What's big, red and horny, features men in prosthetic rubber masks yet only receives a 12A certificate?

Rating: 7/10 (11 November 2008)

*** This review is courtesy of Fundulgence.com - the One to watch. It also featured on BBC Radio Sheffield, Leeds and York. ***
That'll be the latest comic blockbuster then Hellboy returns and this time around director Guillermo Del Toro has a much bigger budget to play with. This is partly down to the DVD sales of the original Hellboy, but largely due to his success with the Oscar winning Pan's Labyrinth. For the uninitiated, Hellboy is a rock-handed demon turned good guy, raised by humans and employed by the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defence (BPRD), where he's part of a team responsible for saving the world from all manner of fantastical monstrosities.
Unlike its predecessor, this sequel devotes more time to the wise cracking star of the show, (played once again by the superb Ron Perlman) and the ensemble BPRD team. This freaky fellowship consists of Hellboy's girlfriend Liz Sherman (Cruel Intention's Selma Blair) whose fiery temperament extends to her physical condition, blue gilled intellectual Abe Sapien (Doug Jones), and new addition Johann Krauss; a stereotypically efficient German with an accent that makes Heir Flick sound subtle. Krauss is an ephemeral ectoplasm specialist brought in to reign in Hellboy's tendency to expose the Bureau to public embarrassment  as 'Big Red' has a Hancock-esquire ability to inflict complete carnage in the name of heroics.
The plot revolves around the breaking of an ancient truce between elves and mankind, and the titular Golden Army  an indestructible race of killing machines  being resurrected by Elf Prince Nuada. Del Toro may now be hard at work on the prequel to the Lord of the Rings, but the Elf race on show here are far removed from Tolkien's vision. Prince Nuada, played by Luke Goss, is more akin to the savage vampire that he played in Del Toro's other big comic sequel, Blade II. As the main bad guy of the piece, he does a solid job, being as hard as nails and hell-bent on wiping out mankind, though lacking any discernible motive. At his disposal are a legion of lethal tooth fairies and a beautifully destructive forest elemental (think Treebeard having a bad trip on Miracle-Gro and you get the idea).
If this review sounds like it's taking a turn for the surreal, then it's unavoidable; this is a Del Toro fantasy epic after all. The visionary director has really let loose here, and the visuals are truly incredible. It's a natural evolution on the twisted fairy tale imaginings of Pan's Labyrinth which melds perfectly with the fantasy comic visuals. Never relying too heavily on CGI, many of the bizarre creations have been painstakingly built from scratch, and the bustling Troll Market scene is nothing short of astonishing  it makes the Star Wars Mos Eisley cantina look positively run of the mill. Del Toro has also taken screen writing duties, rather than base the plot on one of Mike Mignola's comics, and it's here that the film falters.
The plot is formulaic, yet if the structure had been as original as the imagery and characters this would have been an instant classic. Del Toro has clearly worked hard on this labour of love in order to provide the freak show characters with more than just distinctive personalities but heart and humanity as well. Subsequently the team is on top form during the heat of battle with plenty of bickering and witty banter, which is much more satisfying than the sub-Dawson's Creek relationship issues. Whether it's the contrast between their extreme appearances and the simpering expressions of emotion, their breaking into drunken serenades or simply the unlikelihood of mutual attraction between such oddballs; the love story plot threads only succeed in slowing down the proceedings.
Hellboy II: The Golden Army is a visual feast, it's unlike any of this summer's many other comic book blockbusters and the striking fantasy imagery bodes well for Del Toro's forthcoming depiction of the Hobbit. True to 'Big Red' himself though, the film is big, dumb, violent and all too often sickly sweet but has an endearingly good sense of humour and is devilishly slick when it comes to a good punch-up.