नरकपुत्र द्वितीय: गोल्डन सेना

My Take: An elaborate set of imaginative creature effects and the always interesting lead character make the show worth watching.

I have a confession to make: I haven't seen the original HELLBOY yet. And neither have I seen it when I saw the much-praised sequel HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY. But that's just what I really like about this sequel: It doesn't require you to have seen the original to fully enjoy this weird and entertaining excursion. Seeing the original would certainly add to the experience, but taken in its own rights, HELLBOY II does what a sequel should do: Not just live up to the expectations left by its predecessor, but also shine as a stand-alone effort.

And yet I have another confession: I have not seen Guillermo Del Toro's crown jewel PAN'S LABYRINTH yet. But seeing HELLBOY II, I am more than impressed by his wild imagination. HELLBOY may have been based on a comic book, but for anyone who isn't a fan of the comics, Hellboy is Del Toro's own creation. Like what Tim Burton did with BATMAN, Del Toro has modeled Hellboy (Ron Perlman) as his own creation on-screen, and he's a very interesting character. Perlman never wastes his opportunity to provide depth as well as nuance to his character. Perlman proves himself worthy, not just an ideal action hero (under tons of make-up), but as yet another actor who successfully embodies the role of a comic-book character.

As in PAN'S LABYRINTH, Del Toro populates the world of HELLBOY II with some truly fascinating and intriguing creatures. Roger Ebert made a truthful compliment by stating that the world of HELLBOY II reminded him of the famous Cantina scene from STAR WARS. What George Lucas has conceived within only a few minutes of screen time in his movie, Del Toro manages to do for 2 hours. The creatures are imaginative, not just in look but in personality, and they are at an abundance. Plus, they're also mostly done using make-up effects rather than CGI, which makes them all the more real. Add to Del Toro's imaginative set pieces, he is a master storyteller. From the opening scene, where "Broom" Bruttenholm (John Hurt) tells the legend of the "Golden Army" to a young Hellboy, Del Toro exhibits is true talents at telling a good story. There are moments of thrills and even laughs, and the visuals are superb. Supporting performances and some neat special effects (notice that I praised the CGI later in in this review) make for one worthy adventure ride. HELLBOY II isn't perfect, but it sure is great at what it was doing.

Rating: **** out of 5.

Del Torro's imagination is a beautiful thing. He has created some of the most fascinating creatures that traditional Hollywood doesn't have the guts or inclination to ever assemble. I would take Guillmero Del Torro in the director's chair any time any place, but Hellboy II shows that he is not without his flaws. Ron Perlman who is terrific as Hellboy doesn't have anything truly interesting to say or do, the world around him is magical but the plot isn't.

Hellboy is the most unique character to appear in your comic book shop. The mythology and the character are such the opposite of the main stream and to Hellboy II's credit so is this movie. Ron Perlman doesn't deliver catch phrases or gun down bad guys for the sake of doing so. He is an interesting character but he is overshadowed by this lackluster plot and the world around it. I felt as if we didn't see enough of Big Red or maybe we did we just didn't get to see the most of the talents. Del Torro constantly wants to remind you that he directed Pan's Labyrinth because visually the creatures look like they were leftovers from that film. I don't mind this per say but these characters just don't have much to do, they are there really to look at rather than them having significance. Visually I can't complain about them because they are amazing but they serve little purpose to the story.

The plot is really the weakest thing this movie has going for it. I felt it took too many liberties against the original concepts of Hellboy. Hellboy is a creature alive in our world, Del Torro tries to tell us that our world is nothing more than a division of fantasy and reality. Well we spend too much time in the fantasy that we forget the fact that this Golden Army is a threat to reality. The villain Prince Nuada is weak, we don't see any method to his madness other than the fact that the plot dictates that he be the antagonist. In the first film and to a lesser degree this one we were given details about why Hellboy has faith in humanity and would chose not to serve his purpose. It's interesting because we are given glimpses of what could have been something that could have added real teeth and tension to the story, for the first time Hellboy is tempted by evil, weakly tempted but tempted nonetheless. This mental struggle could have given our actors the chance to show their talent but instead the filler between the action scenes is just okay at best.

I didn't hate Hellboy II I just think it needed some beef in it's story. Del Torro has shown us he is a master storyteller but this time he didn't focus on the story it's self. I would recommend this film but I know Del Torro can and has done much better.

