It's exactly what you think...

Rating: 6/10 (6 August 2004)

This film hopes that its high production quality and charming wit will compensate for the fact that it lacks continuity and quite often defies the very rules it invents for the Hellboy world. One example can be found after Hellboy has been pushed off of the front of a train, only to keep knocking his shaved-down horns on the bottom of the cars that are passing over him. This resulted in a great deal of friction, heating his horns, and leading the leading man to say "Ouch!" after touching these horns, indicating to his viewers that they were hot. However, not 60 seconds later, Hellboy reveals one of his powers, by grabbing a rail and allowing the electricity to surge through his body and fry his opponent. How could his horns be too hot to touch, but yet he could sustain who-knows-how-many volts of electricity? Then, there was the Liz Sherman character, played by Selma Blair, whose fiery temper could set an entire asylum ablaze all the while leaving her clothing completely unscorched. Oh, how we long for the days when a man's rage might turn him big and green, but would also magically grow an appropriately placed pair of purple pants! Also, Rasputin looked like a pimp, for some reason. Ron Perlman, however, offers an even and sardonic delivery of an extra-worldly character, whose human upbringing shares the quintessential values of hope, love, and freewill. Although the writing at times desired something more, at many times, especially in scenes with Jeffrey Tambor, the film would surprise you with its happy-go attitude. And it should not be overlooked, the special effects were fun and engaging. Hellboy's a watch-it-once, maybe watch-it-once-more kind of movie that has you happy that you didn't take it too seriously and thankful that we still have Sam Raimi to show us how a comic book movie is really done.