Film: Hellboy 2: The Golden Army

So Hellboy. Let me start off by expressing my undying fanboyishness (what?) for Guillermo Del Toro and, to a much greater extent, Ron Perlman.

With that said, I didn't really like Hellboy 2.

Visually, the film was phenomenal, with excellent performances delivered by the entire cast. But for all that was good about the film I never felt any sort of emotional attachment to the characters or the film as a whole. I got hints of it when Hellboy was faced with moral dilemnas, but never really got drawn in. I also found the fight scenes, with the exception of the battle against the forest giant thingy and moments in the final confrontation, to be fairly flat and unengaging.

It was a really strange experience actually, where I liked everything I saw on an intellectual level but almost never on an emotional level (with the exception of Hellboy's moral dilemna's, as mentioned earlier). There were some good funny moments as well, but as a whole the film was not hilarious.

So I guess I never found the heart of the film. Which isn't to say it's not there. When I walked out of the film, my first reaction was a desire to watch it again; to find a reason to like it. But on a single viewing, I was not fully captivated.

At this point, I'm not sure I can recommend the film Hellboy 2, so much as the idea of Hellboy 2. Because I definitely like the idea of Hellboy 2, but I'm not sure if I like the film. When I figure it out I'll let you know.

1/3 - For now, I can't really recommend it. But I want to. I really want to.