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List Price: $19.98 | | Label: Sony Pictures
Salesrank: 44
Released: June 21, 2004 |
| Our Price: $9.49 |
| Used Price: $4.50 |
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MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
From visionary writer/director Guillermo del Toro (director of Blade II The Devil's Backbone) comes Hellboy a supernatural action adventure based on Mike Mignola's popular Dark Horse Comics series of the same name. Born in the flames of hell and brought to Earth as an infant to perpetrate evil Hellboy (Ron Perlman) was rescued from sinister forces by the benevolent Dr. Broom (John Hurt) who raised him to be a hero. In Dr. Broom's secret Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense Hellboy creates an unlikely family consisting of the telepathic "Mer-Man" Abe Sapien (Doug Jones) and Liz Sherman (Selma Blair) the woman he loves who can control fire. Hidden from the very society that they protect they stand as the key line of defense against an evil madman who seeks to reclaim Hellboy to the dark side and use his powers to destroy mankind.System Requirements:Running Time: 121 Min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: PG-13 UPC: 043396013179 Manufacturer No: 01317
Description of Hellboy (Two-Disc Special Edition):
In the ongoing deluge of comic-book adaptations, Hellboy ranks well above average. Having turned down an offer to helm Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in favor of bringing Hellboy's origin story to the big screen, the gifted Mexican director Guillermo del Toro compensates for the excesses of Blade II with a moodily effective, consistently entertaining action-packed fantasy, beginning in 1944 when the mad monk Rasputin--in cahoots with occult-buff Hitler and his Nazi thugs--opens a transdimensional portal through which a baby demon emerges, capable of destroying the world with his powers. Instead, the aptly named Hellboy is raised by the benevolent Prof. Bloom, founder of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, whose allied forces enlist the adult Hellboy (Ron Perlman, perfectly cast) to battle evil at every turn. While nursing a melancholy love for the comely firestarter Liz (Selma Blair), Hellboy files his demonic horns ("to fit in," says Bloom) and wreaks havoc on the bad guys. The action is occasionally routine (the movie suffers when compared to the similar X-Men blockbusters), but del Toro and Perlman have honored Mike Mignola's original Dark Horse comics with a lavish and loyal interpretation, retaining the amusing and sympathetic quirks of character that made the comic-book Hellboy a pop-culture original. He's red as a lobster, puffs stogies like Groucho Marx, and fights the good fight with a kind but troubled heart. What's not to like? --Jeff Shannon
Hellboy (Two-Disc Special Edition) Reviews:
In the absence of light, darkness prevails 
2008-07-07 - While some good directors never quite "get it," it took Guillermo Del Toro only one misfire -- the icky, slow-paced "Blade 2" -- to get the whole comic-book adaptation thing right.
In fact, just about everything is right with "Hellboy" -- Del Toro crafted an action blockbuster with a grimy, slimy cult-movie feel and a quirky sense of humor. It's graced with excellent acting, spectacular action scenes, and the trappings of clockpunk and Lovecraftian horror -- not to mention that it stars a six-foot-tall scarlet demon with a soft spot for kittens.
In 1944, young Professor Broom accompanied an army regiment to a remote Scottish island, where the Nazis -- led by Rasputin -- were about to open a portal to another world, and allow the vast tentacled Ogru Jahad (Seven Gods of Chaos) to enter our world. Rasputin and the Nazis were destroyed, but something came through the portal -- a baby demon, whom Broom names Hellboy.
Fast-forward sixty years -- a grown Hellboy (Ron Perlman) and his fishy friend Abe (Doug Jones) are working at a paranormal government agency that specializes in policing the supernatural, with the weirded-out Agent Myers (Rupert Evans) just joining the team. Soon afterwards, Hellboy is called on to kill Sammael the Hellhound -- but it turns out that Sammael can replicate himself indefinitely.
As Hellboy and his team try to hunt down the remaining Sammaels, the dying Professor Broom (John Hurt) finds that a revived Rasputin and his immortal Nazi followers have orchestrated all this. And Rasputin is continuing to pull the strings behind the scenes -- including using Hellboy's love Liz (Selma Blair), a depressed pyrokinetic. And when Hellboy suffers a devastating loss, his journey will take him right back to his roots -- and the potential destruction of the world.
Watching "Hellboy," it's easy to see how Guillermo Del Toro because world-famous for the exquisitely dark "Pan's Labyrinth," and why he's been chosen to direct the forthcoming "Hobbit" movies. This adaptation could have just been another paint-by-numbers comic-book story, but Del Toro gives it the kind of grime, quirk, brains and heart that a lasting cult movie should have.
Part of that cult appeal is "Hellboy's" distinctive look, with Lovecraftian tentacle-gods and some steampunky details. And the action scenes are pretty spectacular -- trains, slimy hellhounds, sword-swinging Nazis with chopped-up faces, giant clock cogs, and a fiery explosion in a mental asylum. And there are some truly spectacular action scenes in a vast underground labyrinth, full of ancient hammers and collapsing bridges. There's just enough action and grossness, without going overboard.
