Hellboy 2 The Golden Army
August 24th 2008 14:52
I had the good fortune on Monday night to see Hellboy 2, almost two weeks before it premieres in Australia. I went along to a preview followed by a "Q&A" with the author over the phone.
The Movie
I was a big fan of Hellboy and having loved the first one for it's visual flair and love of pulp adventure and HP Lovecraft I was looking forward to the second instalment of the Hellboy series.
The second film revolves around a crown that was split into three parts that when reassembled will grant the wearer the power to control The Golden Army. An army that is unthinking and will blindly serve anyone who wears the crown.
The introduction of the golden army and the exposition is told by the use of puppets. This device is very effective and sits confortably in Guillermo del Toro's visual world as it is framed as the imagination of a young Hellboy.
This sequence reminded me of the film Strings a wonderful movie that used marionettes to tell a fantasy story.
The film then shifts back to live action and a tale of wild action and strange creatures unfolds.
The things that I loved about the first film are still true in this film. I have to say that Guillermo del Toro is becoming a director that I can trust. As a story teller he weaves a compelling visual picture that presents us with a world of elves, trolls and fairies that doesn't fall into the Hollywood Cliché and really brings something new to the table.
While the Lovecraftian flavor is gone from the first film the development of the fairy world and the wonderful monsters and characters introduced in this picture enhance the universe created in the first one and give this picture a character all of it's own that still manages to continue to move the characters forward.
The cast are all on there A game and I get a sense that they are having way too much fun Salma Blair gets a chance to be a more active participant in proceedings than in the last film and I could see her doing more action films in future as I feel that she fit comfortably in that world.
But the two cast members that I feel deserve special mention are Dough Jones and Luke Goss. These two actors are becoming staples of Del Toro.
Doug Jones has now been in three Del Toro films (Hellboy, Pan's Labyrinth and now Hellboy 2) and he brings a real soul to Abe Saipian to this film. Abe was voiced by David Hyde Pierce in the first film but Doug now also provides the voice in this film. Abe is given more of a chance to develop in this film and as such I feel that Doug will get more recognition.
Luke Goss plays Prince Nuada, he has appeared in 2 Del Toro films (Blade 2 and Hellboy 2) and again he plays the villain. What I find interesting from Goss is that he creates through his performance a villain that is not just one dimensional. There is a soul to his character that goes beyond just being the bad guy.
Like the first film the action sequences are amazing and there is at least one sequence that my friend said was the most amazing thing he had ever seen in a comic book movie (Hi Dave!)
Over all I would have to say that Hellboy 2 the Golden Army is a visual feast with a great sense of humor, that will take you to sights you have never seen before and create a world that your imagination can play in for many hours after the film is over.
View of the Week
Hellboy Animated Sword of Storms More Hellboy action. An animated film voiced by the cast of the film. This film creates a new Hellboy universe aside from the Live action films, tells the tale of an ancient evil. Like all Hellboy stories Sword of Storms takes mythology, this time asian and drops Hellboy slap bang in the middle of it.
Link
Read of the Week
Hellboy seed of Destruction This is where it all started the first Hellboy adventure by Mike Mignola a book that combines pulp adventure with supernatural horror with a great sense of fun.
More info
Game of the Week
GURPS This is the best RPG that I could think of that would allow you to play in the universe of Hellboy. This flexible system allows you to use the rules for super natural horror with super heroics to simulate the universe of Hellboy.
Free introductory version of the rules
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