By Shane Conto
I am going to get this out of the way from the start. My only connection to Hellboy is the work of Guillermo del Toro and his first two Hellboy films. I love those films and they are some of my favorite comic book movies. I know they wanted to make a “truer” adaptation to the comics with the R-rated affair that was released this weekend. But would you rather have a quality film, or R-rated hot mess? I would prefer the former. Unfortunately, the new film is the latter. I felt disappointed as each scene had something cool or interesting to offer and just as quickly outweighed by aspects that were just bad or poorly executed.
To start, Neil Marshall (who is best know for great episodes of Game of Thrones) does not put his best foot forward conducting the mad symphony that is this film. This film charges forward at a breakneck pace which does not allow for anything to breathe and fully sit in with the audience. The film feels like it is constantly assaulting the audience but not in a great way as a film like Dunkirk did. This just beats you down until you have checked out. There are two particular action sequences in this film that show the inspired work of Marshall as a director (long takes and all). But what is worrisome is when the other sequences arrive and are just editing nightmares. Why the disconnect? That is probability one of the best questions posed by the film and this one is by accident. A few scenes are actually creepy and unsettling which makes the rest of the scenes that much more disappointing. Speaking of editing, Hellboy feels thrown together with no rhyme or reason. The reckless abandon is only matched by our charming and entertaining lead character.
David Harbour gives his all to this performance and should gain great praise for that. His charm and presence make for a watchable experience and I do not want to imagine a lesser actor leading this film. His delivery makes stale dialogue pop with excitement and his pure size intimates. Ian McShane is charming and sassy as ever in the role of Hellboy’s father. But that is probability the extent of my praise for the acting in this film. Milla Jovovich actively harms every scene she is in because of her wooden acting which is a shame since The Blood Queen is already too underdeveloped to really grab the audience’s attention.
Andrew Crosby had the important job to bringing a lot of Hellboy lore and crazy characters to the film through his screenplay. The mythology is definitely a highlight in this film with so many intriguing ideas. The worst twist is that this one screenplay seemed to try and balance all of the storylines and failed. Backstories are covered in rushed, poorly edited sequences that feel like wasted potential. Reveals come so quickly and bluntly that they do not have the appropriate impact for the audience. The dialogue leaves much to be desired as the words feel like the first swears that Crosby could think of on the spot. Swears for the sake of swears is one of the films biggest sins. Just because it is rated R does not mean you leave cleverness and finesse at the door. Along with the cursing, the gore in this film is over the top to a fault. After a while it just wears out its welcome and just feels forced.
One of the best aspects of the film lies in the creatures that populate it. The CGI might be iffy throughout but nothing can be held against the crazy amount of detail and effort that went into designing all of them. If only the effects could match the designs, this film would be up with many classics of the fantasy genre. The music is filled with strange choices like “Psycho” by Muse and generic metal riffs. Overall, Hellboy is full of wasted potential and a longing for a higher quality film if a sequel is in the cards.
Grade: D