Pretty good comic book/ghostbusters mixture.....

Rating: 6/10 (29 January 2005)

I hadn't ever read the comic and can't say that I was on the edge of my seat before watching it, but after getting the DVD-am glad I did. Hellboy is a really decent comicbook hero flick. You have seen the character types before, and to be honest at times I thought I was watching out-takes from either Ghostbusters or Scooby, but it Does work.
Best part-Ron Perlman. Great casting, good performance, it's written w/ him in mind clearly. The girl is a washout, Mr Bland as the potential Other Guy is dull, John Hurt in the Mr Miyagi role works quite well. I enjoyed the baddies though they're just rehashes from Raiders don't you think? Excellent, elaborate fights and nasty monsters, machines, etc, with the Yuck factor turned up kinda high whenever Sammael there shows up. I enjoyed the humorous touches--Hellboy getting run over by the subway and bumping his chin on the subway as it passes over, Ahnold-style one-liners, etc, all good.
The actual finale is lame-kissing in flames-and you kinda wonder about just why the Cthulu types would want to bother w/ earth, but never mind....it's not worth worrying about.
*** outta ****, def. worth a watch.