A Fine Film for Fantasy Fans

Rating: 8/10 (13 July 2008)

I'd like to address the opinions that many IMDb'ers seem to have. The general mindset from this site seems to be one thing: absolute opinions. Either people say they love a movie, or they hate it. They say it's great, or it is full of fail. I say Hellboy II is neither great, nor awful. Instead, I say it is an ARCHETYPAL movie. Some people give that word another meaning, "predictable". I, on the other hand, strongly disagree. While people say that a movie is bland for having unsurprising events, I say that they are sadly mistaken. After all, it is archetypes that give a movie its theme. With that being said, it is true that, in order for a movie to be outright outstanding, they truly need something special, in order to shine. Breaking away from archetypes is normally the way of doing so. As such, there must be some things that give this movie a great appeal.
The plot is a rather common one, but as I have already said, this is an archetypal film in many ways. Although the general plot is what is expected, the fine details are the things that I've enjoyed through the film. I went to this film, curious to see one thing: Character design. As such, I was more than pleasantly surprised. Yes, it's true that some characters aren't as three-dimensional as one would hope, but let us face facts; it is a two-hour long film, and people are called SECONDARY characters for a reason  not a lot of detail is given about them.
The physical character designs left a person completely fulfilled. Knowing the director was the same from Pan's Labyrinth, I was overly excited to see some new, neat monsters, and was happily pleased. There are plenty of small details which should make a person smile, such as Abe's breathing apparatus showing plenty of air bubbles floating up, whenever he is obviously nervous, scared, or in trouble. Even the characters' attitudes left a great deal of glee. Hellboy is one unique superhero, while Abe is no different. Furthermore, Seth MacFarlane (writer of American Dad, producer of Family Guy) made a beautifully mastered Johann Krauss, who should leave everyone in smiles.
Now, I'm afraid people will ignore this review, should I write much more. As such, I'd like to bring it to a quick close. Hellboy II: The Golden Army is a fine addition to the comic book life on the big screen. While I have seen many polar opposite beliefs on the quality of the film (it sucked vs. it was the best film ever), I'd advise watching it for yourself, and making your own opinions. Should you be interested in fantasy movies, I would highly recommend Hellboy II.