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Hellboy 2 – The Golden Army
The world’s ugliest, red hero returns with the rest of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (BPRD) to fight off ancient evils that have long been banished from the world.
The first scenes show the audience a young Hellboy (Christmas 1955) being told a bedtime story while he brushes his teeth, gets ready for bed and Father Christmas to arrive....
He is told the story of the Golden Army; during a great war between Man and all creatures (trolls, goblins, elves etc) a goblin blacksmith built a powerful and seemingly unstoppable clockwork army for the King of the Elves, controlled by a golden crown that can only be used by someone of royal blood. The Golden Army of 4900 soldiers was created to destroy man and allow all creatures to live where they wish. Balor, the King of the Elves realizes the true power of the Army and the evil that comes with it. Creating a Truce with man that they will stay in the cities, and the creatures in the forests, the crown is split into 3 parts; one given to Man, the other two parts kept by the Elves. Seeing this as weakness and thinking his father has doomed the Elves, Prince Nuada leaves in exile to one day return and save the Elves.
In the present Day Prince Nuada training in darkest parts of the subways. Planning a way to get the last piece of the golden crown back so he can gain control the Golden Army. With his rather large, troll friend at his side he tracks down the final crown piece at an auction house in America. Unleashing “tooth fairies” on the people inside, he is able to take the human’s piece of the crown. His next move, to go see the Elves and get the other parts……
Now this does not go unnoticed by the BPRD, the new team of Hellboy, Liz and Abe go to where this all happened and begin to learn of what may unfold in the near future. Whilst the government try to keep the BPRD a secret, Hellboy has other plans and is soon right in the public eye. Blowing the BPRD out of hiding and all the strange characters that come with it.
So that’s the starting point of one of this year’s biggest films. Most people who have seen the original enjoyed the rather casual approach that Guillermo Del Toro took in creating the Hellboy universe. Not in the conventional super hero form, and rather more un-appealing with horns. Hellboy is more of an outcast who smokes, drinks and shoots big guns. Making jokes all the way! If you liked that comical style of comic, then you will be pleased to hear that the jokes keep coming. In fact the second installment sees even more jokes. Some of which work very well, and others that just seems a bit to “cheesy”. It is always going to be hard to mix a comedy genre into the superhero film. But it works pretty well this time; I rather enjoyed a scene in the film where Hellboy and Abe decide to have a few beers due to women troubles. During their intoxicated state, Prince Nuada attacks the BPRD. It is this kind of thing that brings Hellboy out of the same old thing we see from Spiderman and Superman. In my opinion it is why it is a big hit, because people it is new to a lot of people and they enjoy it!
The only downfall this may create is that they try putting too many jokes into the film and holds up the rather serious plot of the Elves killing mankind. The original found a happy medium of comedy and action. While the plot is well thought out and directed beautifully, it can at times just seem a little bit too forced on the comedy side. Taking nothing from Guillermo Del Toro who has done little more than created two fantastic films that generations will hopefully enjoy. But to those of you who are not so into the comedy, you may get a bit frustrated.
I for one really enjoyed the whole adventure from start to finish. The lovely graphics and all the weird and wonderful characters that are seen during this film. Ron Perlman plays the rebel hero again and he does a very good job. He has the arrogance, the affection and the ability to make you believe that this Demon we have all seen from the beginning, an actual living creature. As the film goes on you see the relationship between Hellboy and Liz, played by Selma Blair mature, from the start where they have small arguments to the end where you can see the love between them.
The whole cast does an excellent job in playing their roles. From the over intelligent and nerdy Abe, to the calm and dedicated Prince Nuada. You feel immersed in this fantasy World and don’t want it to stop, the more characters you meet, the more you want in the film. With each character haven a well thought out and detailed background that gives them life and meaning, the cast do a great role in making these characters and their relationships come to life.
So that is Hellboy 2, and it sounds pretty good right? Right and I thought it was. The big question everyone will ask; is it better than the original? To answer it shortly it, it is different, more jokes and comical scenes before, but on the same side, probably more fighting. They have taken the best bits from the first one and made them more prominent in this film. I would not however say this is better than the original and it is not worse. They are both on par and excellent films that I really enjoyed.
Really worth watching this film if you have not seen it so far, but I would strongly recommend watch the first installment before tackling this. Just for the odd little reference that you would not get without seeing it!
8.5/10
The world’s ugliest, red hero returns with the rest of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (BPRD) to fight off ancient evils that have long been banished from the world.
The first scenes show the audience a young Hellboy (Christmas 1955) being told a bedtime story while he brushes his teeth, gets ready for bed and Father Christmas to arrive....
