Not as slick as they had hoped

Rating: 6/10 (14 August 2004)

While this movie was more popcorn and cheese than I would have liked, Hellboy still presents us with some endearing character portrayals, outstanding effects, solid story line and good direction.
The premise is ... that after having conjured a demonic imp-like being, the Nazis are disturbed and their small faction defeated by the US. The paranormal adviser who is aboard the US mission lures the lil guy to his side with Baby Ruth candy bars, and he therefore adopts him as his "son" of sorts.
Once grown, the imp - who is now on the side of good having been raised sixty years by a good-hearted and wise human - fights evil in all its forms.
The imp is enamored with a firestarter who is also in the group, out of the group, back in the group, and so on. Good thing that the big red guy's flame retardant, or he could be singing the Doors from the other side. "C'mon baby light my fire." *chuckles* The meridian/merman was beautifully done, portrayed and executed. Great incarnation of a highly intelligent and sensitive race.
The one-liners and zingers flying about were more likely to put an eye out than make anyone laugh. In that area, this movie tried too hard to be witty and just came off seeming a bit anorexic. Unfortunate, as this could have been much more enjoyable, had they pulled it off. However, all that taken into account, I was still amused and entertained by the premise and the actual story. Some critics have accused this attempt of having no story whatsoever, but that just is not the case.
The story is of love, life, blind faith, imagination and intelligence, and ultimately loyalty both to family and friends. Even when delivered through a basely stereo-typical chauvinistic tough-guy personnae, these qualities do not fail to shine through.
The action sequences were fun, with a strong accent on those one-liners. Nevertheless, they were still entertaining. Importantly, the effects were excellent and did manage to carry the movie through a couple of tough spots. A good thing, too, as I never even noticed the score.
All in all, it still rates a 6.4/10 from...
the Fiend :.