Great Acting, Lousy Story

Rating: 6/10 (20 June 2005)

How many times do you come away from an action movie (and one based on a comic book series no less) remembering the characterizations more than anything else? This was the case for me in watching "Hellboy." I was totally impressed with Ron Perlman's dry as vermouth performance, and that alone elevates this film above your standard comic book to screen adaptation. Unfortunately, the story is so uninvolving that it never puts the characters in situations that really engage the viewer, so the acting talent much of the time feels wasted.
This film looks great, too, but come on, by now don't all Hollywood action films look pretty good, and shouldn't they, given the amount of money thrown at them. No, the makers of "Hellboy" have all the ingredients for a spicy, rich, delicious stew but only manage to muster up a mediocre broth that needs a lot of salt.
Grade: B-