Universal
R4 DVD
Hellboy
II is really quite an achievement, it is not often that a sequel offers more
than its predecessor and yet Guillermo del Toro has achieved just that. Hellboy
II offers more spectacle, imagination and sheer outrageous fantasy than anyone
could ever have expected and yet matches this with strong character development
and, well, lots of heart. You actually feel for the trio of leads and their
emotional entanglements. In a strange sort of way it is because of their less
than human appearance and strange abilities that their powerful humanity becomes
more apparent. It seems the power of love is a force than seduces all races and
this brings a depth to the fantasy of Hellboy II which could have very easily become
an overwhelming phantasmagoria of creatures and monsters. To be sure, creatures
there certainly are, from ectoplasmic ghosts to golden mechanical robots, to
bone and teeth eating fairies to monsters of all sorts, this is fantasy at its
most fantastic.
The
story opens with a nice childlike Christmas scene, except Hellboy is the kid waiting
for Santa and the tale is one of a war between the humans and the otherfolk.
After the humans have attacked time and time again and left their numbers sorely
diminished, the otherfolk develop an Army of Golden Robots which cannot be
destroyed, repairing themselves each they are attacked. They slaughter humanity
with abandon and win the war without effort but with great bloodshed. The
King of these other races (which includes everything from trolls to goblins,
fairies to monsters) feels pity for those who have lost their lives on both
sides and enters a truce. The otherfolk get the countryside and the forests and
the human get the cities. The Golden Army is controlled by a special crown which
can only be used if unchallenged. The King breaks it into pieces and gives one
to the humans and divides the remaining pieces among himself and his family. While
the King and his daughter accept the truce, Prince Nuada does not trust the
humans and exiles himself from the kingdom.
As
centuries pass the earth has changed much from these early days, the forests
have been destroyed and the countryside laid waste. Prince Nuada wants the
humans to pay for their disrespect and with the help of a very angry troll
called “Wink” gets hold of the human’s segment of the crown. He confronts his
father, sister and the council, but they will not agree to war. He decides to
take matters into his own hands and kills his father and the battle begins to
stop the prince awakening the Golden Army and destroying mankind.
Along
the way, however, Abe and Hellboy, have to deal with the new experience of very
human emotions. Hellboy comes to understand he will be a father and Abe falls
in love with Princess Nuala and risks everything to have her and sadly
experiences the pangs of loss.
The
CGI in Hellboy II is impeccable but at the same time Abe, Hellboy and the
various creatures and monsters truly inhabit their characters and come across
as believable and authentic and this is no mean considering just how bizarre so
many of them are. There are some amazing stand-out scenes including the Troll
Market and the Golden Army sequence at the end, at the same time, these are
only as powerful as the plot and characters which carry the film along. The fact that none of the characters are truly
good or evil gives the film a truly nuanced texture, even Prince Nuada who has
killed his own father to wage war against the humans, has done so after he has
seen the damage mankind has done to the world and it is hard not to feel shamed
by his criticism. This is thought provoking fantasy cinema at its very best.
The
extras in this package are quite superb including various audio commentaries, an
introduction by Guillermo del Toro , comics, storyboards, featurettes,
documentaries and more.
This review will appear in Volume 2:1
(2009) of the digital and print edition of Synergy Magazine.
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