I'm kind of bored at the moment, so I figured why not do a post on this here blog. It'll give me something to do. I was just reading the blog of a webcomic I like and he was talking about the things he was looking to in the new Hellboy movie. One of them was about how the new one is more of Guillermo del Toro's (the directors) vision than Mike Mignola's (the creator). That just strikes me as a bizarre thought. "Wow I sure do love Hellboy, but I sure am glad this new movie will be less in the style of Hellboy." Say what?
As my aunt Rosemary can attest I have a few problems with Hellboy II. Don't get me wrong, it is a great movie. The vast majority of the population will not have the same problems with it I did. My annoyances all stem from the fact that I liked Hellboy long before it was ever a movie. So the Hellboy I know and love comes from Mike Mignola's comic. The first Hellboy movie is my second favorite movie (Amelie is number 1) and that's because it sticks to Mignola's version. del Toro has a wonderful imagination and seeing the things he creates is a lot of fun, but Hellboy II sacrifices both the essence of Hellboy and plot to show those imaginative scenes. It might be an interesting take, but it isn't going to make it on my list of favorite movies.
People seem to enjoy that this new movie shows more of the monster world. However, Hellboy is all about a monster in the human world. Plots develop around the idea of the dark creatures that leak into the world of humans. If you want to see a movie about people in a world of monsters there are a ton of movies you can check out: Labyrinth, Neverending Story, Chronicles of Narnia, etc. Personally I've just always preferred movies that reinforce the idea that monsters lurk around in reality: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Signs, pretty much any monster movie ever made, etc. After all that's what makes monsters fun.
In summation Hellboy II is a fun movie. The creature effects/costumes are some of the best I've ever seen. There is a lot of fun humor in it as well. Just don't expect it to be like the first movie. Also don't expect the plot to be great...because it is kind of wimpy. If you've already seen Hellboy II and don't know what I'm talking about when I say the plot of weak, go see The Dark Knight. Then notice how all the action in that movie came from the plot and furthered the plot. Then notice how the same can't be said for Hellboy II.
Mike Mignola Interview
Ebert & Roeper Review
i actually didn't like it very much... i just didn't get into the characters as much as i did during the first movie. meh. i'll see hellboy 3 though.
ReplyDeleteAs I said the plot was weak and you're right about the characters as well. But I can't say it was a bad movie because I really do enjoy seeing imaginative monsters done in real life instead of shitty CG. So in that sense it was interesting to look at.
ReplyDeletePersonally I probably wouldn't go and see a Hellboy III if they were to make one. Unless someone else wanted to foot the bill. There is hardly a movie in existence that I wouldn't watch for free.