Finally got around to seeing the first movie - pretty fun! One question, are Frasier's fishy brother and the firestarter girl also immigrants from the HP Lovecraft dimension that Hellboy came from? And if so, how did they get through? (To be explained in future movies?)
No they didn't, their origin is never explained in the movie (I don't think) but I doubt they came from the same place.
Their origin isn't explained in the second movie, either. And David Hyde Pierce doesn't voice the character in the second film, but I didn't notice the difference. Doug Jones does more than a satisfying job in my opinion.
The Troll Market through to the Elemental sequence in Hellboy II is the best thing I've seen in a theater all summer!
IIRC, Abe Sapien is described in Hellboy 1 as having been found in a tank under a portrait of Abraham Lincoln and said tank was labelled Icthyo Sapien, hence the name Abe Sapien...
David Hyde Pierce wasn't credited for the role anywhere I could find. Is it possible that was Doug Jones all the time? It sounded exactly like David Hyde Pierce.
^^ He performed the role uncredited in the first Hellboy. According to IMDB, he didn't want to be credited, out of respect for Doug Jones' performance. Jones is pretty good providing the voice as well, in both Hellboy II and Hellboy: Animated.
False modesty, considering how easily recognized his voice is. Doug Jones was pretty amazing in that Fear Itself episode.
That scene was fantastic. Just wild creativity all around. My favorite scene in the film, though, remains the Angel of Deah scene. It was just beautiful.
It's not that I prefer one over the other. I just couldn't for the life of me distinguish from the two (but the animated series was a different beast, and its not like I've been able to see the second film at my own pace to listen to the voice).
My favorite Hellboy 2 scene was the locker room scene. Good lord I was dying laughing. But overall Hellboy 2 was surprisingly excellent, far exceeding the first one. Possibly my second favorite flick of the summer!
I found it distracting. I kept thinking about Fraser's brother rather than the character. A voice that distinctive is good in cartoons, but doesn't quite fit with live action. The plotline to the first Hellboy was kinda eh, didn't really like the villains and focusing on the helldogs and their "eggs" didn't really do it for me. The positives were that the three "mutant" characters were introduced well and are interesting enough to carry through several movies, plus the background mythology is good. Sounds like #2 is much better.
I enjoyed both films. I didn't think DHP's voice was distracting, and I got used to the other guy after about two scenes in H2. What I did find distracting was the elf prince. His voice, and physique kept reminding me of Tom Cruise in Interview with a Vampire. Oh, how I wanted him to die.
I liked the second film much more than the first. Del Toro really went all out visually, and it's a great aid to the film. Plus, Ron Perlman is always great as Hellboy, and he gets more chances to be fun in the second movie, I think, than the first.
It's been said before, but inability to separate an actor from a previous role is your failing, not his. I didn't have a problem with the voice. There was the moment of recognition (and a mental "Hey, that's David Hyde-Pierce") but I was able to settle into the movie easily without any distraction or "Niles!" getting in the way. Doug Jones does a very good job in the second film as well. In fact, if I didn't know that they had changed voice actors, I might not have even noticed. Their voiced are very similar.
I would rather say it's the actor's/director's problem When Doug did the voice for the original Hellboy on set (before the overdubbing) he was directed to do it in a manner like Frasier's brother.
It doesn't matter if it's "my" failing. If it's distracting, then it's distracting. There isn't anything I can do about the fact that I recognize his voice. It's also not David Hyde Pierce's fault. He has the voice he has. It's really a casting decision, do they go for a voice that is highly recognizable, knowing it will be distracting to people who recognize it instantly, or not? Ultimately, it's their job not to distract me, not my job not to be distracted (even if it were something I had control over, which clearly I don't - and neither do you, since you admitted noticing it as well). I doubt it was their intention to have us all react to the character as "hey who's that - it's that guy from Frasier!" - that's not the right reaction for the audience to have, and because that happened in more than isolated cases, it's a problem. Maybe not a big problem, maybe not a problem requiring recasting, but to not admit it's a problem is just avoiding reality.
Speaking of distracting voices, Kraus sounded exactly the same as the goldfish from American Dad. It might have been good for McFarland to change up his performance just a little.