Hellboy 2

[BWPS]

This is one of the greatest movies ever. I found NOTHING bad about it and the fight scenes and special effects were mindblowing awesome!  A HUGE improvement on the first flick which I did like!


[spoiler]I'm not a baby... I'm a TUMOR[/spoiler]

[Talavar]

As someone who liked the first film, I don't think it needed a ton of improvement.  The biggest problems, in my opinion, with the first were the underwhelming final battle, the sudden absence of supporting characters in the final act of the movie (Abe), and the shoe-horning of the explanation-character, Meyers.  All were corrected in the sequel.

[ow_tiobe_sb]

As someone who liked the first film, I don't think it needed a ton of improvement.  The biggest problems, in my opinion, with the first were the underwhelming final battle, the sudden absence of supporting characters in the final act of the movie (Abe), and the shoe-horning of the explanation-character, Meyers.  All were corrected in the sequel.

Don't misunderstand me, Talavar.  I, too, enjoyed the first film a great deal, and I currently believe that the screenplay (or editing) for the first film might have been more satisfying (to me) than the one for the sequel.

[spoiler]The pregnancy subplot seemed ham-handed (even for Hellboy), and the film (which may be the victim of ruthless editing) seemed to make use of this subplot merely to  A. defer the release of tensions between HB and Liz until the Angel of Death asks the latter to B. give HB a reason to live. (I realise that another upshot of this subplot is that Hellboy will assume the mantle of father that his adoptive father, "Broom," previously held, thereby completing the "boy's" evolution into a "man."  This much was clear in the obvious omission of the indefinite article ("a"): "I become Father?"  Of course, I've railed against trite patrilineal motifs elsewhere and will refrain from doing so here.)  This somewhat disappointing subplot stands in contradistinction to the tragic love story between Abe and Princess Nuala, whose awkwardness and innocence I found well balanced and touching (especially the scene of Nuala's suicide, wherein she leaves a weeping Abe embracing a stone statue).  In many ways, Hellboy II struck me as Abe's movie and an attempt to redress his absences during the first film.

Johann Krauss proved to be a humorous, enjoyable addition to the team, but he seemed almost too versatile.  I say "almost" because his limitation appears to be his strict modus operandi when it comes to conducting investigations (cf. the scene in the troll market wherein Krauss's attempts at conducting formal interviews prove fruitless).  The character's "teleplasty," I should add, was very exciting (especially in the battle with the Golden Army) and much more effective than Hellboy's reanimation technique (used in the first film).

Luke Goss and Anna Walton provide pleasing performances as the twin elves at odds.  Prince Nuada, the patricide, takes the lead in perhaps my favourite moment of pathos in the entire film: the prince gives Hellboy, with babe in arms, pause when he informs the armed "big red ape" that the creature in his crosshairs, a plant elemental, is the last of its kind.  I won't spoil the rest of the scene, which provides a terrific example of Guillermo del Toro's haunting, magical aesthetic.

More--much more--could have happened between Manning (Tambor) and Krauss, but, sadly, Tambor's character seemed to take satisfaction in the backseat that Washington and the German doctor offered him.  Amidst the dichotomies of command/obey, right/might, etc., that the film explores (often to great effect), Manning's lot seemed to be resolved rather early in the film and never reexamined (and even the protocol-obsessed Krauss had his moment of reflection and redemption).

I should also mention that, toward the end of the film (when Liz was busy reviving HB), I received the distinct impression that Hellboy II: The Golden Army was both del Toro's homage to The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Matrix Trilogy (at least The Matrix and The Matrix Reloaded), and The Dark Crystal/Labyrinth/Jim Henson in general AND an attempt to cash in on the generic conventions and innovations of all three. ;)

In the end, I still think that Hellboy (with the warmth and gnostic grace of John Hurt's Prof. "Broom") balanced its formula reasonably well the first time (aye, the finale was a bit rushed and anticlimactic), whereas Hellboy II left me with the impression that its bigger budget opened too many doors, got its hands stuck in too many pots, and did not quite achieve the same consistency of believable characterisation and good storytelling that its predecessor did.  I look forward to the DVD (which I will purchase) so that I can prove my first impression wrong.[/spoiler]

ow_tiobe_sb
Phantom Bunburyist and Fop o' th' Morning

[captainspud]

Overall grade: C

[spoiler]Pros:
-Great SFX (the forest god looked awesome)
-Great fight scenes (everything with the prince was great)
-The characters were a little more interesting this time around