But Del Toro is able to balance out the action with some truly touching moments, such as the aged Broom's final scenes in his firelit study. And there's a lot of dark humor here as well -- and not all of it is Hellboy's dry one-liners. The movie is liberally peppered with dark humor moments ("1945, you mean. Hitler died in '45." "DID he now?"), including some hilariously macabre scenes involving a bad-tempered Russian zombie ("This is Ivan Klimatovich. Say hi, Ivan." "Go that way, Red Monkey!").
Most importantly, Del Toro is able to give his characters little human quirks -- hair plugs, love of cats, and Hellboy sanding down his horns in the morning. Perlman is simply amazing as "Red," whose gruff scarlet exterior hides a kindly, affectionate heart. Not many actors could emote through that many prosthetics (including a very lifelike tail), but Perlman makes it look natural.
Though he's playing a ninetyish old professor, Hurt plays his role with a quiet, powerful sense of goodness. Jones and Evans also do excellent jobs, one as an erudite psychic fish-man ("We lead a charmed life," he observes as cockroaches skitter around him) and an earnest young agent. Selma Blair is the one downside -- she sort of mumbles in a monotone most of the time.
"Hellboy" is one of the best comic-book adaptations that Hollywood has turned out, primarily because of the darker, eerier aesthetic Guillermo Del Toro brings to it. Definitely a must-see.
"Lets Go Fight Some Monsters"
2008-07-05 - First things first, let me say "Welcome to the material plane oh Great Red One!" The '04 cinematic release of `Hellboy' definitely brought new meaning and dimension (dimension, get it?) to the superhero film genre and the never ending battle between Good and Evil.
The storyline contains all the elements the astute comic book fan or student of the esoteric and arcane would expect; nightmarish locations and stormy night, magical incantations and prophetic utterances of impending doom, animated corpses and demonic entities, portals to the Otherworld and of course plenty of Nazis. Add to the mix the mad monk Rasputin, the awakening ot the Lovecraftian "Seven Gods of Chaos" and you've got a Cosmic confrontation on your hands that only the likes of Hellboy can withstand.
This movie has it all, well developed storyline, superb special effects with an entertaining mixture of action sequences and witty, intelligent dialogue delivering a lot of quotable dialogue. Ron Perlman is absolutely perfect as Hellboy and under the magnificent direction of Guillermo del Toro it was truly a match made in Heaven (sorry, couldn't resist)!
Hellboy for Earth
2008-06-12 - News flash! The Nazis tried to open up hell! And that's just for starters!
What determines a man? That is the question posed at the beginning and the ending of this fun flick steeped in horror and sci-fi and poured out as a quaffable entertainment. I was pleasantly surprised.
Ron Perlman glows as Hellboy, aptly named as the only thing to survive the explosion to close the gate to Hell. Those closing it are American agents from the Bureau of the Paranormal situated in the States. After defeating the Nazis in the opening scene, they manage to capture little Hell baby who is so cute with his red skin and huge right clay hand and horn knobs on his forehead. Th agents from the Bureau of the Paranormal take him home. After all, he is, well, paranormal.
Hellboy grows up with two companions: Abe Sapiens, sort of amphibious man, and Elizabeth, a firestarter. The professor teaches each how to control and utilize their special skills. The viewer learns this during the rolling of the story. We next meet Hellboy as an adult--and here I was expecting fearful scenes, but Hellboy loves cats. That settled it for this viewer. Cats everywhere in his cozy apartment. The professor has trained Hellboy to eliminate monsters. But that is how he is trained. The question again: What manner of man is he?
The question is answered in the last action scene. John, the agent assigned as his special assistant makes the case that a man is determined by his choices, what decisions he makes. Man is not destined to be one thing or another. There has always been choice. The fact that the choice is played out in battle with a multitude of hell creatures and a hell monster makes the decision even more memorable.
This is a highly recommended film! It is campy, creepy, and with context and comraderie. It't quite different from what you might expect!
Some funny scenes + So so special effects = Worth seeing. 
2008-06-08 - This movie has some funny scenes. The special effects are so so. One thing I don't like is the disguise of the main character. It's obvious his is wearing a mask and what looks like a plastic suit.
It's worth watching.
Good movie!
2008-06-04 - I must confess, when I first saw this movie I thought "oh boy, another B-rated flick"!
I stand corrected!
This movie was actually very good! The acting was good the special effects were a treat and the story line played out very well!
One thing I have learned: when a movie is over-advertised to the Nth degree and/or it carries a list of current rock bands designed to boost ticket sales, chances are it isn't any good! Whereas with Hellboy, although I don't think I saw it advertised much, it seems like the less advertisement the better!
I recommend this movie to any sci-fi/action buff!
