Hellboy (2004)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Guillermo del Toro

Writers (WGA):

Guillermo del Toro (screenplay)
Guillermo del Toro (screen story) ...

Release Date:

2 April 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Fantasy

Tagline:

From the Dark Side to Our Side

Plot:

A demon, raised from infancy after being conjured by and rescued from the Nazis, grows up to become a defender against the forces of darkness.

Plot Keywords:

Nazi | Demon | Superhero | Love Triangle | Occult

Awards:

2 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Ron Perlman	...	Hellboy
John Hurt	...	Trevor "Broom" Bruttenholm
Selma Blair	...	Liz Sherman
Rupert Evans	...	John Myers
Karel Roden	...	Grigori Rasputin
Jeffrey Tambor	...	Tom Manning
Doug Jones	...	Abe Sapien
Brian Steele	...	Sammael
Ladislav Beran	...	Karl Ruprecht Kroenen
Biddy Hodson	...	Ilsa Haupstein (as Bridget Hodson)
Corey Johnson	...	Agent Clay
Kevin Trainor	...	Young "Broom"
Brian Caspe	...	Agent Lime
James Babson	...	Agent Moss
Stephen Fisher	...	Agent Quarry

Also Known As:

Super Sapiens (Malaysia: English title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sci-fi action violence and frightening images.

Runtime:

122 min | 132 min (director's cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Russian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Malaysia:18PL | Iceland:14 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #40117) | Germany:12 (also director's cut) | France:U | South Korea:15 | South Africa:10V | New Zealand:M | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:14 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Chile:TE | Czech Republic:U | Denmark:11 | Finland:K-11 | Finland:K-15 (director's cut) | Netherlands:16 | Peru:PT | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12A

Filming Locations:

Barrandov Studios, Prague, Czech Republic

Company:

Revolution Studios

Trivia:

It took anywhere from five to seven hours to apply Doug Jones's make-up. It took another three hours to reverse the process. Sometimes, some of the pieces were not removed so that it would be easier to put the costume on the next day.

Goofs:

Continuity: During his first fight with Sammael, Hellboy fires six shots from his gun. He only loaded four bullets before the fight. He subsequently fires at least another three, without ever reloading.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Professor Trevor 'Broom' Bruttenholm: What is it that makes a man a man? Is it his origins, the way things start. Or is it something else, something harder to describe? For me it all began in 1944, classified mission off the coast of Scotland. The Nazis were desperate. Combining science and black magic they intended to upset the balance of the war...

Movie Connections:

Spin off The B.P.R.D. Declassified (2004) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Breathe In

B+ Good script, well-paced, overall very entertaining.

Hellboy is a well-balanced and very well-paced movie that avoids tiresome action movie content (mostly).

Script: Very efficient. The snappy-attitude lines are allowable because of Hellboy's partially juvenile personality.

Acting: I credit Pearlman for presenting a complete character without being gabby and coy. Well-done. Almost all of the other significant characters are equally well-presented by their respective actors, save for one. del Toro certainly dropped the ball in writing/directing that character (though I won't mention who so as not to give anything away). He messed up only one character, and I forgive him. Nobody's perfect.

Casting: Appropriate.

Pace/balance: The movie reminded me of X2 in this respect. It moved well, didn't get stalled anywhere, and both the action and drama were moderated with smooth transitions between each.

For comparison, Spiderman was good but overacted, X2 was good but with a few eye-rolling moments.

Overall, I found this movie provided high entertainment value. B+