Hellboy II: The Golden Army - Grading & Discussion
- Thread starter Chris_Johnston
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Although us scum here in Medieval England have been deemed unworty of seeing this until 22 August, six weeks after its US release, there were some special previews today at VUE cinemas
Which I only found out about last night luckily. So I went to see it today, had a double feature with X-Files: IWTB too.
Very good, enjoyed it a lot, the bit with Hellboy holding the baby was awesome.
I went to the Giants Causeway a few weeks ago actually, I wanted to shout out "I've been there!"
Didn't see any big rock monsters though alas
Which I only found out about last night luckily. So I went to see it today, had a double feature with X-Files: IWTB too.
Very good, enjoyed it a lot, the bit with Hellboy holding the baby was awesome.
I went to the Giants Causeway a few weeks ago actually, I wanted to shout out "I've been there!"
Didn't see any big rock monsters though alas
Although us scum here in Medieval England have been deemed unworty of seeing this until 22 August, six weeks after its US release, there were some special previews today at VUE cinemas
Which I only found out about last night luckily. So I went to see it today, had a double feature with X-Files: IWTB too.
Very good, enjoyed it a lot, the bit with Hellboy holding the baby was awesome.
I went to the Giants Causeway a few weeks ago actually, I wanted to shout out "I've been there!"
Didn't see any big rock monsters though alas
You are supposed to do some sort of happy dance to make the rock monster appear. You'll have to go back and do it again.
well considering some of what happened and certain reactions one could see why.
I just saw this movie and I guess I have to be one of the dissenting opinions. I liked it but had to give it a below average. It had all the elements of a great movie, but failed to ever put them together enough for me to recommend it. I really really wanted to like this movie because I like DelToro and Mignola is my favorite comic book artist, but it just didn't happen.
There's a lot to like in this movie. It looks fantastic. The universe is rich and imaginative. Ron Perlman is still perfect as hellboy. The villains are compelling and actually a little sympathetic. The action is well choreographed and filmed. I probably would have watched a movie just about the war between the humans and the elves. Everything just looked awesome. In fact, if I watched the movie with the sound off I would have guessed that it was a fantastic film.
SPOILERS
Unfortunately I didn't watch it with the sound off. It just seemed really poorly written to me. The dialog was kind of shitty for a lot of the movie, with people just saying things to move things along. Aside from Abe and Hellboy getting drunk I thought the humor came off as forced and extremely corny. I actually cringed at some of the attempts at humor. The story just seems to go along without any kind of flow. Things just happen to happen as we go from situation to situation without ever getting in to any kind of groove.
Like the whole situation with saving Hellboy. The prince stabs Red and leaves a magic spear tip because he doesn't have time to look for the crown piece. Even though he already killed his dad and dispatched an assload of royal guards, I can accept that. But then they rather clumsily set up a situation where the heroes have to steal a ship and go to this secret island to save red. (Kraus convincing himself to go along was one of the more lazy parts of the movie) Only when they land there, they're matter of factly told by a legless troll that he knows someone who can take it out... because he covets shiny objects. They meet Death, who gives Liz the choice of saving Red, or endangering earth. She chooses Red, Red rips off the bandage, and they decide to go after the Prince anyways. Oh, by the way, the troll was the guy that built the whole golden army. WTF?!
Then there's the whole elemental attack on the city scene. Oh no the prince "batmans" in to the scene and unleashed a monster! But wait, the prince says he's just like you hellboy! Oh no, you shot it and killed it anyways. (Kraus was particularly stupid in this scene. (Keel zem! Shoot eet! Shoot eet in ze het!) But its blood is turning in to plants so I guess it's ok. Or is it? Wait what about... Oh the prince is gone. Oh no the city thinks you're going to eat the baby! Look at how your exposure backfired! Liz does the only thing she's good at, which is getting really hot because she's an uncontrollable female. Wait, lets just go home. The end.
One of the other things that bothered me for some reason was the voice acting. A lot of the characters sounded off to me. Aside from Hellboy and the villain, the voices were either just OK, or sub par. Kraus just sounded like the goldfish from American Dad, and was overall kind of a retarded character. The princess sounded off to me at times, seeming to loose her accent... if she ever actually had one. Jeffry Tambor was too sniveling and skittish for my taste. Even Abe sounded wrong to me.
Other shitty parts included the whole baby saving fiasco (ok guys, lets have Abe, Liz, and an agent escort this lady away from her car in the danger zone, but just leave her baby here so Red can save it later.) and the ensuing "we hate muties" scene, the "I'm a tumor" joke, the pregnancy sub plot, the Abe love story sub plot, and Red exposing himself to the city.
I dunno, maybe I was just in a bad mood, but I did not like this movie and came away pretty disappointed. There was still a lot of stuff I liked in the movie, just didn't enjoy it as a whole.
