A letdown, poorly written.

Rating: 5/10 (19 July 2008)

OK, I've read some of the reviews and commentary on this movie, and I just don't get it. I did not enjoy this movie as much as the first one. Something was just missing. Hellboy 1 had more soul. #2 was just a bunch of action scenes tied together and with a thin veneer of "personal chemistry" thrown in to make the viewer feel drawn in emotionally. But it didn't work on me. I really, really wanted it to, and I waited breathlessly for this release. The trailers were great, but the movie did not deliver.
In Hellboy 1, we witness a creature from another world who is wallowing in his self-pity and conflicts borne of his differentness--he was raised as human by his human step-father, but he is too different to fit in. Forced to revert to a demon of destruction by the forces of evil, he comes to the brink of destroying the world. Then he is reminded of his humanity by John Meyers just in time to avert calamity. Thus we learn that all sentient creatures, whether human or wanna-be human, can take charge of their destiny; we can overcome our programming.
Then there was the romantic triangle that formed between Meyers, Liz, and Hellboy. Liz was a confused, troubled girl who sort of loved Hellboy but was so afraid of her power that she withdrew into a shell. Meyers drew her out of that shell, and in the process fell in love with her (or at least developed a bit of a crush). In the end, Liz herself realized her responsibilities and loyalties in time to save her buddy Hellboy and thus she came into her full power as a super hero and a woman.
Hoo boy. What a world they created. Now we come to Hellboy 2. Meyers is inexplicably gone, even though Dr. Broom specifically recruited him to continue HB's lessons in being human. Abe has changed, and oh, do I miss Michael Lindsay's voice! I have read that Lindsay wanted Doug Jones to recite his own lines, so I guess he got what he wanted, and as a result the delicate and humorous Abe we came to know in HB 1 is gone. Oh yes, and Abe was willing without hesitation to cravenly betray humanity because of his love for the Princess. Sorry, I don't buy that. This isn't the same Abe.
Tom Manning has also changed--he was a take-charge guy before, butting heads with Hellboy all through the first movie, but in the end he was won over and the two came to have a mutual respect. Now, suddenly he's reduced to bribing Hellboy with cigars to not show himself in public. What happened? Manning was useless and contemptible in this movie.
I don't see the point of Kraus except as more eye candy. Evidently they were hoping Kraus would add some humor and tension to the story, but it didn't really work. But he was an interesting creature, nonetheless.
The elves wore too much makeup and the princess behaved strangely. The prince, at least, had some motivation in this movie, unlike almost everyone else. But he was also either a psychopath who would unhesitatingly slaughter his father or else the elves are just different from us humans. Not very believable in either case.
Oh, and Hellboy became weaker in this movie. He was a powerful, kick-butt demon in the first one, and now he gets knocked on his ass by every monster that comes along. He gets a magical razor in his chest and almost dies. What happened to the Hellboy we knew from HB1?
Lastly, and sadly, was the ridiculous scene at the end where the agents quit. Huh? Since when had the Department become an evil big bad boss that deserved to be treated so shabbily? They took these freaks in, trained them, helped them to have a niche in a hostile world, and together they protected humanity from the "things that go bump in the night". This is Professor Broom's legacy. Now, as if to show how little they think of Prof. Broom, Hellboy and his gang just walked away from Manning, leaving him plaintively crying for them to come back. And where exactly were they going? To live on a commune of mutants and freaks somewhere in Ireland, where they happened to be stranded? Brilliant writing, guys, this really ties everything together--not!!!
I could go on and on. Well, it's only a movie. But I am really disappointed.