Too confusing and illogical to be memorable

Rating: 5/10 (12 February 2008)

Well, the first of many problems with this film is its historical inaccuracy. The Germans were not in Scotland in 1941, hell they never even "invaded" England during World War II. Anyway and why did the film mention that Hitler died after World War II? Oh well, I'm sure that the comics explained this, but how is the audience supposed to accept all of this nonsense without some explanation? I was confused as to what was happening (with regard to the plot) that I couldn't follow characters very well. Something else that bothered me was why Del Toro didn't explain the monsters' origins. Yes, at the beginning, we are made aware of how some monsters were there, but not all of them. For example, why was Liz released to the insane asylum? These are some of the problems with the plot. Now, at least the rest of the film is decent, but unfortunately it's rather one-sided. Hellboy is the only hero who actually fights. Abe Sapien is nothing more than a supporting character. Nothing he does is irreplaceable. I know that he may not have had any fighting roles in the comics but his lack of fighting here made the film very boring. However, the one saving grace of this film was Hellboy's cynicism. His quotes such as "You killed my father, your ass is mine" were very amusing and refreshing. Also, the special effects were effective. It appeared as if Hellboy was fighting actual creatures instead of CGI creatures. Something that I found interesting was how the film portrayed American Cold War sentiments. The primary antagonist was Russian and the characters had to go to Russia to destroy the evil. So, if nothing else, the film is a cultural icon. I just wish del Toro had made it easier for non-comic book readers to understand.