DVD Review: Hellboy II: The Golden Army
Ron Perlman's Demonic Do-Gooder is Back, for Decent DVD Sequel
Nov 20, 2008
(Writer's note: For an in-depth theatrical review analysis of Hellboy II, click here)
Having managed to hold its own at the box office in this past summer's "Batmania" heavy period, Universal Pictures' Hellboy II: The Golden Army picks up the series' storyline at an undetermined period set after the 2004 original film.
For the layperson reading this, "Hellboy" (Ron Perlman) is a red skinned, horned demon which was summoned to Earth by the evil Mad Russian Grigori Rasputin, who worked with the Nazi Thule Society, in obtaining supernatural assistance to turn the tide of the war in the 1940's. This did not come to pass, however, due to the intervention of the U.S. Armed forces, who stopped Rasputin before the deed was done. Before the incantations were completed, one very young demon infant came through, destined to destroy the world. The U.S. Army takes him in, naming him Hellboy.
The first film covers his ascension within the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Development (B.P.R.D., for short), his friendships with his fellow agents (amphibian man Abraham Sapien and love interest, pyrokinetic Liz Sherman) and his rematch with Rasputin, back from the dead (again) and looking to manipulate Hellboy into fulfilling his destiny.
Hellboy II: The Golden Army Brief Synopsis
Flashback to the 1950's: Professor Trevor Bruttenholm (John Hurt, also in the first film), mentor to the young Hellboy now living on a remote desert Army base, tells his young ward of a story about an age-old war between the elf world, and that of humans. The one-armed king of the elves (Roy Dotrice), had the power to control a Golden Army, large mechanical automatons, designed to lay waste to mankind. Seeing the inevitable destruction that would follow, this king called a truce, and broke down his golden crown (source of the machines' control) into separate pieces, some going to elves, some to humans.
(Yes, there is a resemblance to a certain Tolkien trilogy here, but that's all it is...)
Flash forward to present day. Young Prince Nuada (Luke Goss), son of the elf king, decides to break the truce, unleash creatures both paranormal and magical out on our civilization, and pursue his father's original plan. That is, unless the good people at the Bureau can stop them, before it's too late. The prince's fair sister Nuala reaches out to the outsiders, before her brother can carry out his plans
Hellboy II: The Golden Army DVD Extras
Fans of director Guillermo Del Toro (Mimic, Hellboy, Pan's Labyrinth, Blade II) will approach this DVD with the same enthusiasm they have with his past work, as he is of the type to immerse himself in the story's envrironment, going as far as to basically sketch out the entire screenplay, so to give himself a template for various camera shots, backgrounds, set designs, creature designs, etc.
Where many other major Hollywood directors would want to delegate such varied tasks to numerous department heads, Del Toro prefers to have an active hand in several aspects of his movies, and it shows on screen.
With that in mind, look for the "All-Access Pass to the HBII Set" in the bonus features, where Del toro takes you through the several elaborate set-ups designed for this fantastically visual film.
Other features on this single widescreen DVD, include an animated comic which adds to the film's ending and offers a possible glimpse at another sequel (the return of Rasputin, perhaps?), and some deleted scenes.
The director's audio commentary on this flick is very thorough, but general audiences not too familiar with Del Toro's style may not be as much into it as fanboys.
(Note: A Special Edition 3-Disc Set was also released, but was not available for review. The Special Edition included the above features, with the addition of a director's notebook, a two-hour in-depth docu on the origin and making of the Hellboy character and his world, and image galleries.)
8 out of 10, for consistent visual stimulation, and for being a decent sequel.
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