A pleasant surprise

Rating: 8/10 (23 December 2004)

After being subjected to a tirade of putrescent superhero movies such as THE HULK, DAREDEVIL, THE PUNISHER, CATWOMAN and SPIDER-MAN 2, I have understandably become extremely cynical about such films. So when I went to see Hellboy out of sheer boredom one fine Saturday, I was expecting a load of rubbish. What I got was a fast-paced, humorous, and surprisingly well-made comic adaption, that strides head and shoulders above the aforementioned swill. While it's far from perfect, it's certainly good enough to restore one's hope that another good superhero movie, worthy of the first installment of SPIDER-MAN, will eventually be made.
The plot comes across as unashamed, but diverting and well-thought-out cinematic kitsch. It manages to incorporate demons, Nazis, resurrection, Rasputin, and the end of the world into a gaudy but coherent whole, with excellent characterisations all-round from the likes of Selma Blair, Karel Roden, Rupert Evans, John Hurt, Jeffrey Tambor and Ron Perlman, who steals the show in the lead role. The script is superbly entertaining and extremely witty, with a number of truly memorable scenes and one-liners. The special effects are brilliant, but thankfully not overdone, and they are more than justified by the excellent cinematography.
No matter how corny the trailer looks, and no matter how much you hated DAREDEVIL, you will be thoroughly entertained by this film. Believe me, nobody was more cynical about this movie than I was before I saw it, and yet, I loved it. (If you actually liked DAREDEVIl, well... that's a different, and very sad, story!) Have patience with HELLBOY, and you'll be rewarded with a decent film, and hopefully, a portent for superhero films to come. 8/10.