Sequel-itis

Rating: 4/10 (17 July 2008)

Guillermo, we have a problem.
While 'Hellboy II' is certainly a dazzling film to look at, everything else feels very much like a sequel. Where bigger doesn't necessarily mean better. A larger budget lends itself to more impressive effects, but if you're looking for a film that goes completely overboard in excess, you've got it. This wouldn't be a problem had del Toro spent half as much time developing a story worth being told, but as it stands, 'The Golden Army' rings resoundingly empty. A rehashed message about mankind and their craving of power and land, I never found a convincing reason for this film to exist.
Del Toro never quite decides whether he wants his project to be taken seriously or as an off-beat comedy, he appears to want both. And while it works in small doses, more often than not the result is a dull misfire and startling cacophony that couldn't make me care. The actors brought their A-game, Guillermo brought his dark and twisted imagination, but everything else was forgotten in the process. What a mess.
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