He is told the story of the Golden Army; during a great war between Man and all creatures (trolls, goblins, elves etc) a goblin blacksmith built a powerful and seemingly unstoppable clockwork army for the King of the Elves, controlled by a golden crown that can only be used by someone of royal blood. The Golden Army of 4900 soldiers was created to destroy man and allow all creatures to live where they wish. Balor, the King of the Elves realizes the true power of the Army and the evil that comes with it. Creating a Truce with man that they will stay in the cities, and the creatures in the forests, the crown is split into 3 parts; one given to Man, the other two parts kept by the Elves. Seeing this as weakness and thinking his father has doomed the Elves, Prince Nuada leaves in exile to one day return and save the Elves.
In the present Day Prince Nuada training in darkest parts of the subways. Planning a way to get the last piece of the golden crown back so he can gain control the Golden Army. With his rather large, troll friend at his side he tracks down the final crown piece at an auction house in America. Unleashing “tooth fairies” on the people inside, he is able to take the human’s piece of the crown. His next move, to go see the Elves and get the other parts……
Now this does not go unnoticed by the BPRD, the new team of Hellboy, Liz and Abe go to where this all happened and begin to learn of what may unfold in the near future. Whilst the government try to keep the BPRD a secret, Hellboy has other plans and is soon right in the public eye. Blowing the BPRD out of hiding and all the strange characters that come with it.
So that’s the starting point of one of this year’s biggest films. Most people who have seen the original enjoyed the rather casual approach that Guillermo Del Toro took in creating the Hellboy universe. Not in the conventional super hero form, and rather more un-appealing with horns. Hellboy is more of an outcast who smokes, drinks and shoots big guns. Making jokes all the way! If you liked that comical style of comic, then you will be pleased to hear that the jokes keep coming. In fact the second installment sees even more jokes. Some of which work very well, and others that just seems a bit to “cheesy”. It is always going to be hard to mix a comedy genre into the superhero film. But it works pretty well this time; I rather enjoyed a scene in the film where Hellboy and Abe decide to have a few beers due to women troubles. During their intoxicated state, Prince Nuada attacks the BPRD. It is this kind of thing that brings Hellboy out of the same old thing we see from Spiderman and Superman. In my opinion it is why it is a big hit, because people it is new to a lot of people and they enjoy it!
The only downfall this may create is that they try putting too many jokes into the film and holds up the rather serious plot of the Elves killing mankind. The original found a happy medium of comedy and action. While the plot is well thought out and directed beautifully, it can at times just seem a little bit too forced on the comedy side. Taking nothing from Guillermo Del Toro who has done little more than created two fantastic films that generations will hopefully enjoy. But to those of you who are not so into the comedy, you may get a bit frustrated.
I for one really enjoyed the whole adventure from start to finish. The lovely graphics and all the weird and wonderful characters that are seen during this film. Ron Perlman plays the rebel hero again and he does a very good job. He has the arrogance, the affection and the ability to make you believe that this Demon we have all seen from the beginning, an actual living creature. As the film goes on you see the relationship between Hellboy and Liz, played by Selma Blair mature, from the start where they have small arguments to the end where you can see the love between them.
The whole cast does an excellent job in playing their roles. From the over intelligent and nerdy Abe, to the calm and dedicated Prince Nuada. You feel immersed in this fantasy World and don’t want it to stop, the more characters you meet, the more you want in the film. With each character haven a well thought out and detailed background that gives them life and meaning, the cast do a great role in making these characters and their relationships come to life.
So that is Hellboy 2, and it sounds pretty good right? Right and I thought it was. The big question everyone will ask; is it better than the original? To answer it shortly it, it is different, more jokes and comical scenes before, but on the same side, probably more fighting. They have taken the best bits from the first one and made them more prominent in this film. I would not however say this is better than the original and it is not worse. They are both on par and excellent films that I really enjoyed.
Really worth watching this film if you have not seen it so far, but I would strongly recommend watch the first installment before tackling this. Just for the odd little reference that you would not get without seeing it!
8.5/10
Should be going to watch this sometime this week. I'll post my own thoughts when I do, but nice review Emmie.
Really!?!?!
I enjoyed it, while it had its flaws and at times did seem a bit rushed to finish. I really enjoyed it and the score i gave it was based more on that.
Thank you for the review comment and sorry to hear you didnt enjoy it.
I enjoyed it, while it had its flaws and at times did seem a bit rushed to finish. I really enjoyed it and the score i gave it was based more on that.
