Satisfying, above average comic book thriller about on a par with the original

Rating: 7/10 (15 September 2008)

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning
It's another ordinary day for Hellboy (Ron Perlman) in the life of a half human, half demon crime fighter. He's having mild relationship problems with fire-morphing girlfriend Liz (Selma Blair) and continues to be mentored by his adoptive father Professor Bruttenholm (John Hurt.) But a new storm is brewing in the shape of Prince Nuada (Luke Goss) an immortal who's been living underground for many years. He wants to resurrect the 'golden army', so they can tear down the modern world and restore it to a world of anarchy and mayhem. He's even willing to kill his own father and turn on his sister to get it. Needless to say, Hellboy's gotta whoop some hellfire on his ass.
This delayed sequel to the above average 2004 comic book offering Hellboy comes complete with the same director in the shape of Gullirmo Del Toro and with him, his distinctive, quite awe inspiring flair for visual design and prosphetic make-up. Hellboy II comes to life in front of the audience as a surreal, mesmerizing fantasy, quite a visual feast for the eyes, and for more reasons than just the aforementioned. To wit, one of the most bizarre but downright funny moments of the filmic year as the big red one drowns his sorrows, with science whizz buddy Abe Sapien (Doug Jones) to the tune of Barry Mannilow's Can't Smile Without You. While other superhero movies may be trying to be all cool and trendy with the dark, Gothic look, one thing Hellboy II couldn't be accused of is taking itself too seriously, with it's lead hero quipping "oh hell" every two seconds and responding to such threats as "you'll pay for this" with lines such as "do you take cheques?", before his assailant unleashes a seed that gives rise to a giant monster that wants to give the Cloverfield monster some competition. It may have an apathetic plot that only serious comic book enthusiasts will really care about, but the audience were hopefully smart enough to know what to expect and enjoyed it accordingly.
I didn't find it quite as enjoyable as everyone else has said, to be honest, but while not better than the original (what is?) this is a sequel that's certainly on a par with it. And that's more than you can say for a lot. ***