Exceeded My Expectations!!!!!

Rating: 10/10 (9 April 2009)

It is one of the greatest superhero films of all time. Luke Goss and Seth McFarlane are among the newest characters while Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones and Jeffery Tambor all return. The acting is great and comical and the cast is perfect. Marco Beltrami doesn't return disappointedly but Danny Elfman doesn't let us down, delivering a thrilling score. I don't know what's more beautiful; the symphony as the dead Elemental blooms or as Nuada crumbles into a pile of golden brown stone. John Krauss is an interesting character and I can't wait to see him in the next film ( that is if he isn't transferred to Antarctica).The story surpasses "Hellboy" namely because we see 'Red' in the real world and it's a great ironic twist that the public doesn't view him as he'd so dearly hoped. We see his dreams shattered and Ron Perlman shows this just as I imagined it! The Golden Army looked incredible and the end battle was one of the film's highlights.
This film also expands the universe of Hellboy and I really enjoyed all of the vivid sets. The creatures are amazing, from the 'tooth-fairies' to the Elemental to the beautiful freaks of the Troll Market, all are truly wonderful. Guillermo really has earned the title "visionary". Wink is a marvelous beast and his battle with Hellboy is one of my favorite sequences in the movie. The brutality fits in nicely with the comedy I have to say and the chain fist was a plus most definitely. Prince Nuada's character is one of del Toro's best villains, with spectacular motive and an emotional appeal that in the end makes us pity the fallen warrior. Abe and Nuala's love story is great and the climax is a tragic moment. The comedy is fantastically funny, by far the funniest when a drunk Hellboy and Abe sing a Barry Manilow duet! That part was incredibly funny and one of my personal favorite sequences in the film. The song itself is honestly catchy and you know it's true. But the story still retained its serious moments, delivering the emotions precisely at the right moments. Such as when Hellboy met his "angel of death", a truly remarkable scene. The Angel of Death itself was stunning and the scene reminds us that despite his hero status, it is still his destiny to "bring about the end of the world".
Ron is simply at his best and my expectations for Hellboy 3 are now higher than ever, but one can only wonder: How exactly will a pair of Hellboy-Liz mutts fit into the story? Most likely Guillermo del Toro has something planned. Yep, other than "Dark Knight", this is my favorite summer flick. Totally exceeded my expectations!!!