In the grand pantheon of comic book heroes, Hellboy isn´t exactly at the top of the list. The name itself isn´t the most marketable out there and neither is the character himself: a red hulking creature with filed off horns chomping on a cigar and spawned from another dimension. That´s probably why the first film based on the character, 2004´s "Hellboy," spent a good 15 to 20 minutes detailing where Red came from before launching into the story proper. But with the same creative team together for "Hellboy II: The Golden Army," the pleasantries have been dispensed with, allowing director Guillermo del Toro to focus on developing the characters as well as launching into a brand new story that doesn´t need to set up all the pieces for the audience.
Once upon a time, only a truce between a mystical underground civilization and humans prevented a ferocious army of indestructible gold warriors from destroying humanity. To protect the world from that fate in the future, the crown of leadership was split into different parts, some residing in the underworld and others with the humans. Now, in the present day, Prince Nuada (Luke Goss) takes it upon himself to correct this supposed travesty, killing his father and claiming part of the crown. It is up to Hellboy and his group from the Bureau of Paranormal Research & Defense are called in to stop the big bad. But only if they can put their own melodrama on the back burner long enough to work together.
What del Toro and the production team on "Hellboy II" get right-oh so right-is keeping the focus on the four lead characters (Red, Liz, Abe and newbie Johann Krauss) instead of becoming obsessed with the adversary of the week or the special magic thing-a-ma-bob everyone is trying to get their hands on. It is an evolution from the first film, building on the dysfunctional family foundation set forth previously. To his great credit, the writer/director is able to combine fantasy, humor, action and intimacy in a two hour flick without moralizing or turning into a mockery of itself. (All trait´s the first installment also shared, even if the Director´s Cut was unnecessarily long.)
First off, though, is the visual style del Toro brings to the production. The color palette is appropriately comic book-y, yet never jumps off the screen, bashing the audience over the head with vivid colors or flights of fancy. Instead, Hellboy exists in our world, with all the appropriate shadows, dinge and darkness. To be fair, recent comics-turned-movies embrace the gray areas of the world; they tend be splashier, though, with Spider-Man´s red suit standing out against the blue sky in broad daylight, for example. Operating mostly at night, Hellboy doesn´t run into that problem; his crimson skin is a perfect blend for the darkness. Even the flashy Golden Army never appears spit and polished. Reflective, yet doesn´t draw attention to itself.
Even clocking in at two hours, "The Golden Army" knows how to pace itself and keep the audience engaged. The action sequences-of which there are many-lean toward the inventive side (with the notable exception of the last, coming off as little more than an obligatory piece of the film rather than something del Toro wanted to do), continually capturing our attention. They´re punctuated by character moments advancing the overarching story. When Hellboy and Liz (Selma Blair) take center stage in their relationship, there is a tenderness we don´t see often enough from these types of films. Despite being under layers of makeup, Ron Perlman as Hellboy brings a warmth and compassion to an "ugly" being. To imagine anyone else under the latex is impossible.
Working to a lesser extent is a half baked romance between the aquatic Abe Sapien (Doug Jones) and Princess Nuala (Anna Walton). From the first moment he declares love for the woman, it feels forced, as if the relationship was a late idea to the script. Or, more likely, additional scenes were trimmed from the finished product. It´s a shame, really, since they run a parallel course to Hellboy/Liz through the second half of the movie and the ultimate resolution only works on an emotional level if we´re invested in the characters. (It should be noted other relationships pick up as if the participants are truly old friends and not fictional constructs.)
Movies like "Hellboy II" don´t necessarily try to reinvent storytelling or change the way movies are made. The basic story outline is obvious fro the get go; we know the major plot points and the expected climax before the story has a change to engage. About halfway through, I rattled off to myself the events we needed to see in order to bring the story to a conclusion. (I won´t repeat them here since they do contain spoilers.) They all ended up on screen in one way or another, much to my chagrin. del Toro creates those "obvious" moments with the hand of a sure director that it doesn´t really matter in the end.
If I have one complaint, it would be a holding pattern of sorts the script goes into 45 minutes in. It´s a mater of fact gathering, getting everyone involved "up to speed" on where the story is ultimately going to go. In a way, this is exposition. Not badly done exposition; just an implicit wish for the storytelling to go faster, for the main characters to catch up to the audience. The sequence in the Troll Market is a marvel to look at. We never know where to put our attention first, to be honest, because of the creatures filling the screen at all times. But it all comes up a bit dry and, dare I say, boring in the end.
The script contains far more subplots than it can reasonably service, including the aforementioned Abe/Nuala romance. Jeffrey Tambor´s Tom Manning, liaison to the group and man charged with keeping Hellboy a secret, continues as an extension from the previous installment rather than being developed in any meaningful way. A new addition to the team-no, not Krauss-bookends the story. Then there´s Hellboy´s issue with taking orders from Krauss, an idea which goes nowhere except a hysterically funny scene in a locker room. (A small scene featuring the people turning on Hellboy for no apparent reason fells horribly out of place and ultimately leads to nothing.) And, finally, the ending teases…something. An actual ending? Maybe a new direction for the franchise? I´d bet at least some of these storylines will be picked up in a third film, if it comes to pass.
The net effect of a returning production crew and cast, tighter script and splendid visuals with a faulty 10 minute sequence is still quite good. This is a production fully cognizant of the genre in which it is working. It aspires to be nothing more than it is: fun. No moralizing of any kind or "with great power comes great responsibility" schtick. Just old fashioned creatures beating up other creatures with a heart. A 6.5 out of 10.