Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008) ***

Well it's been a hell of a wait, four long years, or three days if you're me. This sequel continues in the same creative vein as the first film as Guillermo del Toro continues to prove he has his finger on the pulse of what will creep out his audience. I was looking forward to seeing the Hellboy films after I saw del Toro in person at the New York Comi-Con. He has to be one of the most enthusiastic and colorful personas in Hollywood. He has a true love for the material and the universe these creatures dwell in gives him a chance to flex his dark and nightmarish muscles and create some lasting and memorable characters that are one of the many highlights of the film. But he also never sacrifices the complexity or the emotions of the characters for an action sequence. The character relationships and conflicts are given equal billing with the action set pieces which ensure that we not only like the characters, but we also care about what happens to them.

Wisely giving del Toro a larger budget for the second go around, the director makes sure it all is seen on the screen. Being a fan of physical effects and animatronics over computer generated imagery, the creatures which populate the world of Hellboy are given an extra added layer of realism. I think that also makes them that much more frightening as the monsters are obviously on the sets and locations rather than in some computer generated background. Every creature is also given a distinct personality, from the troll market informant with his nagging tumor to the possessed tooth fairy that leads the BPRD team there. The benefit of DVDs will allow people to go back and get a few more looks at all the unique and strange inhabitants of the troll market as every frame is packed with too much that can be caught through the first glance.

Despite the bigger budget and a spot right in the middle of the summer movie season, Hellboy never forgets that it's the characters that the audience falls in love with. Bringing back most of the cast from the first film aside from Rupert Evans who had a scheduling conflict, the film also introduces a new character from the comics: Johann Krauss (John Alexander, voice of Seth MacFarlane) who is a more than welcome addition to the eclectic cast of characters. The relationships between Hellboy and Liz and Hellboy and Abe Sapien are further explored and Abe even gets a love interest of his own in Princess Nuala (Anna Walton). Abe and Agent Manning continue their love/hate relationship with Hellboy taking great relish when he goes public right after Manning has denounced the rumors yet again to the press. Hellboy's laughing fit while watching the newscast over and over again reminds of how childish the character can be despite his long life on Earth and the dark and grisly villains he must deal with and helps to make the character so lovable. He can also be serious and mature and it was a sad moment when the crowd turned against him after he defeated the Forest God and rescued a helpless infant. Someone even pelts him in the face with a rock and without Perlman in the role with the emotion clear on his face it would not resonate so strongly with the audience.

The action scenes are well done even if they are not the main attraction of the film with particular note of the tooth fairy attack on the BPRD investigative team at the beginning of the film, Hellboy's fight with Mr. Wink in the troll market and the final battle with the golden army and Hellboy's face-off with Prince Nuada (Luke Goss). The tooth fairy onslaught is a particularly unnerving but never outright gruesome scene as del Toro, aware of the family audience, never relishes in the gore despite the truly despicable nature of the creatures. It's telling when you can even feel for the red shirts of the BPRD team when they are taken down, as it is truly a horrific way to die by being eaten alive by hundreds of small creatures. The battle in the troll market is a good example of how the film is subtly laced with humor, mostly coming from Hellboy's remarks. The final confrontation with the golden army is an impressive visual tour de force of an unrelenting and unstoppable enemy that our heroes would really have no chance of defeating.

I have enjoyed the first two Hellboy films and am looking forward to a third one being made. Of course del Toro has a bit of a full plate for the moment, with Dr. Strange and The Hobbit (which will be two films) both next on his hit list. But with his love for the characters and Ron Perlman's desire to continue in the Hellboy role, after a well-deserved break due to the strenuous nature of playing such a character, it makes a third film practically inevitable. I'm sure the rest of the cast would also be willing to return as even though it may not be a wildly popular franchise, the fans it does have are a highly devoted bunch whose love equals that of del Toro's. I think Mr. del Toro is a very creative and unique individual and I hope he continues to make films true to his own fascinating vision that I will most definitely be in line to see.

Favorite moment: Hand downs it's going to be the drunken duet of "I Can't Smile Without You" by Hellboy and Abe. It was probably both the funniest and sweetest moment in the film. It shows how close the two are even if they're so different and also provides a brief glimpse into the personal lives of the characters. I'm not sure how long Hellboy and Abe knew each other prior to the first film but I could easily imagine the two of them growing up as brothers with Hellboy trying to get Abe to break the rules. The way Hellboy pushes the beer onto Abe when he tries to explain how his body is a temple and the drunken conversation that follows about women helps to show that despite their unusual appearance, they act as human as the rest of us.