Hell of a movie? Maybe not

Rating: 3/10 (20 August 2008)

As an avid fan of the comics and a lover of the director's (Del Torro) previous work, I was in high spirits about going to see this film after having seen all the cool previews and trailers, despite the fact that I didn't really care for the 1st film all that much.
This film sees Hellboy and the rest of the BPRD up against the Price of the Elves/Elfs I never remember which one its meant to be should have paid attention while playing AD&D role play when I was at school I guess. The king of the whatever wants to obtain all three parts to a golden crown that will allow him to take command of an indestructible army of golden machine warriors called the golden army. Whilst he is obtaining the parts to the crown, he draws the attention of the BPRD and thus Hellboy and the team with the notable addition of new team member, Johann Krauss (an endoplasmic entity inside a mechanised suit) have to come kick some ass in order to prevent this.
To be honest, as soon as the film started, I thought "what the DEVIL (see what I did there?) is this?" The kid playing a young Hellboy is as cringeworthy as the young Anakin Skywalker in Episode One! From then on, I wasn't chuffed but the film did pick up at points and feel more like the comic but maybe its just me this just wasn't Hellboy.
Don't get me wrong, I think maybe if you haven't read the comics then this film is well worth a watch but speaking as a fan, I felt jipped. I can't actually believe that Mike Mignola (the comic author) would have let this go mind you he was a co-writer in the 1st film. The problem with this film and indeed the 1st is that it tries to appeal to a wider demographic by dumbing down the mystical and dark brooding feel of the comics, and instead replacing it with too many jokes, slap stick humour and the worst sound track I have heard in ages! Let me get this straight for you, this is how bad it is Hellboy and Abe (who has some how become the fish version of C3-PO) sing a love song duet over a girl Abe has only just met a few hours before hand!!! Also, Hellboy and Liz Sherman seem to have become a lovers couple now I have read most of the books and yes, there was tension between them in the comics.
The only saving graces of this movie were the really stunning special effects, from the costume and beast designs to the snazzy and well used CGI. Also I have to say Luke Goss as the Elf price, Nuada, gives us a strong performance filled with emotion and executed perfectly he continues to prove us all wrong as an actor. Also his martial arts skills seem to have excelled since his also impressive performance in Blade 2
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