Boy From Hell Saves The World

Rating: Null/10 (16 April 2009)

What I've experienced with most based-on-comic-book movies is that they either turn out to be fantastic (e.g. the first X-men movie, 'Sin City', 'The Crow' etc) or downright bad ('The Phantom'). Very few fall under the average category. Being a huge fan of the 'Hellboy' comics, Guillermo del Toro passionately makes the movie. Collaborating with the original creator Mike Mignola, del Toro tries to be as true to the source as possible yet, for cinematic purposes, some liberty has been taken and the result is an outstanding science-fiction, fantasy action film.
On the technical side, 'Hellboy' is a wonderful visual experience. The production value is high caliber and effectively used. The world of Hellboy is spectacular. The set designs, cinematography, robotics, light effects, visuals, colour and score are first rate. The special effects look real. del Toro tried to use little CGI on the characters and more robots which makes these characters look more authentic. Yet, the CGI is used sufficiently and is very well done.
I also liked the creative novel concept behind the story. del Toro brings plenty of humour through his dialogues. The characters are not only fascinating to look at but are intriguing personalities. The editing is superb as the story flows beautifully keeping the viewer in suspense and wanting to know more. Even though 'Hellboy' is an action film that tackles the nature versus nurture theme, the love triangle between Hellboy, Liz and John was brilliantly portrayed and adds a nice touch to the movie.
The cast features a host of talented but underrated actors. Ron Perlman is stupendous in the title role. What makes Hellboy so likable is his human-like traits, such as his sense of humour, his liking for music and cats. Selma Blair breathes fire as Liz Sherman. Rupert Evans is promising. Doug Jones is terrific as the funny and vivacious amphibian-like Abe Sapien. John Hurt is fabulous. Jeffrey Tambor is hilarious.
Coming back to the first point, 'Hellboy belongs to the category of great based-on-comic-book movies. It's got a good dose of action, comedy, adventure, fantasy, science fiction, romance and a magnificent story. What's not to like?