Very confusing if you haven't read the comics. (Potential spoilers)

Rating: Null/10 (6 September 2004)

I Felt I had to make a comment on this film as I have difficulty in understanding the praise this film has received in the reviews I've read. To have an introduction that allows the Nazis to be in Scotland during the end of the second world war is sure to anger many citizens of the UK so this took me aback. Nevertheless, I was prepared to let this glaring historical inaccuracy go as it is a fantasy film and I was determined to enjoy myself for my £6 pound entry.
I respected the fact that the film was trying to be a little different from the glut of superhero films out at the moment and Ron Perlman evidently was trying his best with a woeful script. However the only point in the film that me and the rest of the cinema audience even registered a mild chuckle was when Hellboy throws a stone at his love rival. The fight scenes were also poorly handled, Del Toro evidently letting some of the bad habits (such as the lack of motion capture in the ninja fight scene in Blade II) creep into this film. Why did Hellboy, when thrown into a wall appear to be on a zip line when flying distances that defy gravity through endless amounts of glass cabinets?
I also felt the need for the viewer to have read the comics thoroughly to have a chance at grasping the plot. Was Rasputin in league with Hitler? What was the spaceship at the start with the huge eye? Why wasn't Hellboy crushed to death in the subway when he screams 'ouch' at the sucker thing on his arm? It is these inaccuracies on the part of the director, which are a bit unprofessional. Why did the nazi assassin have to die to sneak in to John Hurt's lab when Rasputin could have killed him as he was in there anyway? Also, how bad were the snow effects? It seems like when Hellboy fell on the ground near the end that he was pushing aside bits of polystyrene. For this to be a mainstream Hollywood release it needs to be able to appeal to all and not just those who have read the comics. I could go on forever but I am getting as bored now as I was ten minutes into the film.