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Hellboy
Reviewed by: The Dweeb |
| Video: Widescreen 1.85:1 | Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1 |
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DVD Features
Theatrical release:4/2/2004 |
Plot synopsis from IMDB.com:
A demon, raised from infancy after being conjured by and rescued from the Nazis, grows up to become a defender against the forces of darkness.What could Guillermo Del Toro give us after the immensely successful Blade 2 film? Why, more action and adventure based on another off beat comic book of course. But Hellboy is not your typical X-man type superhero. Guillermo seems to relish this kind of film, it's dark, edgy, action packed, but still leaves room for a sense of humor. The characters, although a lot of them are really strange, are well written and I really enjoyed a lot of the interactions. This is a fun movie, and if I were a lot younger, I would have said this is a kick ass movie! My tastes have matured obviously since I was 12, but I can always make room for a side trip.
Hellboy strays far away from a typical superhero movie like Superman or Spider-Man, it actually has a lot more in common with Blade. Hellboy is not some chiseled pretty boy in spandex, he and his cohorts are freaks. They are out of place in our world, everyday Joes with a job to do. They fight other monsters and are prisoners in their own homes, the Government doesn't want these guys to wander the streets in the open. They save the world on a daily basis but must remain in the shadows. Even though the main storyline is nothing special, what makes this movie tick are the characters themselves.
Who else but Ron Perlman could play the hulking red demon himself. With a jaw line like that he was a perfect fit for the role, maybe only Jay Leno comes close. The fantastic makeup job and his thundering voice dominated every scene. Even though he was supposed to be a monster, you really like the guy with all his quirks. It's not everyday that a demon sits around, surrounded by cats drinking beer, smoking, and eating pizza all day. The sarcasm just flows right out of him constantly. Okay so he doesn't say anything profound, but he can flip a Jeep with his right hand.
Hellboy and his cohorts, Abe Sapien (Doug Jones with the voice of David Hyde Pierce), Liz Sherman (Selma Blair) and his rookie FBI "escort" John Myers (Rupert Evans) spend most of the film fighting the evil Grigori Rasputin (Karl Roden) and his gang. Boy, those guys are really creepy, especially that Kroenen guy (Ladislav Beran) in the gas mask. I'm glad they didn't show the guy without it on for very long, really gross! They all fall into the typical bad guy role, and really how many times must the world go through an apocalypse? Is there really that much turnaround from frying up the planet for these guys?
Just like in the Blade movies, the symbols and set design are all very similar. There are a lot of scenes involving ornate temples and these huge expanses all over the place. Where did they find the time to build something like this? Naturally, the film is loaded with special effects and explosions, which to me just seemed ok. It wasn't the most seamless but for the film it was adequate. The movie has a fast pace, putting the viewer on a roller coaster of massive camera swoops and quick cuts.
The picture itself is dark, and a lot of the scenes had washed out colors, but the transfer still remains very crisp and clean. The soundtrack is probably one of the best mixes I've heard all year. The sound effects for some of the scenes were booming along with a pretty darn good musical score.
For this DVD edition, the extras department is spectacular. I'd have to say out of the crop for this year that I've seen so far, this is the top pick. I'm sure by year's end it will be in the top 10. Not only do you get 2 commentary tracks, but also a branching scenes from the comic books track and another branching scenes to see footage from the filming. Really cool stuff. Then the second disc comes loaded with all kinds of other materials. Tons and tons of documentary behind the scenes footage on the making of the film, deleted scenes, trailers, interviews, you name it. I spent a long time going through all this stuff. Gotta love the information overload here, that's what DVD is about right?! And this isn't going to be the only version out there for this film either. In the fall there is going to be a directors cut with just as much if not more features on the DVD. Usually the first version is a barebones release, so the choice is easy to make. Not with this one! Do you wait? Or go get this one? Which one will be better? I guess we have to wait and see.
You have to hand it to Guillermo, who took a risky concept for a film and turned it into a winner. A lot of times, movies like this end up being really dumb and are a waste of celluloid. Not this one. So, kick back with some beer and popcorn and enjoy the ride.
Reviewer's Opinion: BUY IT!!
