Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Hellboy (Ron Perlman) is working with a covert US agency for the protection of mankind from paranormal threats. Hellboy is, however, a tad rebellious as he wants to be famous. He exposes himself to the world against the wishes of his boss and to his surprise isn't greeted with welcome arms by the people whose admiration he craves.

The Golden Army is a decent attempt at the superhero genre. It looks spectacular, and not only due to the CGI, the costumes and settings are very much in the mould of Del Toro's imagination. The characters are endearing and work well. I just can't help thinking that the action lacked a certain something. I definately expected more from the latter segments. This was the biggest, and only, let-down. Far too many a times a battle was hinted at, the hype about a huge war that I had believed could be a taster of what the Hobbit (Del Toro's upcoming project) will be like. But it failed at this.

There is much that is good with this movie. In fact I liked it. Hellboy 2 does not intend to depress the audience by being grim and dark. Instead the film employs the humour of Abe Sapien (a merman) and Johann Kraus (an ectoplasmic spirit). Their relationship with Hellboy is very pleasing to watch. The villain of the film is Prince Nuada (Luke Goss) who worked with Del Toro previously in Blade II. The character is a forgettable one. He posed a minimal threat to Hellboy, although his expertise in the martial arts field is a joy to witness.
It seems that a common trend has been set in the super-hero genre. Take Iron-man, or Fantastic Four, they have consisted of a decent build up to a pretty rushed and short climax. If this continues it could jeopardise the genre and turn audiences to a new one.

Real Reviewer Rating: 7.5/10