Hellboy 2: The Golden Army [Blu-ray] [2008] [Region Free]

Hell Boy 2 is a tour de force of the mind and imagination of Guillermo Del Toro. Perhaps best known for his film Pans Labyrinth, he's a director who delights in dark fantasy and twisted beauty; something this film is awash with.

The story does a good job of following on from the original Hell Boy (also by Del Toro) but cleverly it manages to stay true to both of its original roots (the comic book and original film) whilst moving everything on, and giving us something new.

In this instalment of the Hell Boy franchise we're introduced to new characters who join the team and an equally memorable array of villains as was found in the first film - most notably perhaps Mr. Wink.

As you'd expect from Guillermo, the sets, costumes, scenery and creatures are both hideous and stunning in equal measure. We see leg less goblins, the angle of death, speaking tumours, and seed-like elementals, or forest gods, who in death explode to create new life covering vast areas of cities in flora and fauna.

Hell Boy 2, just as Hell Boy 1 was, is a visual masterpiece - but this time Guillermo has a bigger budget and the success of the first film behind him so, as amazing as the first film looked, everything is ramped up 10 fold here.

The extras on the Blu Ray revel that Del Toro had lots of ideas for creatures and monster in the first movie (most notably perhaps, Sammael; fans might remember him) but that due to budget restraints he simply couldn't do. However this time around he got use his ideas and bring them to life on screen.

Guillermo fans will recognise his work instantly anywhere, it's so stunning, original and distinctive. Yet for me it's the way he brings his creations to life and makes his films that make them so special. Nearly every monster we see is an actor in a costume. It's old school - there is very, very little CGI used here and that's what makes everything so amazing - on many levels. If you grew up watching film like Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal, and the myriad of 80s fantasy movies with props and monsters, that rather ironically make the realistic CGI creations look dead and souless in comparisson Hell Boy 2 is for you.

George Lucas take note: the fact that Del Toro chooses to use actors in costumes means, in his own words, 'every creature has a heart'. With actors inside them there's real emotion in each of them too, which makes them seem all the more real and alive when we seem them on screen. It means they can interact with the other actors and it's this, mixed with real, solid, hand built sets that makes Hell Boy 2 so special. The most spectacular example of this in the film is perhaps the Troll Market.

The Troll market is a living, breathing, vibrant pit of a place with winding streets and house and hundreds of 'REAL' creatures trading and going about their business. Human skins hang draped over market stall and beast sit smoking human hair from hookah pipes. Shot on location in an disused underground lime quarry its truly and magnificent example of the effort and detail Guillermo Del Toro puts into his films.

Those who doubt his dedication should watch the extras on the Blu Ray, which I'm happy to say is a transfer that does all the beautiful and ghastly scenery justice by looking sharp and detailed. They are some of the best I've ever seen on any Blu Ray - Nearly 4 hours of extra footage and documentaries will take you on a step by step through the creature creation process from concept, design, manufacture and make-up. It really is an interesting watch and I'm glad to say focusses on what this film is all about. The props, the creatures, the sets, and the fantastic fantasy mind of the genius that is Guillermo Del Toro. I could go on and on about this film but I'll leave it there and just say, I can't wait for hell boy 3.

Simple story, painfully stupid jokes, boring ego-shooter action. None of the magic of the first movie.
A technical hint: When playback is paused for a few minutes, an animated Universal logo replaces the picture. To continue watching the movie you have to push "popup menue" on your remote, not "play" or "pause". Took me some attempts and lengthy reloads to find out.

Guillermo Del Toro has become the new master of dark fantasy -- first with the quirky clockpunk "Hellboy," then with the Oscar-winning "Pan's Labyrinth." Not to mention forthcoming travels to Middle-Earth.

So you know he has the skills to pit Mike Mignola's scarlet anti-hero against an army of fairies and elves, and not make it silly. Instead, it's a spectacular dark fantasy full of humor, action, quirky appeal, romance, and some truly astounding special effects. But what really shoves this movie over the top is Del Toro's brilliant direction, and the stunning performance by Ron Perlman.

Decades ago, Professor Broom (William Hurt) told a small Hellboy a yuletide bedtime story about the Elf King Balor and his unstoppable Golden Army, and how the crown that controls the Army was split into thirds and divided among fairies and humans.

Well, you can't really expect that kind of power to never be revived.

Cut to current day. Hellboy (Perlman), Liz (Selma Blair) and Abe (Doug Jones) investigate a strange supernatural attack on an auction house, where the archeological curiosity known as the Crown of Bethmoora was being sold -- only to be attacked by savage tooth fairies. Turns out the crown was stolen by Prince Nuada (Luke Goss), a resentful young elf who is determined to take the world back from humanity -- using, of course, the Golden Army.

And while Hellboy chafes against strict new commander Johann Krauss (a suit filled with ectoplasm), Abe encounters Nuada's sister, Princess Nuala -- who also happens to have the last third of the crown. But Nuada will not allow anyone to oppose him as he searches for the Golden Army's location, and Hellboy and his friends must venture into a strange, ancient kingdom to stop him from destroying all of humanity.

The worst you can say about "Hellboy II: The Golden Army" is that it sticks to the formula of the demonic outsider with a dark destiny, and his continuing romantic woes. There's some retreading as Hellboy realizes anew that he'll never fit into the world of humans, because he's big and red and has horns and a tail. Okay, we got it. Next big psychological issue!

Fortunately those flaws are relatively minor ones. Del Toro is still able to spin a dark, twisted story with some truly bizarre creatures (the utterly alien, eye-winged Angel of Death), clockpunk robots, trippy underground goblin markets and a new BPRD agent who is basically ectoplasm in a suit. And for the action scenes, Del Toro does not pull punches when it comes to the smashing action scenes -- giant thrashing vines and a one-on-one duel with Nuada are among the highlights.

With all this going on, it would be easy to neglect the characters. But Del Toro packs the script with solid snappy dialogue and some poignantly romantic moments -- including some pretty startling actions from dear ol' Abe. And he also adds little moments to this epic story that remind us that these are supposed to be people -- such as Hellboy's bickering with Krauss, or Abe and Hellboy getting drunk and having a little Manilow singalong together. It's just so cute.

But what really sets this movie apart is the "children of the Earth." No flitting Victorian sprites -- these are creatures that are weird, grotesque, dangerous and immensely powerful, from nasty little tooth fairies up to vast rock monsters and plant gods. There's an alien, bizarre aesthetic to these creatures that feels wholly real, as if Neil Gaiman casually dropped a few sketches onto the drawing board.

But as amazing as the visuals are, Del Toro never neglects the characters. Perlman is perfect for the role of "big Red" -- he's gruff, sarcastic, moody, but also endearing and self-deprecatingly likable. There are more hints of his potentially dark future, and he faces some delicately-handed temptations. But Big Red's good heart is still very much in the forefront, no matter how much human beings fear him.

Blair gives a more lively performance here as a spunkier Liz, who also has some surprising developments in store. Jones is pitch-perfect as the fish-man, who experiences the first pangs of young love for Nuala, while Goss gives a chilling, whispery performance as a rebel prince who is willing to do whatever it takes -- even kill family -- if it helps him restore the fey kingdom. Pretty good villain, since he clearly isn't trying to be bad.

"Hellboy II: The Golden Army" is a wild, darkly ornate ride through the world of half-forgotten gods and fey. While it has a few flaws, those are far outweighed by the brilliant of Del Toro's vision.