Hellboy II: The Golden Army - Grading & Discussion
- Thread starter Chris_Johnston
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You saw Hellboy II on TV already? WOW! What service do you subscribe to?
They've obviously got some sorta temporal displacement device in operation!
Luke Lightsaber
Captain
I meant the first one. FX has been rerunning it nonstop.
^ Then how come you rated the new movie as Poor?
Luke Lightsaber
Captain
I'm sure it will be.
I should know better than to trust Roger Ebert, but I read his review and he says that Hellboy himself is mostly CGI. Is this true? I thought one of the best parts of the first film was the fantastic Hellboy makeup. If he's mostly CGI this time, and not Pearlman in a suit,that's a huge disappointment.
I sincerely doubt it. I think poor Roger was just a tad confused.
Definately hoping to see this one sometime over the weekend.
Would also recomend picking up the 3 disk directors cut if you're going to watch the first film. It apparently has a fair amount of extra footage that among other things really fleshes out the villains. No idea exactly where the new footage is inserted, since its the only version of the film I've seen.
Just got back from a midnite show. Excellent across the board, a worthy sequel to the first one. Very entertaining. Lots of humor, plenty of great action. If I was disappointed in anything at all, it was that
though if he'd figured it out sooner, we'd have missed a nice action set piece, so no real complaints.
HB took so long to figure out that he needed to challenge the Prince...
though if he'd figured it out sooner, we'd have missed a nice action set piece, so no real complaints.
Just came back from seeing it. I'd rate it Above Average. It was a very entertaining movie -- a huge improvement over the enjoyable but mediocre first film. The pacing is a bit erratic and lethargic at times, but halfway through it is salvaged by some truly ingenious character moments that enrich the film tenfold.
The film is comparable to Tim Burton's Batman Returns in the sense that it fully embraces its eccentric sensibility of its director, Guillermo del Toro. The first film was sort of partially del Toro, partially studio comic-book popcorn fluff, but Hellboy II is all del Toro. From the opening sequence to the final frame, it unabashedly has all of the normal del Toro staples: amazing creature designs, a vibrant production design, stunning visuals and a truly electric world. Anyone who has doubts about del Toro's take on the Hobbit universe should fret not after seeing this film.
I also loved how casual this film felt. After the first movie introduced the universe, del Toro now feels fully comfortable exploring it a bit more. Whereas Agent Meyers was our gateway into the universe in the first film, Hellboy and Abe Sapien (who gets much more screentime this time around) are basically regular guys in make-up. Speaking of Abe Sapien, while I loved his role in the film, I missed David Hyde Pierce's voice. Doug Jones wasn't bad, but I was so accustomed to Pierce's vocals that it took me some time to adjust, and retrospectively, while Jones has grown on me, I still think del Toro should have kept Pierce if only for continuity purposes.
Danny Elfman's score was a bit absent, but still noticeably Elfman-esque (especially with the choir). Johann Kraus was a fantastic addition and a memorable character, and supporting roles like Jeffrey Tambor's Manning added to the plot verses taking away from it. The villain storyline was a tad weak and underwhelming (and overly convenient for the plot).
Overall, I'd say it was an entertaining, fun comic-book movie that improves upon its predecessor like a sequel should. It definitely ranks up there, but some pacing and plot problems hold it from being truly fantastic.
The film is comparable to Tim Burton's Batman Returns in the sense that it fully embraces its eccentric sensibility of its director, Guillermo del Toro. The first film was sort of partially del Toro, partially studio comic-book popcorn fluff, but Hellboy II is all del Toro. From the opening sequence to the final frame, it unabashedly has all of the normal del Toro staples: amazing creature designs, a vibrant production design, stunning visuals and a truly electric world. Anyone who has doubts about del Toro's take on the Hobbit universe should fret not after seeing this film.
I also loved how casual this film felt. After the first movie introduced the universe, del Toro now feels fully comfortable exploring it a bit more. Whereas Agent Meyers was our gateway into the universe in the first film, Hellboy and Abe Sapien (who gets much more screentime this time around) are basically regular guys in make-up. Speaking of Abe Sapien, while I loved his role in the film, I missed David Hyde Pierce's voice. Doug Jones wasn't bad, but I was so accustomed to Pierce's vocals that it took me some time to adjust, and retrospectively, while Jones has grown on me, I still think del Toro should have kept Pierce if only for continuity purposes.
Danny Elfman's score was a bit absent, but still noticeably Elfman-esque (especially with the choir). Johann Kraus was a fantastic addition and a memorable character, and supporting roles like Jeffrey Tambor's Manning added to the plot verses taking away from it. The villain storyline was a tad weak and underwhelming (and overly convenient for the plot).
Overall, I'd say it was an entertaining, fun comic-book movie that improves upon its predecessor like a sequel should. It definitely ranks up there, but some pacing and plot problems hold it from being truly fantastic.
I wasn't intentionally implying one would be. What reviews I've read keep mentioning about how well set up BB is for TDK that it sounds like for those already in the loop the progression is seamless.
Ok, in an instance like this I'd like a mod to if at all possible delete his uninformed vote from the poll. Its clearly a trolling vote that serves no point to advance discussion within the thread about the subject.
I've never seen the first movie, but kind of want to go see this one since there's nothing else much going on this weekend. I get the impression this is one of those sequels where it's not necessary to have seen the first movie, is that accurate?
^^^
Correct. See it. You won't feel lost.
Correct. See it. You won't feel lost.
^^^ True, but don't cheat yourself: Rent/Buy the DVD!
Dusty Ayres
Commodore
Saw it last night (12:01, AMC Yonge & Dundas in Toronto.) Amazing, and also amazingly funny. Didn't go to the bathroom once. Might see it again.
I DVR'ed it last ngiht, so I plan on watching it soon. Not certain as to when I will make it ot the theatres to see "Hellboy II", but it's a start.The first Hellboy film is also worth seeing. It's a solid superhero film with a likeable lead and some del Toro flair. Am anticipating this film, it's released later this month here.
Wait a sec... You're gonna be watching the TV version? With commercials?
Nawww, dude, get the DVD!
... On second thought, never mind.
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