A hero who plays like a villain

Rating: 8/10 (22 August 2012)

Hellboy features visual effects on all different scales, all of which can be described as nothing short of spectacular. I wasn't so much attracted to the story as I was by Ron Perlman's wonderful performance and the uncanny amount of effects that were flooding the screen at record speeds.
If that's what you crave, than Hellboy is the recommended picture. Origins stories are hit or miss for me, but I found this particular one more believable in terms of performances and depth than Daredevil, yet not as polished and as moving as the recent Spider-Man films. But is it fair to compare Hellboy to the likes of a hero that is incredibly mainstream? That was for the masses. This is for the cultists.
"Hellboy" came out after the Nazis erected a portal off the coast of Scotland in 1944, hopefully summoning beasts from different worlds to help them win the war. The Nazis are soon defeated, the portal destroyed, but not before a blood-red infant emerges. The allies who discover him coin the name "Hellboy" for the little guy.
I'm sure you now know where this will lead; Hellboy's main gift to the world is assisting in attacking paranormal creatures that are attempting to wreak havoc on our planet Earth. Super simple stuff. Director Guillermo del Toro's livens up the seemingly disposable material with a bright light show, equipped with impressive pyrotechnics and a helluva lot of explosions to boot. For someone that, surprisingly, wasn't very moved or gripped by the storytelling, the effects served as the main course I was happy to feast on.
The key to Hellboy's success is Ron Perlman's amazingly gifted performance as the horned, red-skinned, quick-witted, loose-lipped, cigar-chomping demon that is Hellboy. Perlman's not only built for the role but incredibly capable in the shoes of the character, who possibly will never be portrayed as accurately again.
The direction by del Toro bleeds style and packs in enough substance as well. The character of Hellboy is closely followed throughout the course and it seems that even though many things are going on, we never lose sight of what is happening. Hellboy is a truly favorable superhero film, with a hero who looks and behaves sometimes more like a villain.
Starring: Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Jeffrey Tambor, Karel Roden, Rupert Evans, and John Hurt. Directed by: Guillermo del Toro.