Hellboy

An enjoyable film that gets more and more under my skin each time I watch it. Ron portrayed Hellboy exactly how I imagined him and the whole universe around him is just delicious. Abraham, Liz (Selma Blair's only sympathetic role)... everything fits together and forms a compact whole together with the second film. There is also, of course, the added bonus that the film features Karel Roden, who certainly deserves praise. Hellboy is just a guy who looks like a guy from hell and likes cats, beer, and his flammable half. It's good to watch both movies with this cool guy. (03/02/2012)

If it wasn’t for Ron Perlman in the role of his life, I would have a hard time understanding this movie. It is he and his immense charisma that give the whole film an unadulterated comic touch, interspersed not only with great catchphrases and action, but at times also with natural human concerns. As a true Hollywood superhero, Hellboy has it all: he's rugged, fearless, committed to goodness, oozing with dry humour and, most importantly, his heart is in the right place; simply great potential, which Guillermo del Toro exploits to the fullest, tailoring the script around Hellboy's characteristics. As a result, we don’t have a grand drama full of twists and turns and dark atmosphere as in Snyder's Watchmen, for example, but we are presented with a lovingly made fantasy diversion that, despite the story's shortcomings, still offers the best entertainment one could wish for in the genre. I was just a bit disappointed by the surprisingly unimaginative final action set-piece, I expected something more than what del Toro served us. But that doesn't change the fact that Ron Perlman is really cool and Karel Roden once again confirmed that as a villain he has hardly any competition. 3.5* (28/08/2012)

What does make a person human after all? Mentally he is 20, in love, irritated, strong, conflicted - and because of that, irresistible. I still remember that I didn't believe in Hellboy at all after watching the trailer, and then I stayed staring. A very fragile bond with Liz, constant teasing from the agents around, a complicated relationship with his father, or just battles with Sammael - this hellish boy gets me everywhere. After many, many screenings, I simply have to admit that my beloved genre of comic book adaptations has its inconspicuous, red king. (09/04/2006)

A visually captivating, but plot-wise somewhat overwrought breather that, given the premise, could have been better. The action sequences aren't great, the humour sometimes misses the mark and del Toro isn't very good when it comes to psychology. A lot is made up by the visuals, which are quite striking despite the average budget of 60 million, with decent effects (even if sometimes too computer-ey) and good make-up (Hellboy and especially Abe Sapien are simply awesome). The script didn't give Roden much space, but Perlman radiates charisma for a hundred lengths of his devil's tail. On the other hand, there is the very bland character of a young FBI agent who tries to woo Hellboy's girlfriend, but is otherwise completely useless. All in all, a film that entertained me on average and didn't resonate with me after I left the cinema. We’ll see with the sequel. (24/09/2004)

Hellboy is quite likable, but not particularly outstanding, and it suffers from an undeveloped script and a weak finale. The undeveloped script, in this case, means that the evil is too feeble and incompetent, and the heroes don't exert themselves much in their struggle, leaving the audience wanting. On the other hand, the casting is appealing, with Ron Perlman fitting perfectly into the role of the demon just by his appearance (it seems they could have partially saved on a makeup artist), and Karel Roden evidently enjoying his portrayal of Rasputin. Some props and sets are visually interesting. It's slightly above average, leading to a 60% overall impression. (07/12/2007)