del Toro's imagination is always interesting

Rating: 7/10 (3 February 2019)

Just for being different from typical action/monster/horror fare, this film is a 7/10. del Toro directed and scripted, and the film is very much with his themes (e.g. Nazis and demons in "Labyrinth") and yet quite unique in its look and story.
John Hurt as the professor who raises a demon captured from a Nazi experiment, and especially Ron Perlman as said demon (named "Hellboy" and affectionately called "Red" by his coworkers) deliver great performance. How nonchalant can a demon get? Well, Perlman will show you. Everyone on the cast, down to the German dominatrix, or Jeff Tambor playing the somewhat knuckle headed FBI agent who is not all bad, clearly enjoyed making this.
Through flashbacks envisioned by a fish-man-demon and plenty of action involving subway trains, the movie leads us through Perlman chasing egg-laying hellhounds to dispose of a dead Nazi brought to 'life' by a mechanical clockwork, to climax in a final confrontation with none other than Rasputin, who holds Perlman's would-be fiery girlfriend hostage in a sub-sepulcher labyrinth to get him "Red" destroy the Earth.
If this sounds a bit weird and complicated, it's weird, but not too complicated. The film is well written and the somewhat unusual action and characters are easy enough to follow and empathize with.
del Toro is a classic auteur like Terry Gilliam, with a touch more horror and a touch less social commentary, although films like Labyrinth and Hellboy clearly show del Toro's fascination with demons of the imagination, and demons of reality - such as Nazis.
A strong 7 and a clear cult winner, fun to watch again even when you know already how it plays out.