'Hellboy' is fun as hell!

Rating: Null/10 (6 October 2004)

Hellboy (2004) Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, John Hurt, Jeffrey Tambor, Rupert Evans, Karel Roden, Corey Johnson, Doug Jones, Bridget Hodson, D: Guillermo del Toro. Adaptation of Mike Mignola's Dark Horse comic books about a demon escaping from hell onto Earth when Rasputin and the Nazis during World War II open a portal to unleash the apocalypse; the creature is taken under the wing by an American professor (Hurt) and then grows up a wise-guy operative for the FBI Bureau of Paranormal Research. Scripter-director del Toro's enlivens this wild, over-the-top extravaganza with an entertaining style and sense of humor, yet it cuts away to too many effects and monsters. Its best asset is Perlman's cheeky performance as the cigar-chomping, red-skinned Hellboy, feeding off enough attitude and one-liners. David Hyde Pierce provides the voice of the half-fish, half-man Abe Sapien. Running Time: 132 minutes and rated PG-13 for sci-fi action-violence and frightening images. ***