Hellboy 2: The Golden Army Movie Review: High Fantasy Vs. Pop Culture Kitsch

Hellboy 2: The Golden Army is filled with visionary sense. It has a wide imagination and a heartfelt plea for environmental concern and cultural diversity. However, its spectacular sense of artistry could have worked much better if it has not yielded much on those commercial aspects. The visuals are a triumph of imagination, and yet, the story falls from the too high expectations from director Guillermo del Toro, the man behind the Academy Award-winning film Pan's Labyrinth and former heir to the Lord of the Rings franchise through the two upcoming The Hobbit films.

Operating with unbridled invention, this downright goofy monster movie is made memorable by the dark, freaky visions of a thinking person's creature feature. For its best parts, what makes Hellboy 2 stand out is how del Toro mounts the playful, offbeat, freakish, magical, and surreal universe of Hellboy and company. It has a decidedly droll sense of humor and richly ingenious chaos while dealing with its amazingly conceived characters. Impressively, the film shows moments of gleeful comedy and refined eclecticism. One of the most weirdly cheesy but strikingly "worth a watch scene" features the red beast Hellboy and the aquatic genius humanoid Abe Sapien singing I Can't Smile Without You. Indeed, Del Toro's fantastic imagination, peculiar ideas, and stylish direction succeed in creating a really entertaining fantasy universe of his own.

Being from the man who made Pan's Labyrinth, a part of this film becomes a disappointment. Not that the film is crap... In fact, it is still considerably something within the above average scale. But given the expectations from such an accomplished filmmaker, Hellboy 2: The Golden Army has rather kept some vital things in reserve somewhere. Its expansive imagination does elevate the material, but things could have gained more splendor if the too formulaic, underwhelming elements are rather put into service for something greater. Even though the consideration for it to not be within the art film requirements of Pan's Labyrinth is a given, some of its creaky dialogues tend to be clichéd and passing any of the two routes: some work well for the purpose; some just don't. Though there are a number of well-crafted scenes, the too obvious plotting and predictable story pulls its quality down into a visually spectacular, occasionally wonderful, but frustratingly predictable film. It may be something backwards from del Toro's Oscar-winning fantasy masterpiece, and yet, the more positive thing is that it shows some improvements compared to the original Hellboy.

Armed with his untamed creativity, Del Toro's compositions are brimming and dense with effects and background creatures that take a very similar route to the physical elements of Pan's Labyrinth. The arresting visuals and rounded characters are created with such fantastic make-up artistry, steampunk creature creation, and intricate set designs. His love for dark creatures clearly shows as he takes advantage of the soft, organic textures of his imaginary beasts. He sympathizes with the monsters and misfits while presenting the preachy but undoubtedly important issues about human being's greed and their worsening destructive tendencies against the environment. Del Toro anchors it with authentic humanism; thus making the film render enough sensibility that is light on its feet and generous on spirit. And its flaws somehow wither in the light of its brilliant visual panache and central character work.

Combining animatronics and digital effects, color and texture, and lyricism and horror, Hellboy 2 seems to provide a taste of the kind of magic del Toro could have brought to Tolkien's The Hobbit.

Poetic, funny, and darkly romantic, the film is just as strange and endearing as its red, ill-tempered protagonist. With its juggle brash for both enthusiasm and hardened sarcasm, its monster yarn is keen on the characters' sardonic banters and gags. If the first film explores Hellboy's struggle to find his humanity, this second installment centers on his struggle to find his place in the world.

Hellboy 2: The Golden Army is not a sequel that soars to the greatest heights, but its creative inventiveness still provides a likable enough entertainment for the general public. There may be a sort of mash-up of pop culture kitsch and high fantasy stuff, but del Toro's ability to spin the tall tale still makes it work. The Hellboy franchise is all about fun and kick ass pleasure anyway.