Hellboy II: The Golden Army [Blu-Ray]

Rating:


The Skinny: After defeating Russian warlock Rasputin and finally nailing B.P.R.D. teammate Liz Sherman, Hellboy returns to fend off a rogue elf prince who wants to unleash an unstoppable magic army on mankind.

The Good: We praised Hellboy II this past summer for its nifty mix of old-school special effects (make-up, miniatures, even puppets) with new-school CGI, and we're happy to say that all of these elements make the transition to Blu-Ray. This is an eye-popper from beginning to end, and the movie's sense of fun makes it ideal home viewing whether you caught it in theaters or are watching it for the first time. And the sound matches it—you'll be hearing the Tooth Fairies' teeth chattering in your nightmares.

The Bad: The only real complaint we have is that they gather up Jeffrey Tambor, Selma Blair, and Luke Goss for a commentary, but no Ron Perlman. WTF? No offense to, well, Tambor (who rules), but how can you not have the main man, especially when Perlman is funny as shit? Oh, well, it's a slight point off, but nothing that should deter you.

Best Extra: Guillermo del Toro is one of the best filmmakers working today, because even if the finished product isn't entirely up to snuff (they can't all be Pan's Labyrinth), he just clearly has so much fun making movies that it can't help but be infectious. And he translates that fun to his DVD extras, giving you access to everything.

Buy, Rent, or Ignore: This is a deep enough Blu-Ray to justify owning. Grab it.