Cons:
-OMG... did George Lucas write the dialog for this thing?! I was sitting there CRINGING all throughout it... the dialog was so, so, SO bad. I wanted to cry.
-Um... scenes blatantly copied from Hellboy 1? WHY?! Fighting while carrying kittens --> Fighting while carrying baby. Hellboy literally calls Liz back to life --> Liz literally calls Hellboy back to life. Rasputin appearing out of nowhere to talk to Bruttenholm --> Prince appearing out of nowhere to talk to Hellboy. The baby one was the worst, though.
-Okay, yeah, Selma Blair's hot... but did they need to find every excuse they could to show her in panties?! The first time, fine, but the second was excessive.
-The jokes... OH GOD the jokes. ;_;
-Manning's character turned from a pain in the ### to a simpering #####.
-They couldn't get an actual German person to voice Krauss? Really?
-Terrible, terrible acting from the princess, Liz, and even Abe at a few points.
-Yaknow, Doug Jones has a perfectly serviceable voice for Abe... but why didn't they add that ever-so-slight echo to it like they did with David Hyde Pierce? It just sounded so... flat. Ugh.

Worth the price of admission for the FX and fight scenes, but wow... the terrible script and awful acting were pulling me out of the movie about every five minutes. This is easily the worst Del Toro movie I've ever seen.[/spoiler]

[TheMarvell]

finally got a chance to see the movie now that it's out on DVD, and I definitely enjoyed it. There's not much I can say that hasn't already been said, but I think it's really about on par as the first one, which I really enjoyed. The only part I thought was kinda dumb was the forest god, which was just way too similar to the cthulu-inspired squid monster at the end of the first one. And yeah, the baby part was unnecessary. But other than that, it was a really fun movie to watch.

[Dr.Volt]

Saw it last Friday night.  I give it a solid B+.  And I actually liked it better than the first one....which I happened to like as well.  The fx were amazing and the story really decent.

[spoiler]The villain (Nuada) was my favorite.  He was an elegant bad arse.  Stately and arrogant bad guys are some of the most enjoyable types imho.  Loved the addition of Johan to the team.  It was hilarious when he beat up Hellboy!  Still enjoying Hell Boy himself...seeing Abe develop more (and having a crush on the elven princess), and it was great to see Liz get formidable with her powers and not sheepish as she was in the first one.  Loved all the Celtic/Northern European'ish mythology in it.  Great action too!  [/spoiler]

[Jakew]

I actually thought this film was average up until the scene where Hellboy & co found the canary-eating troll using the special glasses. From that point onwards, I thought the film was great ... wonderful FX, action, and some surprisingly good acting by everyone (except for Selma Blair).

[ow_tiobe_sb]

I actually thought this film was average up until the scene where Hellboy & co found the canary-eating troll using the special glasses. From that point onwards, I thought the film was great ... wonderful FX, action, and some surprisingly good acting by everyone (except for Selma Blair).

[spoiler]The fragglewump feared canaries and ate cats, but I will agree with you about Blair's role.  On second thought, her acting might not be to blame; IMHO, her part might have been the victim of poor writing or extensive editing (or her work schedule on, say, the latest television series imported to America from overseas).[/spoiler]

After watching the DVD approximately three times, I can say that there are many subtle motifs at play that are often eclipsed by the various action sequences.  I won't bore anyone with my more detailed thoughts here, but suffice it to say that the movie wears better after repeated viewings.  If you saw it in the theatre, I recommend renting the DVD and watching it at least twice before returning it.  There are still a number of irksome groaners that prove impossible to ignore, but there are other diamonds in the rough worth spotting when one has the luxury of hitting the PAUSE and REWIND buttons.

ow_tiobe_sb
Phantom Bunburyist and Fop o' th' Morning

[BentonGrey]

I loved this film absolutely unrepentantly!  I thought it was utterly fantastic, way better than the first one, which I did like (I just felt like it was a bit rushed).  I really enjoyed all of the character moments with Abe and Hellboy, and I thought the villains were cool.  The special effects........my goodness the special effects.....every filmmaker who wants to make an effects laden film should be REQUIRED to watch this.  The live action and CGI were really blended well, and there were tons of physical effects.  I know the story had some weaknesses, but just like with Ironman, they were complete non-factors to me.  The film was just plain awesome. 

Tiobe, I would definitely be interested in your analysis, but then again, I am in the field, after all.