True to the Comic book Genre

Rating: 10/10 (4 April 2004)

If you read comic books, you need to see this movie! The story line was a typical Good vs. Evil with the evil coming from the past. Overall, the movie struck me as a pleasant blend of Spawn for action, Bulletproof Monk for Nazi-occult plot, and Men-in-Black for creatures. The antagonist opening a portal to bring back ancient evil and who's first attempt brings forth Hellboy. The special effects were spectacular! Especially the flame sequences and both of the portal scenes. John Hurt's performance of Professor Bruttenholm was brilliant if disappointingly brief. The action was almost non-stop broken up by Ron Perlman's masterful and sardonically funny portrayal of Hellboy as exemplified by his line at the end of the movie "I'm gonna be sore in the morning." I wish we had been able to see more of Selma Blair as Liz Sherman, her smoldering and conflicted character was a nice compliment to the in-your-face Hellboy. The movie left me satisfied as a complete entity, yet wanting to see "Hellboy 2" very soon.