The Darker Side of Fairy Tales
Sequel Delves into Rich Mythos
This has been a summer for comic book movies. Even though the Hellboy series owes its storyline to the Dark Horse comic of the same name, it might be unfair to call Hellboy II: The Golden Army a comic book movie. First and foremost, it's a fantasy – a dark fantasy where fairies have gnashing teeth and gods of the forest can destroy city blocks. With Hellboy II, director Guillermo del Toro gives us a fantasy that is newer, bigger and more beautiful than the first. But can he make us care about two-dimensional characters?
Written by: Guillermo del Toro, based on the comic book by Mike Mignola
Starring: Ron Perlman, Luke Goss, Doug Jones, Selma Blair, Jeffrey Tambor and Anna Walton.
Rated
(for
sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and some language)Running time: 110 min.
FilmGuru's Rating : 7 out of 10.
The film begins with a bedtime story, read to a young Hellboy by his father and mentor Professor "Broom" (John Hurt). The fairy tale tells of a war between the humans and the elves, and how the king of the elves commanded the creation of an unstoppable army of golden warriors.
The story, of course, is no mere story. It is a history lesson for what is to come, as the elven Prince Nuada (Luke Goss) attempts to reconstruct the crown needed to command the golden army.
For the team at the top-secret Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, life has not changed much since the last film. Hellboy (Ron Perlman) is now living with his girlfriend Liz (Selma Blair) -- with predictably explosive results. He also continues to frustrate the head of the BPRD, Director Manning (Jeffrey Tambor). Hellboy has been photographed and filmed in several all-too-public appearances, threatening the secrecy of the organization. Only the enigmatic Abe Sapien (Doug Jones) seems nonplussed by the chaos in the bureau.
When an encounter at a crime scene exposes Hellboy, he – and the BPRD – are thrust into the media limelight. Hellboy has a few encounters with the locals as a result of being "outed," but when they encounter Prince Nuada they discover bigger problems. Nuada is looking for his sister, Princess Nuala (Anna Walton), and the final piece of the crown.
The action keeps the story moving forward, with hardly a moment to rest. As a result, the characters are given only the most minimal chance to develop. New characters like Princess Nuala and Johann Krauss (voiced by Seth MacFarlane) are thinly painted with little dimension. No time is given to their back stories, making it difficult to care about them at all.
We see a few moments, such as when Abe and Hellboy indulge in some male bonding over a few beers and some Barry Manilow music. But these are too few for true development. The characters don't seem to grow in any meaningful way. They experience life, but don't seem changed by it.
As with the first film, the agents working alongside Hellboy and company are just cannon fodder. Anyone without superpowers might as well be wearing a red shirt, because their life expectancy is less than five minutes.
While this emphasizes the need for the BPRD to protect humanity from the other realms, it shows a lack of regard for human life. With the exception of a scene involving a baby that Hellboy rescues, no one seems concerned about collateral damage. To me, this mentality strikes me as particularly anti-heroic.
When Hellboy is mortally wounded, Liz makes the most important – and possibly the most fatal – decision of the film. She is told by the Angel of Death that Hellboy is fated to destroy the world. Yet, with that knowledge, she asks for Hellboy to be healed. Romantic, yes, but not exactly done for the common good.
While far from a perfect film, Hellboy II offers an amazing glimpse into the fantasy worlds that Del Toro can create. His artistic vision is beautiful, even if his characters aren't given the chance to fully develop – or to truly be heroes.
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