Putting Ron Perlman in a red costume was about a million times better than having some programmer whip up a CGI Hulk. There was a ton of far out, incredible, unbelievable stuff in Hellboy II and every damned frame of this film looked great. The gang from the first Hellboy looks like they never stopped filming. There are a few silly things, like Hellboy and Liz having an argument that destroys a hallway and Abe suffering from love at first sight-but it all makes perfect sense in the greater scheme of things.
As with all movies these days, lots of things in Hellboy II reminded me of other films. Several scenes were almost taken verbatim from a Harry Potter movie-the Tooth Faires were a lot like the Pixies, only much meaner, and the hidden Marketplace was a more rough and tumble Diagon Alley. And like the Harry Potter sets, there was a feeling of it’s odd, but it might be fun to pop in for a minute.
Two other scenes were clones-one had a giant CGI monster tearing up New York City and the mystery tentacles reminded of the beastie from Cloverfield-but it was not quite as tough as the unknown whatsit from Cloverfield. Or maybe JJ Abrams should just put in a call for Hellboy. Then there was a scene from The Matrix, with a slight twist, that was very good near the end.
In short, a lot happens in Hellboy II and almost all of it is good. The fights are fun, the villains are way cool looking, there is a cameo from a Beauty and the Beast star, and people cheered as the credits started to roll. Hellboy II was fast paced and loads of fun.
