The Red Right Hand (A very short review of Hellboy & Hellboy 2)

Rating: 8/10 (29 December 2016)

Hellboy is a cool film. It has action, it has humour, it has heart, it has a truckload of kitties - now what's not to like!? It is a frankly a bad-ass movie, with a bad-ass song; Nick Cave's Red Right Hand, here performed by Pete Yorn. That scene alone is worth a couple of stars in the rating, that's how good it is. Hellboy is also a rather dark superhero film, featuring Nazi scientists where specially the gas mask clad Dr. Kroenen sticks out from the crowd as he suffers from severe body dysmorphic disorder. Another noteworthy beast is Sammael; the "Hound of Resurrection", kill one of these monsters and two shall rise. It is a funky bunch. And I have always found it peculiar that Hellboy 2 gets a higher rating here on IMDb. It is a much lighter story and honestly, If I want to watch disgruntled trolls, then I put on the 80s classic fairy-tale Labyrinth. In Hellboy 2 the grittiness that made the first movie is replaced by slapstick and creatures which seem aimed at a much younger audience. I rather watch Hellboy 1 twice in a row than bother with the sequel. H1 gets 8/10. H2 a mere 5/10 (and that's being quite generous.. it does feature a song by Eels).