Why doesn't this have a higher rating?

Rating: 8/10 (30 September 2009)

I haven't read a single page of any of the comics. And I was not fond of del Toro from what I had seen by him before this, those being Mimic and Blade II. As of watching this, I am at least interested in his work. The trailer instantly sold me on this, and I was not disappointed. Plot is engaging and well-thought out. The characters are nicely developed, consistent and credible. Action is absolutely awesome and rather well-choreographed, and Kroenen rocks harder than I thought possible. This is also impeccably funny, garnering many laughs, and it never tries too hard. The pacing is spot-on, and you get to relax between the intense, exciting and scary sequences. Acting is excellent, Perlman is flawless, Hurt is beyond reproach as always, Blair lends her role the vulnerability that it needs without being overly frail, and Evans manages to make his part, which could easily have been anything but, quite tolerable, and even pleasant. Heck, the kid they use isn't terribly irritating, that in itself is noteworthy. The special effects are amazing, and there is a lot of imagination and creativity in this, and it's all up there on the screen. Writing is great throughout, and there is a nice amount of memorable and/or clever dialog. There is infrequent, mild language, watered-down gore and bloody violence, and potentially disturbing content in this. It's one of the more entertaining PG-13 movies, and one where it isn't as obvious and distracting that they censored it. I recommend this to any fan of the director, the main cast and/or the Hellboy. 8/10