Seen on: July 11, 2008

The players: Director: Guillermo del Toro, Writer: Guillermo del Toro, Cast: Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Jeffrey Tambor, Luke Goss, Anna Walton, Seth MacFarlane (voice)

Facts of interest: Guillermo del Toro used incredible puppetry combined with digital enhancement to achieve the desired look of the creatures in the film.

The plot: Creatures from the mythical realm wage war against humanity in an attempt to take control of the world, while Hellboy’s band of unlikely heroes do all they can to save mankind.

Our quick thoughts: The red, horned hero is back and better than before in this amped-up sequel of 2004’s “Hellboy.” While the first film appeased mostly fans of fantasy and Mike Mignola's graphic novel, “Hellboy II: The Golden Army” will most likely entertain the majority of moviegoers with its all-around improvements in action, story and aesthetics.

Guillermo del Toro (who directed "Hellboy" and "Pan’s Labyrinth") took some notes from the mediocrity of the first movie and went to work on the sequel with a substantially larger budget and a vision that would bring the Hellboy franchise into the spotlight. Beginning with a brief and amusing history of Hellboy, the action barely pauses to take a breather as an elven prince attempts to take control of a lost, ancient army to rule the world.

The most outstanding improvements of this sequel can be seen in the visual effects. Del Toro used a great blend of make-up/puppetry and computer-generated imagery to bring the monsters of his movie to life, which helped him refrain from a look of complete animation. This mix of mediums also applies brilliantly to the fight scenes that seem to fall into place one after another like dominoes. The nearly non-stop action shows Hellboy and his comrades battle all kinds of monsters, trolls and elves, pausing only briefly to make some room for necessary plot development (and yes, even a romantic subplot).

While the story is somewhat shallow, it is complex enough to captivate audiences without deterring from the outright awesome action scenes. The sequel also shows us what little there is of Hellboy’s sensitive side as he lives as a hero and an outcast of society. While the plot boasts just enough romantic subplots and a major identity crisis to keep this story from being a two-hour monster romp, you will be happy to hear that Hellboy has not been tamed by any means. This is an enjoyable summer blockbuster about a demon hero whose self-described occupation is more or less to kick butt. The description firts perfectly.

Ron Perlman returns as the titular character, and he certainly does his part to fulfill the role with a plethora of macho one-liners that could put any action star to shame. And while this type of dialogue can get irritating, it is saved by its hilarity and character necessity. Selma Blair also returns as Hellboy’s flame (literally), Liz Sherman. Although the acting is overall mediocre, it defintely gets the job done.

Freaky quote: “I will call on all my people; the good, the bad and the worst.” – Luke Goss

The final word: “Hellboy II: The Golden Army” is just the type of action flick that stands out from the repetition of the majority of summer blockbusters. With plenty of relentless action, humor and adequate storytelling, this is one of the better sequels we;ve seen this year. And don't forget: saving the world is indeed a hell of a job.

Article by Aaron Osborne