Fun and entertaining, an amazing fantasy adventure that doesn't let up and gives the little geek in all of us something to love. However, this movie often feels like it is doing it's own thing whether it involves the Hellboy team or not. I was often wondering: which is the backdrop in this movie, the scenery and creatures? Or the heroes of the BPRD?
I feared the film was simply going to be a creature feature with shot after shot of "ooh, look at the wierd beast I dreamed up" (as I'm not traditionally a fantasy fan) but each had their place and nothing was over-used. The only thing I didn't really like was the quick use of subtitles mixed with english in the elfling hall early in the film. This was our first introduction to a few characters and their backstory and the subtitles made it difficult to place faces with facts as the argument sped by quite quickly.
A few character flaws were present in that Liz, this time around, was almost completely unlikable. Part 1 had her backstory, explaining her torment, in part 2, she and "Red" are lovers and roomies and she comes off pretty annoying. As one reviewer put it, "She's the girlfriend you desperately hope your pal is going to dump soon."
Abe gets some time to shine in this movie, which is great because Doug Jones deserves the spotlight. He was voiced over by David Hyde Pierce in part one and again by Laurence Fishburne in the "Rise of the Silver Surfer" (a last minute decision that was a slap in the face, which Jones, taking the high road, refuses to speak about in interviews). This time he has as much screen time, dialogue and character development as Hellboy. He also gets double billing, playing a character listed as the "Angel of Death". You'll know it when you see it.
A new addition was Johann Krauss, a deceased entity existing inside a containment suit resembling deep-sea diving gear. The character is nothing like the comic version aside from his name and appearance. Used solely as the beareaucratic pain in the butt, replacing Jeffrey Tambor's main role while on field missions, this version did work in the comedic format he was clearly placed for.
I don't think there is a dull moment in this movie until the end when everyone gets a moment to reflect on the adventure, which isn't dull really, it's just giving the characters their moment. Though there is no major climax I would ever skip to on a dvd, there is constant action and interesting character growth throughout. Humour is well-placed, especially when Hellboy and Abe Sapien share a six-pack and are "whisper yelling" in the middle of the night, drunk as skunks.
Unique from part one, I would definitely call this a fantastic followup and propose this series worthy of a trilogy (at minimum).
No comments:
Post a Comment