Superhero film Done Right

Rating: 7/10 (8 August 2019)

This is probably one of the most creative superhero franchises to hit the silver screen, and I will always lament the fact that we'll never get the third entry in Del Toro's trilogy. While I do really enjoy this film, there are a few minor issues with it. First, it is a little on the long side. Notably, I did watch the directors cut of the film, which is ten minutes longer. And, if I'm being honest, it's been so long since I've watched the theatrical cut I couldn't tell you if the pacing was a bit better in that version. For the most part, I feel like the film moved along at a very solid pace, but it's the first act that really suffers the most. After the first scene, where Hellboy is pulled into our world, we spend probably twenty minutes establishing Hellboy's world, and some of the scenes during that time are certainly slower than others. The third act also starts to go off the deep end. As I mentioned, for about 75% of this film, this movie feels like a police procedural- it's pretty grounded as far as stakes go. But then, as we ramp up to the climax, the stakes ramp up stupendously, to the point where everyone in the world is at risk. I know a lot of people like their superheroes to save the whole world in a big CGI explosion-fest, but honestly, I wish this film had kept its climax a little bit smaller, more grounded, at the end. The CGI near the end is easily the least polished looking part, and while the ending is pseudo-satisfying it doesn't, in my opinion, have nearly as much heart as the rest of the film. This is, however, a small bone to pick with an otherwise very good film.