Let me start of by saying that Del Toro had one message to the fans, and it was "I will not disappoint"

I have long felt that the first Hellboy installment is one of the most underrated films of the 2000's. The first thing you notice about both the first film and this more than worthy successor is the passion. Everything is simply beautiful (not in the typical beautiful sense, but in that you appreciate the art that it is), and it should come as no surprise as the film's director, Guillermo Del Toro, is a long time fan of the comic stories on which the movie is based. Del Toro turned down multiple high profile projects, including multiple Harry Potter films, so he could work on the Hellboy series, which we all know will not gross as much money. Del Toro's passion for excellence is evident in this wonderful sequel, which is better than the first, and cements Del Toro's place as one of the top filmmakers of today.

The first thing I liked about the movie: the easy transition from the first to the second movie. Though I don't remember exact plot details, it was very easy for me to get back into the story, world, and especially our three main characters. I'd reckon that you could watch this movie without having seen the first and still have a great time (though, it helps). A great cast with great chemistry more than sets the tone and makes this one very watchable.

First, you've got Ron Perlman. For those of you who don't know this terribly underrated actor, he's one you can't afford to miss as Hellboy. Even though he's covered in make-up and prosthetic's, Perlman does a great job of making us love him as a hero, and a man. This is something most of the superhero performers do not (or perhaps cannot) do. The just-as-passionate-as-Del-Toro Doug Jones leaves a HUGE mark on the viewer here, not just for his performance as Abe Sapien, but for his remarkable range as a couple of other characters in the movie. Luke Goss is the film's villain, and I really saw the dedication in his performance as well, something required for his character, who is of course a dedicated man. He's not necessarily the typical 'evil' character, but a somewhat misguided one, and I think Goss got that across to me very well. A fact often ignored by critics in the comic book/superhero realm of films is the supporting heroine. Most times, without the audience knowing it, this character makes or breaks the movie. Selma Blair, boy does she make it. Not only does she look absolutely stunning as Liz Sherman, she takes the final act into her hands and does wonders with it. Definitely the best performance I've ever seen from Ms. Blair. Add in a hilarious and great performance from Seth MacFarlane (yes, the voice of multiple Family Guy characters, I know I looked it up too!! Have to give it to him) as Johann Kraus's voice, and Anna Walton as Princess Nuala, and you've got the best ensemble of the year thus far.

As for the action, it's stunning. Hellboy has a LOT more to work with than the traditional superhero film, and Del Toro more than takes advantage of it. With action ranging from lighting fast and well shot sword fighting and hand to hand combat to Hellboy versus a giant plant (the Last forest Elder) and what a fight it was, it's a sight to behold as we watch a legendary director in the making perfect his craft once again. There were multiple times where I found myself saying "holy crap", or "wow". Del Toro also keeps some humor in there to balance the much darker tone of the film.

The film has also an incredible awesome version of the song lovesick. but that's for you to find out.

This is something special; when a second film in a series is able to surpass or equal to it's predecessor. It's not just because the first Hellboy was so excellent, which it was, but they handled this second film with such care and pizazz, it's almost better, in ways, than the first.

It's very rare in a saga that the second films rises over the first, which is why when I say that Hellboy II: The Golden Army was almost in every way better than Hellboy, I mean it, and for me to love Hellboy like I do, that's saying a lot. Hellboy II had everything the first had, but with bigger and better qualities. The action was superb, story line was great, and acting, directing, etc. was just as perfect.

I was entertained through the entire film and I enjoyed every minute and in the end I was left with a big smile on my face for how great this sequel turned out to be, but here again, I still think it is on par with the first because of how the first was so perfect at setting up the story from the comics and how amazingly entertaining it was as well, with all the great performances that the second had and just when I put the two films together, I honestly can not decide which is better. All I have left to say is that if you loved Hellboy, this is no disappointment whatsoever, and you need to see it right away!

okay, I'll start out simple. This movie is not Gone With the Wind. It isn't Ben Hur, not even Pan's Labyrinth. it is no fantastic achievement in film that will go down in the history books. But really, it's Hellboy - does it really need to be a classic? Honestly, I loved this movie. It was pure fun. I found the first Hellboy movie to be a fun movie. . .but it lacked that certain something that was keeping it from being a great movie. This one introduces all new mythology into the series, which allows director Guillermo Del Toro to invent all sorts of new creatures that all look amazing. The visual aspect of this film is classic, nothing short of amazing. The movie has some flaws, a few strange possible plot holes, but by the end of the day, the humor rules the day, and the humor hit spot on, to make a very funny film. I can't get the song "I can't Smile Without You" now after seeing this film. That segment was hilarious. Hellboy succeeds in being a film with a decent story, good visual work, and great characters with great humor, all to make just an overall FUN movie where Indiana Jones couldn't. (I only mean Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) For someone who believes any film that doesn't win 11 Oscars isn't worth watching, I'll be honest, you'll hate Hellboy 2. For someone who goes in expecting only to be entertained, just to have a fun time, I 100% recommend this film to that kind of person. Go see it, it's very worth it.