There's a lot to like in this movie. It looks fantastic. The universe is rich and imaginative. Ron Perlman is still perfect as hellboy. The villains are compelling and actually a little sympathetic. The action is well choreographed and filmed. I probably would have watched a movie just about the war between the humans and the elves. Everything just looked awesome. In fact, if I watched the movie with the sound off I would have guessed that it was a fantastic film.
SPOILERS
Unfortunately I didn't watch it with the sound off. It just seemed really poorly written to me. The dialog was kind of shitty for a lot of the movie, with people just saying things to move things along. Aside from Abe and Hellboy getting drunk I thought the humor came off as forced and extremely corny. I actually cringed at some of the attempts at humor. The story just seems to go along without any kind of flow. Things just happen to happen as we go from situation to situation without ever getting in to any kind of groove.
Like the whole situation with saving Hellboy. The prince stabs Red and leaves a magic spear tip because he doesn't have time to look for the crown piece. Even though he already killed his dad and dispatched an assload of royal guards, I can accept that. But then they rather clumsily set up a situation where the heroes have to steal a ship and go to this secret island to save red. (Kraus convincing himself to go along was one of the more lazy parts of the movie) Only when they land there, they're matter of factly told by a legless troll that he knows someone who can take it out... because he covets shiny objects. They meet Death, who gives Liz the choice of saving Red, or endangering earth. She chooses Red, Red rips off the bandage, and they decide to go after the Prince anyways. Oh, by the way, the troll was the guy that built the whole golden army. WTF?!
Then there's the whole elemental attack on the city scene. Oh no the prince "batmans" in to the scene and unleashed a monster! But wait, the prince says he's just like you hellboy! Oh no, you shot it and killed it anyways. (Kraus was particularly stupid in this scene. (Keel zem! Shoot eet! Shoot eet in ze het!) But its blood is turning in to plants so I guess it's ok. Or is it? Wait what about... Oh the prince is gone. Oh no the city thinks you're going to eat the baby! Look at how your exposure backfired! Liz does the only thing she's good at, which is getting really hot because she's an uncontrollable female. Wait, lets just go home. The end.
One of the other things that bothered me for some reason was the voice acting. A lot of the characters sounded off to me. Aside from Hellboy and the villain, the voices were either just OK, or sub par. Kraus just sounded like the goldfish from American Dad, and was overall kind of a retarded character. The princess sounded off to me at times, seeming to loose her accent... if she ever actually had one. Jeffry Tambor was too sniveling and skittish for my taste. Even Abe sounded wrong to me.
Other shitty parts included the whole baby saving fiasco (ok guys, lets have Abe, Liz, and an agent escort this lady away from her car in the danger zone, but just leave her baby here so Red can save it later.) and the ensuing "we hate muties" scene, the "I'm a tumor" joke, the pregnancy sub plot, the Abe love story sub plot, and Red exposing himself to the city.
I dunno, maybe I was just in a bad mood, but I did not like this movie and came away pretty disappointed. There was still a lot of stuff I liked in the movie, just didn't enjoy it as a whole.
You weren't in a bad mood. You were spot on with your gripes. I gave this one an average because the visuals were great. If not, it would have rated below average.
MeanJoePhaser
Admiral
Didn't care for it, either. Nice effects, but Hellboy is the most generic comic book franchise to ever to make it to a sequel.
I've never been impressed much by Del Toro's work, and no, I haven't seen Pan's Labyrinth.
Part of it is that the trolls, elves, magical fantasy bullshat is 10 miles past tired...at least to me.
I've never been impressed much by Del Toro's work, and no, I haven't seen Pan's Labyrinth.
Part of it is that the trolls, elves, magical fantasy bullshat is 10 miles past tired...at least to me.
Capt. Vulcan, I could not have said it better. Spot on. I wanted to like the movie but just can't. It really felt like the benchwarmers were given the ok to make the sequel and the results were shitty content wise, but looked real pretty. Nice all on Liz being demoted to a hysterical female instead of a strong equal member of the team.
An Above Average for me.
Visually it was one of the most striking pictures of this year. The creatures, the contraptions, the fight scenes.. all at the top of the class and everything you come to expect from a Del Toro fantasy movie.
However the story couldn't quite match the fantastic pictures. It wasn't bad but somehow it didn't quite connect all the beautiful single scenes they way they should be connected.
However it is still a definite candidate for my DVD collection.
Visually it was one of the most striking pictures of this year. The creatures, the contraptions, the fight scenes.. all at the top of the class and everything you come to expect from a Del Toro fantasy movie.
However the story couldn't quite match the fantastic pictures. It wasn't bad but somehow it didn't quite connect all the beautiful single scenes they way they should be connected.
However it is still a definite candidate for my DVD collection.
Well, I thought it was a pretty fun movie. Nothing more, nothing less.
Sorry to bump the thread, but I just caught the film Tuesday night and I agree with both of you.
The visuals carried it for me. It was a lighter affair than Batman, which I would rate it above, and that stopped it from sinker lower.
It was a surprise to see Northern Ireland getting a shout though, better yet the guy who made the Golden Army turns out to be a wee man from Antrim with no legs
