Better Than The First, But Still Room For Improvement

Rating: 7/10 (1 July 2009)

I found the first Hellboy to be incredibly average and anti-climatic. I had some hopes for the sequel, but the trailers made it seem like there was just too much going on. It seems like the film is trying really hard to create this other world in which Del Toro can have his fun, run wild and create some pretty interesting creatures and locals. Hellboy II is exactly this, but I did enjoy it more then the first one.
Abe is given more screen time, but his character seemed to irritate me at the end, would he really do what he does? I thought he was smarter then that. Don't tell me he was in love either, I just couldn't really buy that relationship. It seemed forced and used as a device just so that we could get to the battle sequence at the end.
Perlman proves again why he is the man to play Hellboy. He has so much fun in this role and it shows. Why these films don't make him a bigger star, I don't know. he has the action role down pat and his comedic bits are great. Sure he doesn't have the face of Tom Cruise, but this guy should be in more movies.
The film looks beautiful and it moves at a great pace. The action sequences, while great, don't add up to anything. It really just seems like they go to one location fight, then go to the next to fight. The fault of both this film and the first is that is has the potential to be really great and I know Del Toro can deliver, but on both tries the films have been just decent. Good films that you like, but wouldn't rush out to buy or remember years later.
The bad guy, who was also the baddie in Del Toro's other comic book flick Blade II, is the highlight. He is great and I hope to see Goss in more roles as well. Although, in the film there is a point they make about him and his sister and once they show it you know exactly how the film is going to end. The Golden Army could have been in the film a bit more, but that's just a minor complaint. It seemed like the film's climax wasn't really the biggest battle. The Nature Creature (which reminded me of Cloverfield) seemed to pose more of a threat and the film couldn't jump over that hurdle, which came mid way through the film.
To wrap it up, this film improves on some things from the original, but not so much to make me really adore it. I can recommend it because it's fairly entertaining and does a good job at pleasing the fans. I'm hoping the next film, they pull out all the stops and really wow us. The potential is there, they just need to see it.
PS: Extra points for that final shot though.