हेलबॉय: द क्रुकेड मेन

People are addicted to soulless, mass produced, green screen, fast-edited blockbusters with ridiculous budgets that treat the viewers like 8 year olds with ADD. Well this ain't one of them.

The story is smaller in scale, which is what the superhero genre needs after it's been marvelized beyond recognition during the last 20 years. The cast is doing a good job, the pace is fine, the 90 minute running time is ideal, the cinematography is great. Could've used a better soundtrack and some more light in certain sequences.

Of course if it's not your cup of tea, you can always rewatch the abysmal 2019 Hellboy.

Our introduction to Hellboy and possibly most of the general public was the 2004 movie directed by Guillermo Del Toro, which offered the comic book franchise it's push to mainstream. Hellboy felt at home in the hands of Del Toro who went on to spawn a second film 'The Golden Army' in 2008. While both being generally well received and are modest box office successes, a third Hellboy film with both Ron Pearlman (as Hellboy) and Del Toro never came into fruition - instead rebooting in 2019 starring David Harbour as the titular half-demon hero.

To be fair, despite a good performance by Harbour, we were no fans of the action packed and gratuitously violent reboot, - mostly due to the comparative superiority of the first two Del Toro versions that also beautifully handled Hellboy and his peers' themes of othering and self-acceptance, which proved more appealing than doubling the action and blood. The reboot eventually bombed in the box office and was met with generally negative reviews leaving the franchise dormant.

Now 5 years later, on its fourth live action iteration, this Hellboy movie is firstly, the only one with Mike Mignola, the creator himself, with direct writing credits for the screenplay. It is also the most faithful adaptation of it's chosen source material 'The Crooked Man'. It also has the lowest budget out of all the live action films and the shortest run-time clocking at 1 hour and 36 minutes only.

As a fan of Hellboy, this was a very enjoyable watch, especially it's stripped down and claustrophobic feel that stands out against a plethora of explosive and bright blockbusters - these included the three prior Hellboy films. But, with an understandably lower budget, the creature special effects could use a little more polish. We do appreciate the rest of the film prioritizing the use of practical effects.

Jack Kesy who portrays Hellboy, at least for this variant and theme, actually dons the character well. The rest are portrayed as they are in the comics, and it mostly leans on how people like the source material - which is great for us, but may leave much to be desired for the general viewer.

Perhaps if this was the first Hellboy film, then maybe there's some leeway for more praise and less negative comparisons to, ultimately still, the better Del Toro films. We would argue however that it is above the overall experience of the 2019 reboot, and it uniquely stands out as a slow burning horror piece where-in you may seem less frightened knowing you have 'Anung Un Rama, Son of the Fallen one' on your side.

I'm not one of those movie experts, but let me say this: it is NOT a real movie. Everything from the story and special effects till the dubbing (I watched in PT) feels plastic to me. Everything that happens is out of coincidence or luck, which gives you that cheap taste. I liked some characters and scenes, but my liking for it can only go so far. I'm not gonna say it's a waste of time because it didn't feel like that to me. Just go to the theaters expecting to see a fan made movie, that's all.

Now I'm just saying words to complete the minimum requirement of six hundred characters which I think is too much.

"Hellboy: The Crooked Man" tries to revive the iconic character's universe but faces serious challenges that prevent it from reaching the heights of Guillermo del Toro's films. The low budget is not enough to capture the grandeur and complexity of Hellboy's world, resulting in a rather limited effort overall. It feels like they tried to reboot Harry Potter with a budget equivalent to an episode of a mediocre CW show. While the production team clearly made their best effort to address the shortcomings, it was a tough task.

Additionally, the supporting cast is another weak point. The performances are weak and often unconvincing, even less realistic and more frightening than roles in "Power Rangers." However, Jack Kesy as Hellboy is one of the few positive aspects. I hope this role opens doors for him, as it is one of the few things that really work in the film.

The makeup and special effects also appear cheap and uninspired, failing to create an immersive experience and making the attempt to build a scary atmosphere fall short, giving it an amateurish feel.

On the other hand, the film's atmosphere, though limited, is a positive aspect, along with the soundtrack featuring eerie melodies that contribute to the dark and mystical tone the film aims for. However, the sound editing, especially the jump scares, is overly excessive.

"Hellboy: The Crooked Man" is a film that tries to capture the essence of a complex universe with limited resources, resulting in a movie that feels more like a fan-made project than a true reinvention of the character. It is an example of how a low budget can severely compromise a film's potential, even with genuine effort from the production team.

No spoilers, i'll be brief.

Now, i've not read the source material, but did watch all three movies (liked 'em... even third one, with mr. Harbour, was not all that bad) though. And played PC game back in 2000 (i am old). So... this flick? Worked for me. 5/10 or even 6/10 easily. Has some good acting, has some bad acting, production budget is low and it shows, but the story is pretty good and horror elements are there. Old village in the middle of nowhere, deal with a devil, touch of witchcraft and necromancy. Do not expect fancy CGI, though some practical make-up is spot on. Probably would have worked better as a mini-series - say, four episodes, an hour each. More space for story development, character arcs and general progression.

To conclude. Not nearly as terrible as i thought it would be.

Not the greatest praise, i know.

But still a praise.