Hellboy

Starring: Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, & Rupert Evans

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Much like the Punisher, Hellboy was created for the older comic book fans. The character was designed to be an anti-hero, less refined than Batman or Superman, someone who would hate being labeled a superhero. While the comics weren't as popular as others, the film gave life to the franchise and created a cult following. The story is meant to introduce us to the character of Hellboy, a cat loving, cigar smoking, red guy, with a bad attitude, who secretly works for the government protecting The United States from paranormal threats. Everyone knows by now that I hate superheroes, so the idea of the anti-hero really appealed to me. I could have easily become one of the cult followers and fallen for Hellboy, the way all the comic-con kids did, if it wasn't for the uncertain direction of the film. Guillermo Del Toro struggled back and fourth with whether or not this film should be geared for kids or adults, and went the PG-13 route. It worked in terms of getting a larger audience, but it also took away from the original intent of the character. Throughout the film we keep hearing about how tough and dangerous Hellboy is, but he's really wasn't that much of a bad ass. If Hellboy is so unlike any hero, why is he working for government instead of breaking the law, and why is it that he doesn't utter a single curse word? The character was far too toned down for my liking, but the flip-side to that was how nasty and creepy some of the bad guys were. Broom is one of the best comic villains I've ever seen and given his Nazi background, he most certainly was not intended for kids. Overall, I enjoyed parts of the film, I loved Ron Perlman, and as with any film by Guillermo Del Toro, the special effects were amazing. However, the lack of direction makes the film somewhat unfulfilling and anti-climatic. Hopefully that will all change when I get up to Hellboy II.