Hellboy (2004)

Sometimes there are directors who I can admire even I don't always love their films and one in particular would be Guillermo Del Toro. His creative vision and passion makes him one of the most interesting directors around but I really didn't find all that much to enjoy with The Shape of Water which everyone else seemed to be praising. Then there was Pacific Rim which I enjoyed for its jaw-dropping spectacle but some of the quirky elements with the madcap scientist characters dragged the story out probably longer than it needed. Going back nineteen years, I wanted to see how Hellboy measured-up today. Again, I recall finding it to be ok when I was younger but was I missing something here and underappreciating Del Toro's work?

Based on Dark Horse Comics' character of the same name, Hellboy is a big red demon who had been conjured by the Nazis in 1944 as an infant and used for a demonic experiment but is rescued by American troops and raised in a secret facility where he is used to fight demonic beasts alongside other paranormal forces. But in the modern day, remaining Nazi cult members from 1944 return and it's up to Hellboy and the rag-tag team to put an end to them.

Starting with the positive, Hellboy arrived in a time when Hollywood hadn't completely abandoned practical effects and the production design here with the characters, particularly the big red himself, and sets is great. There's almost a Tim Burton quality to some of the ghoulish aspects and it makes for an intriguing setup. Ron Perlman also gives plenty of life and charisma beneath all the make-up to the leading role and it's here the film finds a heart it just about utilizes, alongside a great performance from John Hurt. 

Unfortunately though, I found the overall story to be clunky and the villains all rather dull with their world ending plans. Rupert Evans' agent is used as the audience's surrogate but feels like that's all he is there to do before delivering a half-baked monologue right at the end which felt unusually rushed, as if the two hour running time was a hard limit. Del Toro does shine when he moves away from the average action set pieces and focuses on Hellboy's development as a man feeling out of place in a world that doesn't want him, and I wish more time was spent here. Perhaps even remove the agent character and dedicate a story to the relationship between Hellboy and Hurt's character and we might have had something more memorable. 

Del Toro does a lot well here but I feel the concept is weighed down by a forgettable storyline involving its lacklustre villains. I can only imagine how dreadful the 2019 reboot was if this is the good one but I have heard positive things about the 2008 sequel so I will give that a shot. As it stands though, I don't think I will ever be really recommending anyone go out and give this a watch. It has plenty of redeeming qualities but I was ready for it to end half an hour before the credits so I think it is best reserved for fans of the comics.