Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Reviewed by:
Eric Alt

Directed by: Guillermo del Toro

The Skinny: Big Red and his Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense comrades return to help thwart a rogue elf prince who wants to destroy the human world by resurrecting a shiny and unstoppable magical army.

The Good: Del Toro does monsters better than anybody, and his use of a variety of effects (puppets, makeup, animantronics, CGI) make this movie feel more lifelike and realistic than anything in Crystal Skull (a sad commentary on Indy). Ron Perlman is still a perfect Hellboy, and new B.P.R.D. member Johann Krauss (voiced by Family Guy's Seth MacFarlane) is a great addition to the team.

The Bad: The plot is kind of arbitrary and forgettable: Mystical Bad Guy A wants Object B so that he can accomplish Objective C. None of it matters, and the fairy-tale elements diminish the exploration of what Hellboy is and why he's on earth to begin with. There's also a subplot between Hellboy and Liz that's more creepy than endearing.

Strong Contender for Best Line of the Summer: "I'm not a baby. I'm a tumor."

Theater, DVD, or TNT in Five Years? See it in the theaters to get the full force of del Toro's twisted imagination.