Great Adaptation of Mike Mignola's Comic Book Hero's Early Adventures

Rating: Null/10 (9 April 2004)

Hellboy is a terrific action, science fiction, and horror-laced film, featuring amazing performances, incredible special effects, and masterly make-up work.
Mike Mignola's signature character, the titular Hellboy, is brought to life as only Ron Perlman and as only monster make-up maestro Rick Baker can. Perlman and Baker's Hellboy looks as if he stepped right off one of Mignola's signature abstract-like comic art panels. Perlman portrays Hellboy as an everyman who stomps out evil much like a plumber unclogs a drain. Perlman's Hellboy is an awe-inspiring presence who gets as good as he gives, and always has a smart quip no matter what obstacle he faces. I commend Perlman for his performance as Hellboy, because it appears incredibly difficult to play a part in such intricate make-up and costume, and still put forth a more than worthy perforamce.
Doug Jones is Abraham Sapien, the aquatic telepath who appears to be an amalgam of man, salamander, and sundry fish parts. His voice is provided by David Hyde Pierce, who is perfect in providing Sapien with intelligence, aloofness, and humanity. Once again, Rick Baker does a perfect job with adapting Sapien's comic book appearance for the silver screen.
Selma Blair is fine as pyrokinetic Liz Sherman, and gives a measured, yet tortured performance. Her best scenes are with Perlman's Hellboy, and we see that these two are, literally, made for each other.
John Hurt's Professor Trevor Bruttenholm is a sheer delight, and is a spot on homage to Mignola's character in appearance and performance. His fatherly relationship to Hellboy is expanded upon and very touching.
The villains of Hellboy are frightening, to say the least. Karl Roden's seemingly immortal Rasputin is deliciously sinister, but reverent to the powers that he serves. Biddy Hodson's Ilsa Haupstein is vile, yet sexy, but Ladislav Beran's Kroenen is a disturbing, violent creature that goes well beyond the appropriately stereotypical Nazi villain portrayal.
Hellboy is a rare film that can please a wide variety of audiences and filmgoers. It truly is a movie that has it all. And I think that Mr. Mignola will be pleased how Guillermo del Toro's opus turned out.
Highly recommended!