Thank you for the review comment and sorry to hear you didnt enjoy it.
Dude seriously this film was shocking. I wouldn't even give it 5 out of 10 for effort. My girlfriend made me sit down and watch this week before last on DVD (shhh.... dont tell anyone) and i find cheated that I will never get those 90minutes back. I felt the characters were poor, the storyline wasn't worthy of a big screen feature and the acting was poor and boring.
Then again that is just my opinion, good review none the less even though I personally disagree.
Then again that is just my opinion, good review none the less even though I personally disagree.
Hellboy 2 – The Golden Army
The world’s ugliest, red hero returns with the rest of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (BPRD) to fight off ancient evils that have long been banished from the world.
The first scenes show the audience a young Hellboy (Christmas 1955) being told a bedtime story while he brushes his teeth, gets ready for bed and Father Christmas to arrive....
He is told the story of the Golden Army; during a great war between Man and all creatures (trolls, goblins, elves etc) a goblin blacksmith built a powerful and seemingly unstoppable clockwork army for the King of the Elves, controlled by a golden crown that can only be used by someone of royal blood. The Golden Army of 4900 soldiers was created to destroy man and allow all creatures to live where they wish. Balor, the King of the Elves realizes the true power of the Army and the evil that comes with it. Creating a Truce with man that they will stay in the cities, and the creatures in the forests, the crown is split into 3 parts; one given to Man, the other two parts kept by the Elves. Seeing this as weakness and thinking his father has doomed the Elves, Prince Nuada leaves in exile to one day return and save the Elves.
In the present Day Prince Nuada training in darkest parts of the subways. Planning a way to get the last piece of the golden crown back so he can gain control the Golden Army. With his rather large, troll friend at his side he tracks down the final crown piece at an auction house in America. Unleashing “tooth fairies” on the people inside, he is able to take the human’s piece of the crown. His next move, to go see the Elves and get the other parts……
Now this does not go unnoticed by the BPRD, the new team of Hellboy, Liz and Abe go to where this all happened and begin to learn of what may unfold in the near future. Whilst the government try to keep the BPRD a secret, Hellboy has other plans and is soon right in the public eye. Blowing the BPRD out of hiding and all the strange characters that come with it.
So that’s the starting point of one of this year’s biggest films. Most people who have seen the original enjoyed the rather casual approach that Guillermo Del Toro took in creating the Hellboy universe. Not in the conventional super hero form, and rather more un-appealing with horns. Hellboy is more of an outcast who smokes, drinks and shoots big guns. Making jokes all the way! If you liked that comical style of comic, then you will be pleased to hear that the jokes keep coming. In fact the second installment sees even more jokes. Some of which work very well, and others that just seems a bit to “cheesy”. It is always going to be hard to mix a comedy genre into the superhero film. But it works pretty well this time; I rather enjoyed a scene in the film where Hellboy and Abe decide to have a few beers due to women troubles. During their intoxicated state, Prince Nuada attacks the BPRD. It is this kind of thing that brings Hellboy out of the same old thing we see from Spiderman and Superman. In my opinion it is why it is a big hit, because people it is new to a lot of people and they enjoy it!
The only downfall this may create is that they try putting too many jokes into the film and holds up the rather serious plot of the Elves killing mankind. The original found a happy medium of comedy and action. While the plot is well thought out and directed beautifully, it can at times just seem a little bit too forced on the comedy side. Taking nothing from Guillermo Del Toro who has done little more than created two fantastic films that generations will hopefully enjoy. But to those of you who are not so into the comedy, you may get a bit frustrated.
I for one really enjoyed the whole adventure from start to finish. The lovely graphics and all the weird and wonderful characters that are seen during this film. Ron Perlman plays the rebel hero again and he does a very good job. He has the arrogance, the affection and the ability to make you believe that this Demon we have all seen from the beginning, an actual living creature. As the film goes on you see the relationship between Hellboy and Liz, played by Selma Blair mature, from the start where they have small arguments to the end where you can see the love between them.
The whole cast does an excellent job in playing their roles. From the over intelligent and nerdy Abe, to the calm and dedicated Prince Nuada. You feel immersed in this fantasy World and don’t want it to stop, the more characters you meet, the more you want in the film. With each character haven a well thought out and detailed background that gives them life and meaning, the cast do a great role in making these characters and their relationships come to life.
So that is Hellboy 2, and it sounds pretty good right? Right and I thought it was. The big question everyone will ask; is it better than the original? To answer it shortly it, it is different, more jokes and comical scenes before, but on the same side, probably more fighting. They have taken the best bits from the first one and made them more prominent in this film. I would not however say this is better than the original and it is not worse. They are both on par and excellent films that I really enjoyed.
