You really have to feel bad for Hellboy II, being released around the same time as The Dark Knight, especially when the former is actually quite good. Despite being a fan of the first movie I was a bit skeptical when I heard about the sequel, but all of my skepticism was tossed out the window when I finally saw the trailer. Based on how it looked, I imagined it’d be worlds better than its predecessor. And I was right.

Hellboy II picks up where the first film leaves off, with the familiar cast of characters (and some new additions such as the Seth MacFarlane voiced Johann Krauss). This time around though the film delves more into folklore and mythology, blending Guillermo del Toro’s penchant for ingeniously crafted creature effects with dizzying action sequences that make the ones in the first Hellboy look amateurish. And (when the film comes out on DVD) you can play a fun drinking game by taking a shot everytime the editor uses an invisible cut. I guarantee you’ll be wasted before the first half hour’s gone by.

Everything about Hellboy II is just so much more epic. Dozens of characters and creatures, incredible action and effects, a unique story entrenched in folklore … wait, I’m repeating myself here. Still, that’s really what strikes me most about this film though. It feels like a mix of Pan’s Labyrinth and MirrorMask (a great film written by Neil Gaiman) with a splash of the original Hellboy for taste and color. What comes out is a delicious blend of superhero goodness and fantastical surrealism at its best.

Even if you weren’t a fan of the first Hellboy, or are skeptical about the whole franchise, give Hellboy II a shot. It’ll be well worth it.

The second Hellboy film from Guillermo del Toro, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, gleefully stays within the B-movie confines of the original. With more elaborate creatures and a tighter story than the first film, it’s good fun with some beautiful images and moments between the characters. You can tell that del Toro and the cast are having a great time as they fight supernatural foes and struggle with relationship issues. It’s delicate balance, but I love the characters and the visual splendour of the film kept me interested and entertained. I like a film that is happy and secure in the world that it creates.

Like the first Hellboy flick, this is mostly a good movie but once again del Toro and company have trouble coming up with a satisfying ending (don’t worry, won’t engage in spoilage). That aside, this one is an awful lot of fun to watch — or, more appropriately, to look at.

Like Pan’s Labyrinth (which suffered from some of the same problems)the creature design is JUSTAMAZING, and will reward many re-viewings with new sightings of things just beyond a scene’s ostensible focus, hidden in corners and behind other creatures. By far the best of these is a forest elemental, which bears an uncanny resemblance to the Chameleon Collossus of MTG fame.

The production design is also pretty fantastic, with more great clockwork sets and Hellboy’s quarters and the BRPD in general.

And Ron Perlman could make a a commercial for asbestos insulation and I’d still watch it all the way through, every time. Ditto John Hurt, back for a cameo, and Jeffrey Tambour, who has creepy oily bootlicking behavior down to the finest of arts. But for some reason they’ve redone Abe Sapiens with different design and a different voice — no David Hyde-Pierce. I miss him.

And well, yeah, the ending is pretty lame and highly predictable, but we’ve more or less come to expect that, havenot we?

I’ll still go see it agian in the theater and buy the DVD. Like I said, it’s awfully pretty.

fun popcorn movie. better than the original by far, imo.