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Created Aug 17, 2008 09:45AM PST • Edited Aug 17, 2008 09:45AM PST

1. Quality

2. Summary

   Great 4.0

   Before starting the review I have to admit something: I am a fan of Hellboy. Not simply the film, but the comics as well. i had a friend in high school who had a few of them and i rad and enjoyed them. so when it came time for a film, i was excited. That bias being out of the way, I really liked the film. Hellboy does travel some old paths of the comic book kind, but it also makes for a more than enjoyable ride and provides a tremendous introduction to the origins of the character.

4. Acting

   Really Great 4.5

   I found the acting to be well above standards for a film such as this. Ron Perlman is an amazing find as the titular character of Hellboy. jhn hurt is used to great effect as Professor Bruttenholm aka “Broom”. Selma Blair garners high marks as Liz Sherman, and doug Jones provides the body of abe Sapien while david hyde pierce does the voice. Even the character of John Myers was fully realized (he wasn’t in the original books).

5. Male Stars Perfect 5.0

   There are a couple of major players in this thing, but only one deserves mention as a male star, and that is Hellboy. Ron Perlman is a well known character actor who has been doing bit parts and working with makeup and such for twenty years or more, and his genre work is some of his most impressive. Underneath the forty or more pounds of makeup and prosthetics we see a genuine performance from a man designed to look like a big red demon. Del toro was right to wait until he was allowed to play the role, as it is hard to imagine anyone else in the role upon the first time he is in the scene.

6. Female Stars Really Great 4.5

   Selma Blair is the only woman in the cast that I can tell (with the exception of the woman on the evil side of things, but her role is very small) and so the basis by which we write is to talk about her portrayal of Liz Sherman. She is understated, confused, solemn, and frightened by herself, and Blair handles the role absolutely wonderfully. Her storyline was changed a little bit (to accompany for Myers and for the hellboy romantic angle) but she handles the role of being one of the lone humans better than most women in the role would have.

7. Female Costars Great 4.0

8. Male Costars Really Great 4.5

   Rupert Evans plays John Myers well, not perfect, but very well considering he is a studio creation for the movie, Jeffrey Tambor gets tremendous laughs as Manning, the man behind the BPRD, John Hurt as Broom brings gravitas to even very strange situations, and Karel roden plays Rasputin with a delicious evil that is rarely seen in pg-13.

10. Film

    Really Great 4.5

    The film itself is handled wonderfully. There is very little that can be said about guillermo Del toro at this point in terms of direction…he is a magician. the script is sharp and crisp, full of wit and clever ideals. the music is well handled and never too over the top, staying just below what is happening on screen as emphasis. Visually the film is breathtaking, utilizing less CGI than most filmmakers would have.

11. Direction Perfect 5.0

    Guillermo Del Toro has been receiving accolades on the last couple of years for The Pan’s Labyrinth, which was a wonderful piece. The film he did before that is Hellboy, and such his crazed genius manifests itself here too, even within the confines of a studio release. Del toro is a master behind the camera, bringing flourishes seldom seen in the comic book realm to life in such a way. He really makes you feel for a red demon, which says something. his gothic, horror encrusted approach to filmmaking works perfectly for this world and it really helps the film stand.

12. Play Really Great 4.5

    Written by guillermo Del toro and the creator Mike mignola, this film was destined to be full of charm, wit, and brilliance. however, I did knock it down a point simply because it did seem to have a couple of unoriginal concepts and ideas that made it feel like it was written long before it was made. That is nothing to take away from the film itself, but it did on occasion feel a little “seen” already. Still an amazing script, though.

13. Music Really Great 4.5

    Marco Beltrami outdoes himself with the music to Hellboy. Infusing certain themes from the comic and giving them life, the theme for Hellboy is iconic at first listen. the theme is also being used currently for the direct to DVd animated line of films and in the video game, which illustrates the point of how well then theme worked with the film.

14. Visuals Perfect 5.0

    Going the more practical route was decidedly the way to go with this film, and it shows. By using makeup and prosthetic in places where a lot of directors would have opted for the SFx route, Del toro has created a film that feel more real than it should. I am personally a fan of the more practical effects usage, and so I found this stylistic choice to be refreshing in the day and age where everything seems to be done on computers.

15. Content

16. Edge

    Risqué 2.3

    There is very little edge for this movie, which is odd considering it is about a hell demon helping the known world slay other demons in a world run by a reincarnated dictator. There is lots of action which may not be good for the kids, very little in the way of sex (save for a crush on Liz by hellboy), and rudeness that is a bit heavy but staying in the pg-13 world. Some of the themes that run in this movie are dark, however, and that is probably the only reason to keep young ones away.

17. Sex Innocent 1.5

18. Violence Brutal 2.6

19. Rudeness Profane 2.8

21. Reality

    Supernatural 3.6

    as stated above, it involves reincarnation, portals to hell, a red demon named hellboy, a fish man name Abe Sapien, fire stemming from one’s body, a beast that resurrects itself, a massive being in space, and a warrior from WWII that seemingly cannot die. so yes, the film is definitely in the realm of fantasy. Dark fantasy, but it cannot and will not happen in the real world, as it is escapist entertainment. But a good fantasy is often better than a bad realistic movie, and much of that lies in the way the film is told.

22. Circumstantial Fantasy 4.4

23. Biological Surreal 3.0

24. Physical Supernatural 3.5