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Keyser Corleone's First-Timers Superhero Week, Review 1
Hellboy (2004) - Directed by Quentin Tarantino
"What is it that makes a man a man?"
I'm going to get this movie reviewed before the third adaptation comes out. Hellboy is one of those more polarized movies, believe it or not. It's a Guillermo del Toro movie and it has to compete with The Shape of Water and Pan's Labyrinth. But I think it stands up very well and makes for a good philosophical and fun superhero movie. We don't get a lot of philosophy in those.
This rare kind of supernatural story centers around the son of the devil rebelling against him! 666 goes 777 in this movie where Hellboy, a demon gone vigilante for justice, must overcome his many personal troubles such as a broken up girlfriend, his desire for a more active life, and his war with a strict bureau director when he gets the chance to fight an evil religious cult and a giant-ass god they plan on summoning!
OK, it's an action movie, so I want a good amount of action with that shake known as a story, and it delivers pretty well on both sides, but usually on the action. Ron Perlman shines like an angel as the world's most famous demon going through some SERIOUS daddy issues as his rude wisecracks help set up the relations between him and the other characters with believable chemistry. And strangely enough, the other characters have their moments to shine. Jeffery Tambor's performance as Tom Manning is so good it's infuriating to see him act that way towards Ron Perlman/Hellboy. Doug Jones, paired with the voice acting of David Hyde Pierce makes for an Abe Sapien I really want to see again on the big screen (of course, I haven't seen Hellboy II yet.
The movie gets bonus points for its focus on overall philosophy and the right choices rather than religion. Religion was only used enough to symbolize doing the right thing as opposed to giving in to darkness, and never tries to hard to be a "religious" film. Good dodging. And philosophy, while hinted at in many superhero movies, never really feels like a theme until the very end. Hellboy's the movie where it's a leading story-driver at times.
And the action is flat-out incredible. The fight scenes have exceptional direction which put extra emphasis on the right angles and the right lengths of each shot so you get the full-picture. Almost nothing feels clunky in the action scenes, and we get some expert level badassery from Hellboy. This is that kind of movie that could have been a special effects buzzkill, but focused more on the action than anything.
However, there's the clincher that keeps the movie from getting the five-star rating. There's not enough development on the parts of Trevor Bruttenholm or the villains, who were only developed enough to keep the basics of the story going. I wanted to know a lot more about them, even though their roles were done very well. This movie did have great casting choices.
So, if you didn't enjoy Hellboy you must have some really high standards. This movie has a lot of things to love about your mid-2000's blockbuster. And maybe it does feel like that quie a bit, but every time period has its own aura which can either be praised or hated. It worked well for this flick, and is one of my favorite supernatural action movies, accomplishing everything movies like Constantine were trying to do at the same time, but failed.
Hellboy (2004) - Directed by Quentin Tarantino
"What is it that makes a man a man?"
I'm going to get this movie reviewed before the third adaptation comes out. Hellboy is one of those more polarized movies, believe it or not. It's a Guillermo del Toro movie and it has to compete with The Shape of Water and Pan's Labyrinth. But I think it stands up very well and makes for a good philosophical and fun superhero movie. We don't get a lot of philosophy in those.
This rare kind of supernatural story centers around the son of the devil rebelling against him! 666 goes 777 in this movie where Hellboy, a demon gone vigilante for justice, must overcome his many personal troubles such as a broken up girlfriend, his desire for a more active life, and his war with a strict bureau director when he gets the chance to fight an evil religious cult and a giant-ass god they plan on summoning!
OK, it's an action movie, so I want a good amount of action with that shake known as a story, and it delivers pretty well on both sides, but usually on the action. Ron Perlman shines like an angel as the world's most famous demon going through some SERIOUS daddy issues as his rude wisecracks help set up the relations between him and the other characters with believable chemistry. And strangely enough, the other characters have their moments to shine. Jeffery Tambor's performance as Tom Manning is so good it's infuriating to see him act that way towards Ron Perlman/Hellboy. Doug Jones, paired with the voice acting of David Hyde Pierce makes for an Abe Sapien I really want to see again on the big screen (of course, I haven't seen Hellboy II yet.
The movie gets bonus points for its focus on overall philosophy and the right choices rather than religion. Religion was only used enough to symbolize doing the right thing as opposed to giving in to darkness, and never tries to hard to be a "religious" film. Good dodging. And philosophy, while hinted at in many superhero movies, never really feels like a theme until the very end. Hellboy's the movie where it's a leading story-driver at times.
And the action is flat-out incredible. The fight scenes have exceptional direction which put extra emphasis on the right angles and the right lengths of each shot so you get the full-picture. Almost nothing feels clunky in the action scenes, and we get some expert level badassery from Hellboy. This is that kind of movie that could have been a special effects buzzkill, but focused more on the action than anything.
However, there's the clincher that keeps the movie from getting the five-star rating. There's not enough development on the parts of Trevor Bruttenholm or the villains, who were only developed enough to keep the basics of the story going. I wanted to know a lot more about them, even though their roles were done very well. This movie did have great casting choices.
So, if you didn't enjoy Hellboy you must have some really high standards. This movie has a lot of things to love about your mid-2000's blockbuster. And maybe it does feel like that quie a bit, but every time period has its own aura which can either be praised or hated. It worked well for this flick, and is one of my favorite supernatural action movies, accomplishing everything movies like Constantine were trying to do at the same time, but failed.