Hellboy (DVD)

I didn't see this on the cinema, and i am not a fan of the comic books having never read any of them, but i reckon just from what i have heard about it, the fact that Guillermo is at the helm with Ron Perlman in the lead, it's gonna be great!!! how do the guys at DVD town feel about it???

I liked it. I saw on the big screen a couple months ago and really don't have much to complain about. I like to see a super hero that's a larger than life, so to speak. It kind of made me think of films like "League of Extrodinary Gentlemen", a slight touch of "X-Men" and as silly as this will sound, "Goustbusters". Now, don't get the impression that this film is a comedy, there are some laughs, but it's not a comedy by any means. Wait till you see the the girl that can start fires! Wow! She makes Kings "Fire Starter" look as whimpy as a cigarette lighter!



I thought the film was simple entertainment. It's definetely not meant to challenge the brain, but on the same tokin, it's not meant to hurt it either. I enjoyed the characters, thought the CGI was acceptable, and I loved the atmosphere. On its down side, it is a fast movie in that it doesn't go too far into deep details of the characters. It does leave you questioning some of the empty areas that the story doesn't tell us. However, as we all know, that's an obvious setup for a sequal. Nevertheless, it is entertaining for what it has to offer.



;)



7/10

The only things I didn't like about it were the anticlimactic end battle and the fact that we practicaly learn nothing about the main villian.



Other than that, it's a lot of fun. Ron does a great job. He has the kind of humor and wit that Gabriel Van Helsing should of had.

Just saw this two weeks ago. I liked it, but it struck me as one of those movies that will grow on me with repeated viewings.



To side with Ben, the ending is somewhat anticlimactic. I want a comic book movie to have me feeling that the fate of the world is hanging in the balance one way or another. Though it is somewhat understood, I really didn't get that from this ending. Later, I realized that this movie is more about Hellboy himself and his personal journey. Perhaps this will help me appreciate it more when I see it again.



Wasn't expecting much, but a pretty good flick. I look forward to seeing it again. Perlman's self-depracating performance is great even through all that makeup. Blair is mainly just there, but the physical and voice performances for Abe Sapien are amazing. I also enjoyed the banter between Hellboy and Jeffrey Tambor. It wasn't overdone as it can be so often.



Worth the rental at least.



Sean (...why buy the Hellboy when you can grind down the horns for free?...)

Wow, Jim, you liked this a whole lot more than I did. I don't know what I was expecting, but it was something more substantive and immersive. I thought this movie was a good start, but didn't go far enough. I was going to wait until the directors cut, rumored later this year or next, but based on your review may give this another chance.

"Expectations" may be the key here. I went into "Hellboy" expecting a typical comic-book hero cinematic treatment, and I think that what surprised me was how successful this was, by comparison, in creating the feel of the original comic book. I did like it, a lot???though our readers certainly raise some interesting questions. Will Rasputin and Kroenen be developed more in the sequel? Is my observation that the movie sagged a bit near the end akin to others' disappointment in the ending? (Personally, I think that all genre films, whether romantic comedies or comic-book actioners, have predictable endings, so for me the crux of it is, how well did they pull it off?) And what about the notion of the world not hanging in the balance? Interesting thought. Did del Toro put too much trust in the audience to know the full extent and gravity of the Apocalypse? Or does the fact that this movie has relatively few extras in it, real people going about their daily routines, make the story seem more isolated, as if it's happening to a relatively few people rather than affecting the entire planet? All fun stuff to ponder.

James,



I think you hit it on the head that the story felt somewhat isolated. I was trying at get to that when I mentioned that this film is more about Hellboy and his personal journey.



Del Toro certainly shows that the entire world is in imminent danger, but it seems that the only people who realize this are the primary and secondary characters in the film. For me, I would rather see the public understand that their very existence is in jeopardy, but ultimately not know who it was that saved them from near annihilation.



Not to say I didn't like the film, I truly did, but I think that "sag" at the end will become easier to live with once I watch the film from the perspective that it is about Hellboy's place in the Apocalypse more than the Apocalypse itself.



Sean (...now...what's my place in the Apocalypse?...)

Just picked up the dvd today. I must say this is right up there with the Spiderman, and X2 delivering on all sides.



The video presentation deserves nothing less than a 10.



2nd time watching the movie I only enjoyed the wit Perlman put into Hellboy that much more.

The movie is what it is, ???Hellboy???. It was more of a character study of the hero involved. So what if it didn???t exemplify the world of people under the world at an end. Some of you feel it left an empty feeling that it didn???t show people under some terrorist state of mind. Fact is most films that do this end up being total flops are just end up being mediocre.



Just like in the film ???Men in Black???, they didn???t show people running in panic for their lives. In fact, Tommy Lee???s character even made the comment about people living their lives because they simply don???t know the truth. In all respect, no one has ever brought up this point about ???Men in Black??? but yet there are those who are ready to jab at ???Hellboy??? for leaving this element out. I don???t get it?



???Hellboy??? was an introduction to the character and an introduction to a new superhero franchise. I enjoyed what it accomplished and find very little to complain about. The story was adequate enough and the characters were far more interesting than most comic-book heroes we see in many films.



James obviously enjoyed it even more than me. This surprised the hell out of me because, after reading a lot of James???s reviews, I thought he???d tear this one up. But what the hell, he gave it a 9. I???m very pleased he enjoyed it and his review sustains that the film is of good fun and nature. The film is dark, yet pleasant with interesting characters that are easy enough to connect with. ???Hellboy??? is really a good effort for the genre and I suggest quit trying to over analyze and enjoy the ride.

Tim,



I had the same reaction with Men In Black the first time I saw it that I had with Hellboy. Upon subsequent viewings, I have come to immensely enjoy MIB. That's what I was getting at with Hellboy as well. I think that on another viewing, my initial disappointment well become a moot point. Knowing the story and the world from my first viewing will help me to enjoy it that much more.



I truly did enjoy this movie, and look forward to repeated viewings in the future.



Sean (anybody hungry for pancakes?...)

LOVED IT !!!!

LOVED IT !!!!!

AND LOVED IT !!! You can criticize all you want, HELLBOY ROCKS !!!!

It was a decent movie, but the director's cut is far better.

Far better? It's like the same thing...