"Seed of Destruction"

Rating: 8/10 (1 November 2004)

One of the biggest perks of "Hellboy" comes from the charisma of the massive red demon of the film's title, who is played magnificently by Ron Perlman. Perlman is barely recognizable underneath that dense makeup but his tough-guy attitude and his rough voice give him away.
And this is one of the many reasons I found "Hellboy" to be so entertaining.
Adapted from the Dark Horse Comics character created by Mike Mignola and skillfully directed by Guillermo del Toro, "Hellboy" is one hell (no pun intended) of a roller coaster ride.
Guillermo del Toro, who reached mainstream success when he directed Wesley Snipes in 2002's "Blade II" (which also featured Perlman in a key supporting performance), knows the material inside out and runs with it.
"Hellboy" is definitely one of the more ambitious comic book adaptations in recent years, and is also one of the more faithful. (Before seeing this film, I went to my local book store and I picked up "Seed of Destruction" and read that, which is where I got most of my information regarding "Hellboy.")
As a film, it captures the spirit and excitement of Mike Mignola's Nazi-spawned demon hero, who battles the forces of Hell with a really big gun and an attitude. In the closing days of World War II, renegade Russian monk Grigori Rasputin (Karel Roden), who is working with the Nazis, brings Hellboy into our existence in an effort to help turn the tide of the conflict in favor of Adolf Hitler. The Allies stop the ceremony and Hellboy is adopted and raised to adulthood by a benevolent scientist, John Bruttenholm (John Hurt).
Rasputin will stop at nothing to bring about the Apocalypse but needs Hellboy to do it. Hellboy on the other hand, knows that being 7 feet tall and red can be very lonely, and he's fallen in love with Liz Sherman (Selma Blair), who can start fires when she becomes excited.
"Hellboy" is a wondrous marvel from start to finish and I enjoyed it very much. I waited until the director's cut came out before I would comment on this movie so I could see it in all of its visual glory.
8/10