B+ Good script, well-paced, overall very entertaining.

Rating: 8/10 (13 April 2004)

Hellboy is a well-balanced and very well-paced movie that avoids tiresome action movie content (mostly).
Script: Very efficient. The snappy-attitude lines are allowable because of Hellboy's partially juvenile personality.
Acting: I credit Pearlman for presenting a complete character without being gabby and coy. Well-done. Almost all of the other significant characters are equally well-presented by their respective actors, save for one. del Toro certainly dropped the ball in writing/directing that character (though I won't mention who so as not to give anything away). He messed up only one character, and I forgive him. Nobody's perfect.
Casting: Appropriate.
Pace/balance: The movie reminded me of X2 in this respect. It moved well, didn't get stalled anywhere, and both the action and drama were moderated with smooth transitions between each.
For comparison, Spiderman was good but overacted, X2 was good but with a few eye-rolling moments.
Overall, I found this movie provided high entertainment value. B+