better than the Hulk, Daredevil or the LXG

Rating: 7/10 (2 April 2004)

This was a very enjoyable film and should spawn a sequel or two. The only question is, since this is one of those "save the world" films, what do you do for an encore?
Ron Perlman was excellent as the blue collar hero. But rather than be a simple caricature, we saw Hellboy's deep feelings emerge for one of his fellow teammates, whose powers resemble those of an X-Men 2 mutant. The scene with him spying on her from a rooftop while she was on a date was really funny and somewhat tender at the same time.
The mysterious Nazi in the "gas mask" is revealed eventually and he slices and dices his way through the film like a martial arts expect with truncheon-like steel blades. The CGI monster looks like a cross between a squid, a warthog and a wolf. There's proof that this film doesn't try to take itself too seriously when Hellboy battles one of these creatures with one hand while holding onto a box of kittens in the other. The comment he makes will crack you up.
At times, the story is a bit convoluted and would require a second viewing to follow closely.
Hellboy is a new cinema icon and so long as Perlman is able to play the role with humour and human feelings, much like Tobey McGuire's Spiderman, we have the makings of a franchise. It's not as superb as the last X-Men film but Hellboy the character is much more charismatic that the Hulk, Daredevil or any of the cast from The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.
Review by Triniman