the land they’ve held for their own greed, and wants control of the Golden Army for himself. He returns to his father’s kingdom, and wants to take the Army by force.
How Hellboy and his team- including amphibian cohort Abe Sapien (still performed with a poet’s grace by the gifted artist Doug Jones, who this time also performs the voice for Abe, taking over for the first film’s David Hyde Pierce) and fiery girlfriend Liz (Selma Blair, upping her own sex appeal even while uncovering the character’s palpable vulnerability)- get involved is your standard mess where the fantasy world and the real world mingle in chaos, but it’s not long before the team- now led by a mysterious paranormal expert named Johann Krauss (a vapor held in what seems like a diver’s rig voiced with sarcastic relish by Seth MacFarlane of “Family Guy” fame)- go into the demon underworld and search for answers. Their search leads them to the Princess Nuala (a lovely Anna Walton), who cannot abide by her brother’s insanity and holds the key for the Golden Army, although it’s not long before she’s also holding the key to Abe’s heart. Not that Hellboy is an expert in romance (he and Liz are having a rough patch), but get a few beers in him, and a duet of “Can’t Smile Without You” (what is it with demons and Manilow? see “Angel” for more) can feel cathartic and moving at what is said behind the sappy lyrics.
Just what the world needs, right? Another love-lorn superhero? I got no problem with it, especially in a film full of artistic pleasures that go beyond mere artifice. Del Toro’s eye is more attuned towards crafting a fantasy thriller- as he did in “Labyrinth”- as opposed to a straight-up action movie, as he did in the first one. Aided by a rich in music and sound score by Danny Elfman (although no offense, one does wonder why Marco Beltrami wasn’t asked back despite his fine effort the first time out), Del Toro’s vision of “The Golden Army” is a wonder, starting with the marvelous opening sequence with the Professor telling Hellboy about the Golden Army and continuing on with the demon underground that reminds you of both the city on Mars in “Total Recall” and the Cantina in “Star Wars.” How the original “Hellboy” didn’t get considered for a Makeup effects Oscar is beyond me; though Del Toro uses more CGI this time around (especially in the sequence with the Golden Army at the end), with all of the imaginative creatures and creations this time around (including the Chamberlain in King Balor’s court and especially the Angel of Death, both brought to life by Jones, whose skills as an artist at bringing imaginative creatures to life rivals P.J.’s motion-capture master Andy Serkis- I can’t wait to see these two work together on “The Hobbit”), at least an Oscar nomination is required this time around.
Del Toro doesn’t skimp on the action, though; although the pace is driven more towards plot that pow, the action sequences (especially when Hellboy and the Prince square off to take control of the Golden Army at the end) is shot with an artists’ eye for detail and a master’s sense of direction (something a lesser filmmaker will sacrifice for cheap thrills). Sure, the film is overlong and a bit slow at times, but the rewards are artful adventure, dry wit, and a universe to get lost in. Bring on “Hellboy III” Guillermo.
