Hellboy II: The Golden Army

A vision of hell that could use more freshening

By Geoff Berkshire

Critic's Rating:

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Ron Perlman and Doug Jones get their freak on in "Hellboy II: The Golden Army" (Credit: Universal)

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Hellboy (Ron Perlman)—a big, red, wisecracking demon with a love for candy and TV—works at a top secret government agency for paranormal research and defense alongside his amphibian-like friend Abe Sapien (Doug Jones) and pyrokinetic girlfriend Liz Sherman (Selma Blair). When angry elf prince Nuada (Luke Goss) attempts to restart an ancient war between humans and mystical creatures, it’s up to Hellboy’s team to save the world.

Big question: How does “Hellboy II” fare as a sequel to a film released four years ago (by a different studio) and a follow-up to director Guillermo del Toro’s justly celebrated “Pan’s Labyrinth”?

Skip it: “Hellboy” fans will be happy to see the big guy back in action, and anyone who loved the fantasy elements of “Pan’s” will enjoy seeing del Toro’s imagination in full bloom, with dozens of visually dazzling creatures on display throughout the film. But the disappointing storyline is geektacular nonsense. Nuada and twin sister Nuala (Anna Walton) come off like refugees from a bad Middle Earth soap opera and each of the three heroes is allotted a clichéd personal crisis—Abe falls for Nuala, Liz is pregnant and Hellboy frets about not fitting in with humanity—which substitutes for giving them anything genuinely interesting to do.

Catch it: Most of the film’s groan-worthy comedy lands with a thud. But there’s something unexpectedly irresistible about seeing a demon sing Barry Manilow.

Bottom line: Del Toro proves yet again that he can make the fantasy genre pop visually, but without better-formed stories he’ll revert back to his pre-“Pan’s” status as a minor cult filmmaker. At least he’ll have a solid foundation for his next project: an adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit.”

Bonus: “Family Guy” and “American Dad” creator Seth McFarlane provides the voice of mysterious new agent Johann Kraus, sounding a lot like a slightly dialed-down version of his voice for German goldfish Klaus on “Dad.”

Video: Watch a review of 'Hellboy II'