Bigger, badder, better…Hellboy returns to the big screen in Hellboy II: The Golden Army.

Rating: Popcorn

After an ancient truce between the mythical underworld and humans is broken, hell breaks loose on Earth as Prince Nuada of the underworld is about to unleash the golden army, an army strong enough to wipe out the human race. Who can save mankind from this atrocity? The answer is Hellboy. Equipped with bigger weapons and his task force from the Bureau of Paranormal Reasearch and Defense (B.P.R.D.), Hellboy must face Prince Nuada and his golden army before it’s too late.

Directed by Academy Award nominee Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth), Hellboy II: The Golden Army stars Ron Perlman (Postal), Selma Blair (Feast of Love), Jeffrey Tambor (Superhero Movie), Doug Jones (Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer), and Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy Presents Blue Harvest). Rupert Evans, who played the role of Agent John Meyer in Hellboy, was not able to be casted in Hellboy II because he was acting in a theater version of Kiss of the Spider Woman. Other than the subtraction of Rupert Evans, the cast is pretty good. Selma Blair shows signs of improvement from the prequel as she’s more animated and less dull in her role as “Pyrokenetic” Liz Sherman.

The story is well-written as it reveals more backstory, including the history between the humans and the mythical underground and a glimpse of Hellboy when he was young and his relationship with his father, Professor Bruttenholm. As a child, we can really see that Hellboy was raised, treated and acted like a regular human being. At Christmas time, he is just as excited for Santa Claus as any other kid waiting for their presents.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army not only brings us a good cast and well-developed story, but it also brings humor and action. Like I said in the Hellboy review, I like how del Torro incorporates some comic relief into film, which could have easily been made into a horror/thriller. With the humor, del Torro is able to appeal to a broader audience, meaning that you’ll come out of the movie liking at least something, either the action, the suspense, the comedy, or the little bit of romance. The action sequences are choreographed in a way that keeps you guessing what will happen next while the camera angles accentuate the action in the scenes.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army is based on Mike Mignola’s comic series Hellboy, published by Dark Horse Comics. The sequel had its struggles in the development stages. Hellboy II was originally suppose to be produced by Revolution Studios, but when Sony Pictures pulled the plug on the studio, they put the film rights up for sale as they didn’t think Hellboy would be profitable. Universal Pictures picked up the rights and started to work on the sequel right away. Without the help of director Guillermo del Torro, the Hellboy franchise would have folded.

You don’t want to miss Hellboy II: The Golden Army! It’s bigger. It’s badder. And better than the first one! The movie is very clean in the language department and is full of action and suspense. It doesn’t matter if your an action lover, adventure seeker, sci-fi geek or thrill rider, Hellboy II: The Golden Army IS ONE HELL OF A MOVIE!

Theatrical Release Date: July 11, 2008

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