Ehhhh...It's okay...

Rating: 6/10 (18 September 2005)

Not great, not awful. Hellboy is a strangely put together film. It's not really action-y enough to be action. Not dramatic enough for drama. It's a summer movie that's slow and plodding. Sometimes this works and sometimes it doesn't.
The first thing to notice is the art direction. Every room is a masterpiece. Every costume is superb. This is a great, great film to watch for background. Color, lighting, set design are all top notch.
Too bad, then, that the script just doesn't live up to their lofty achievements. The post skips nimbly over some rather thin flooring that threatens to become holes any second. The dialogue, too, is rather sketchy. Especially in the beginning. This movie feels like one that had a lot of footage left on the floor.
The acting was pretty good, but we don't ever really know anything about the characters. No one has any real development. They just are, and they continue to be throughout the film.
This is a film that I would recommend for a day that you are feeling lazy. Don't think too much about it. Just sit back and let it wash over you. Maybe you will fall asleep. Maybe you will make it all the way through. Either way, you'll probably enjoy the experience.