My Favourite Movies: Hellboy

In several ways this is a rather surprise entry for me. I first saw this movie with the guys and really didn’t like it – it basically left me cold and very unimpressed. Unfortunately, I had already promised to see it again with CQ who was away visiting her Mother at the time. Anyway, I gritted my teeth and dragged myself off to the cinema for a second showing – and, much to my surprise, actually quite enjoyed it. A little while later one of the guys at work gave me a downloaded copy I hadn’t even asked for. So I ended up watching it a 3rd time on a slow weekend – and found myself liking it even more. Eventually (actually last week) I bought a legitimate copy and watched it yet again – for probably the 7th or 8th time.

Despite seeing most (if not all) of the recent spate of super-hero or comic-book movies it’s a genre that I’ve never found particularly interesting. Despite the promptings of several of my friends I just don’t ‘get’ comics. To be honest I find them incredibly dull. So how is it that I find myself really liking this movie? Firstly its very well made. From the set design to the script to the acting, the whole thing is pretty much flawless. I liked how it didn’t take itself too seriously – without falling into comedy or slapstick. I always like it when obviously fantastic themes are played straight and deadpan as if (and rightly so) this kind of thing happens every day. I liked the fact that the baddies where almost cartoon Nazi’s of the type I enjoyed in Raiders of the Lost Ark. But what I really loved about this movie was its central characters played by Ron Perlman (sheer perfection as Hellboy), Selma Blair (as his beautiful, troubled and conflicted ‘firestarter’ girlfriend), the always wonderful John Hurt (as his adopted ‘Father’and head of the Paranormal Division), Rupert Evans (as the innocent neophyte FBI Agent), Karel Roden (as the completely evil Gregory Rasputin) and finally Biddy Hodson (as the equally evil and probably psychotic Nazi lover of Rasputin, Ilsa Haupstein).

The storyline was almost archetypal in its use of themes – a hero completely out of his normal environment with a destiny and identity unknown even to himself, an evil genius with a burning desire to destroy the world, a good man who is on the point of death just when he’s needed the most, a woman who needs to accept what and who she is become she can gain control over her amazing abilities… it just goes on. This film is basically a master class in how to make good fantasy films which are strong on plot and character whilst avoiding the pitfalls many of the other movies of this genre keep falling into. To date this is (pretty much) the only super-hero/comic-book film I would rate as above average. Most of the rest didn’t even make my Bronze list. But this film just seems to get better every time I watch it. Brilliant.