An imaginative, 'hollywood-ised' Pans Labrinth

Rating: 7/10 (13 September 2008)

Hellboy 2: The Golden Army, is a strange, beautiful beast of a story. Strange in the sense its comedy is blended strongly with captivating action sequences. Beatuful in its details and mysteriously engaging quirks, filled in with a mix of Hollywood action and fantasy.
Centered around the evolution of Hellboy (Ron Pearlmen) and the government agency he works reluctantly for, the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defence, Hellboy 2 is a beefed up version of Hell Boy 1, with the Russians and Nazis's from the first being mercifully replaced with a stunning array of unimaginable creatures from a world within ours. And so the man in red is set with the task of destroying what is described as by the more charismatic character Abe Sapien, as the Golden Army, an unstoppable force. Surpisigly however, the golden army does not appear until the final fifth of the film, the rest is good, solid filler, including some pretty great action sequences, including a fine blend of monsters expertly wielded and created by Guillermo del Toro (director). All manner of creatures in Hellboy 2 are so detailed and visually stimulating, the screen becomes a feast of fantasy and adventure, not too mention the occasional 'Aww Crap!' However, Hellboy 2 unfortunately fails when it comes to relationship scenes and development Hellboy 1 was so desperately setting up. Guillermo del Toro once said 'I can direct someone being killed, but I can't direct a love scene.' How right he was, the love interests and Mozart-filled scenes are far too hollow and fake it feels awfully uncomfortable to watch. Ron Pearlman also lacks in these vital scenes, where he seems to collapse on seen, his face bearing an expression that desperately seeks to hear the word 'cut.' Nonetheless, Hellboy 2 is above par and gathers all the right cogs, before putting them in the right place, creating an visual feast complimeted by the mind and fantasies of a defining director.