Lots of action and a good story...

Rating: 8/10 (29 December 2018)

While not being familiar with the "Hellboy" comic books, I had very little idea of what to expect from this movie the first time I watched it, back when it was initially released. I took the time to sit down and watch the 2004 "Hellboy" movie again, as part of getting geared up to the forthcoming new "Hellboy" movie in 2019.
I will be the first to admit that director and writer Guillermo del Toro definitely was the guy to have at the helm of this project, because he has a very unique knack for making these supernatural type of movies. And he did it marvelously at the helm of the 2004 "Hellboy" movie.
The storyline told throughout the course of the movie was a good and interesting one. It had lots of flavor to it and there were lots of smaller subplots to the overall main storyline along the way. It all panned out quite nicely and Guillermo del Toro managed to get the movie to come full circle at the end.
Needless to say that the special effects in the movie were off the charts. The creature designs and costume designs were just magnificent. The CGI was so realistic and there was a very Lovecraftian touch to the creatures throughout the movie and the massive entities that were found in space and in the skies. Definitely an interesting thing going on there.
There is also an abundance of action throughout the movie, and it was executed quite nicely, coming to life on the screen in a very beautiful and pleasing visual way for the audience to enjoy.
Not to mention an impressive array of actors and actresses to portray the various characters and roles in the movie. Ron Perlman is actually quite good as Hellboy, and he is not normally an actor I am all that keen on watching. Karel Roden made for a good villain in the role of Grigori Rasputin, but he was so outstaged by Ladislav Beran playing Karl Ruprecht Kroenen - not only did he have a much cooler outfit, but his character was also way more interesting to me. Doug Jones did a marvelous job as Abe Sapien, though it was the voice acting of David Hyde-Pierce that really brought so much charm and wits to the character.
While the reanimated corpse Ivan only had a minor part in the movie, he brought so much humor to the scenes that he will be sorely missed. Half a man, but all laughs.
The 2004 "Hellboy" movie is definitely an entertaining movie from start to end, and if you haven't already seen it, then I can strongly recommend that you take the time and effort to do so.