Movie Review: Hellboy

Hellboy

I'll confess right up front: I'm entirely unfamiliar with the Hellboy comics. So how does this latest comic-inspired movie hold up to the storyline and "feel" established on paper? I have no idea. But as a stand-alone effort, I thought it did a good job. I felt that I understood the characters, and that I grasped enough of the background for the story to make sense; while I wished there was more time for a more substantial backstory, that's because there was enough backstory there for me to be interested in knowing more.

Hellboy opens with the background some of us so sorely needed in order to appreciate the rest of the tale the movie is about to tell. Some 60 years ago, the Nazis allied themselves with Russian mystic Grigori Rasputin (Karel Roden, and yes, that Rasputin) to open the gate between our world and the gods of chaos. Although American forces, including a newly hired expert on the paranormal (Professor Trevor "Broom" Buttenholm, played by John Hurt), were able to close the gate again, they weren't quite fast enough. One small infant devil got through the opening before it was closed again. That baby, of course, was called Hellboy by the soldiers who found him.

Raised by the good Professor, Hellboy (played as an adult by Ron Perlman) grows up to become a force against evil. Along with other "freaks" - including the beautiful firestarter Liz (Selma Blair). with whom Hellboy is secretly and painfully in love - Hellboy works in an alliance with the FBI whenever expertise such as his is needed. When the aging Professor realizes he won't be around forever, he handpicks a new FBI agent as a liaison between Hellboy and other authorities (Agent John Myers, played in his feature film debut by Rupert Evans). But then (pardon the pun) all hell breaks loose with revived Nazis including an unstoppable assassin, their uncompleted mission to open the gate, and a monster that has the annoying ability to resurrect itself. The problems are only compounded by an FBI director (Jeffrey Tambor) who feels like he's losing control.

The script for Hellboy is much as you might expect: action-packed and with a comic-book flair. The make-up and other special effects are superlative, and the action brilliantly rendered. I found little evidence of effects - though there was some small amount to be seen here and there - and a good deal of work to appreciate. Ron Perlman imbues Hellboy with some of the best and worst traits of humanity, including a self-deprecating humor that makes him truly likable despite his faults. In a rare make-up misstep, the prosthetics applied around Perlman's mouth and jawline didn't exhibit enough movement when the actor spoke. That foible became both more obvious and more annoying as the movie went on. Selma Blair was all right as a woman who would do almost anything to rid herself of the powers she finds both terrible and frightening. Rupert Evans is very good as the boyish FBI agent who's torn between offering Liz advice and making a play for her himself; John Hurt is also good. Karel Roden, who I understand is well known in Eastern Europe, has a future in American film as well - his accent is strong enough to be intriguing and not so strong as to make him difficult to understand, and his screen presence is quite good. But this is less a movie for actors than it is for effects. Luckily, the effects take their supporting role and run away with it, making Hellboy a very entertaining time at the movies.

FAMILY SUITABILITY: Hellboy is rated PG-13 for "sci fi violence" and some "frightening images." If your children are old enough to read Hellboy, however, they're old enough to see the movie. And for all the rest of you, take note: Hellboy is a must-see for comic and special effects fans, and a good time even for those who just like a good action film regardless of its genre (think Indiana Jones meets Men in Black for this particular film).

NOTE FOR FX FANS: Surprisingly enough, the sound and sound effects for Hellboy were handled by Skywalker Sound, a division of Lucasfilms which, of course, also owns the amazing Industrial Light and Magic special effects house. The special effects, however, were done by a company of which I've never heard: The Orphanage. Judging from what I saw onscreen this weekend, we'll be seeing more from The Orphanage in the future. ILM has had only a few competitors over the years and even fewer peers. I suspect we can add one more.