Really worth watching this film if you have not seen it so far, but I would strongly recommend watch the first installment before tackling this. Just for the odd little reference that you would not get without seeing it!
8.5/10
The world’s ugliest, red hero returns with the rest of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (BPRD) to fight off ancient evils that have long been banished from the world.
The first scenes show the audience a young Hellboy (Christmas 1955) being told a bedtime story while he brushes his teeth, gets ready for bed and Father Christmas to arrive....
He is told the story of the Golden Army; during a great war between Man and all creatures (trolls, goblins, elves etc) a goblin blacksmith built a powerful and seemingly unstoppable clockwork army for the King of the Elves, controlled by a golden crown that can only be used by someone of royal blood. The Golden Army of 4900 soldiers was created to destroy man and allow all creatures to live where they wish. Balor, the King of the Elves realizes the true power of the Army and the evil that comes with it. Creating a Truce with man that they will stay in the cities, and the creatures in the forests, the crown is split into 3 parts; one given to Man, the other two parts kept by the Elves. Seeing this as weakness and thinking his father has doomed the Elves, Prince Nuada leaves in exile to one day return and save the Elves.
In the present Day Prince Nuada training in darkest parts of the subways. Planning a way to get the last piece of the golden crown back so he can gain control the Golden Army. With his rather large, troll friend at his side he tracks down the final crown piece at an auction house in America. Unleashing “tooth fairies” on the people inside, he is able to take the human’s piece of the crown. His next move, to go see the Elves and get the other parts……
Now this does not go unnoticed by the BPRD, the new team of Hellboy, Liz and Abe go to where this all happened and begin to learn of what may unfold in the near future. Whilst the government try to keep the BPRD a secret, Hellboy has other plans and is soon right in the public eye. Blowing the BPRD out of hiding and all the strange characters that come with it.
So that’s the starting point of one of this year’s biggest films. Most people who have seen the original enjoyed the rather casual approach that Guillermo Del Toro took in creating the Hellboy universe. Not in the conventional super hero form, and rather more un-appealing with horns. Hellboy is more of an outcast who smokes, drinks and shoots big guns. Making jokes all the way! If you liked that comical style of comic, then you will be pleased to hear that the jokes keep coming. In fact the second installment sees even more jokes. Some of which work very well, and others that just seems a bit to “cheesy”. It is always going to be hard to mix a comedy genre into the superhero film. But it works pretty well this time; I rather enjoyed a scene in the film where Hellboy and Abe decide to have a few beers due to women troubles. During their intoxicated state, Prince Nuada attacks the BPRD. It is this kind of thing that brings Hellboy out of the same old thing we see from Spiderman and Superman. In my opinion it is why it is a big hit, because people it is new to a lot of people and they enjoy it!
The only downfall this may create is that they try putting too many jokes into the film and holds up the rather serious plot of the Elves killing mankind. The original found a happy medium of comedy and action. While the plot is well thought out and directed beautifully, it can at times just seem a little bit too forced on the comedy side. Taking nothing from Guillermo Del Toro who has done little more than created two fantastic films that generations will hopefully enjoy. But to those of you who are not so into the comedy, you may get a bit frustrated.
I for one really enjoyed the whole adventure from start to finish. The lovely graphics and all the weird and wonderful characters that are seen during this film. Ron Perlman plays the rebel hero again and he does a very good job. He has the arrogance, the affection and the ability to make you believe that this Demon we have all seen from the beginning, an actual living creature. As the film goes on you see the relationship between Hellboy and Liz, played by Selma Blair mature, from the start where they have small arguments to the end where you can see the love between them.
The whole cast does an excellent job in playing their roles. From the over intelligent and nerdy Abe, to the calm and dedicated Prince Nuada. You feel immersed in this fantasy World and don’t want it to stop, the more characters you meet, the more you want in the film. With each character haven a well thought out and detailed background that gives them life and meaning, the cast do a great role in making these characters and their relationships come to life.
So that is Hellboy 2, and it sounds pretty good right? Right and I thought it was. The big question everyone will ask; is it better than the original? To answer it shortly it, it is different, more jokes and comical scenes before, but on the same side, probably more fighting. They have taken the best bits from the first one and made them more prominent in this film. I would not however say this is better than the original and it is not worse. They are both on par and excellent films that I really enjoyed.
Really worth watching this film if you have not seen it so far, but I would strongly recommend watch the first installment before tackling this. Just for the odd little reference that you would not get without seeing it!
8.5/10