Ron Perlman plays a young demon that is coughed up on earth by a sinister force and grows up to become an FBI agent named Hellboy.
--Randy
Hellboy
Directors: Guillermo del Toro
Producers: Lawrence Gordon, Lloyd Levin, Mike Mignola And Mike Richardson
Writers: Guillermo del Toro Based On The Comic Book By Mike Mignola
Features: n/a
Characters:
Hellboy...Ron Perlman
Abraham 'Abe' Sapien...Doug Jones
Liz Sherman...Selma Blair
Prof. Bruttenholm...John Hurt
Agent John Meyers...Rupert Evans
Agent Clay...Corey Johnston
Grigori Rasputin...Karel Roden
Ilsa...Biddy Hodson
Voice Of Abe Sapien...David Hyde-Pierce
Genre: Action/Adventure
Review:
Today on March 15th, I attended the first time anywhere screening of Coumbia Pictures' new superhero film, "Hellboy," which was directed by Guillermo del Toro("Blade II") and stars Ron Perlman as the demon. Both were in attendance as well as the Dark Horse comic book creator and artist, Mike Mignola. Frank Miller, another comic artist was also there as he is working on a future project with a different Austin film director. In his introduction, del Toro pointed out that to do this film he had to do "Blade II" to show the studio his ability. "I have arrived at what I have been trying to do. This is that movie." He ended his speech to thunderous applause by saying, "We are finally seeing films done by geeks for geeks."
The movie starts out in 1944 in Scotland during World War II. Some American forces are searching a remote area of this country because of rumored Nazi activity and come across an arcane ceremony being performed by a small group of German soldiers to open up a gateway to a dark force that Hitler wishes to aid him in his conquest of the world. Helping the Nazis out by leading the incantations is Grigori Rasputin(Karel Roden), a Russian monk from the early part of the century thought long dead. A battle ensues and the newly opened gateway is closed as the enemy forces are wiped out and Rasputin is erroneously sucked into the gateway's vortex. Left behind is a red baby demon with small horns and a long tail. He is coaxed into a soldier's arms by a Baby Ruth candy bar and the scene changes to today where the baby is now a crime fighting adult named Hellboy who works for the FBI.
What I really liked most about "Hellboy" is that the movie does not try to hide from its' comic book origins and in fact embraces them. It uses the overly done, but still sinister menace of the Nazis who pervaded comic books up until the late seventies. In my review of "Bulletproof Monk" I pointed out how that movie celebrated its' comic book origins in the same way. Here two of the Nazis that aided Rasputin are magically carried into the present era to help a resurrected Rasputin try to open the gateway again using the unsuspectng Hellboy. One is Rasputin's lover, Ilsa(Biddy Hodson), whose name harkens back to the seventies sex/torture exploitation flicks of Dyanne Thorn as "Ilsa-She Wolf Of The S S." This being a PG-13 movie keeps this Ilsa in check. The second Nazi soldier is a freak named Kroenen who was thought dead at the earlier attack, but is now somehow back with all his sword fighting abilities intact. During fight scenes the action resembles panels of superhero comic book slugfests. Hellboy is knocked across a room, but not before smashing through four or five glass cases with his back. He is slammed into walls and endures many comic books style bashings without any word balloons like 'Blam' or 'Whap.' Prevalent in many comic books in the seventies was the H.P. Lovecraft monsters. Here Hellboy is constantly battling a hellhound that when exterminated has its' soul transfered to some hidden eggs to come back fiercer than ever. This creature has the structure of H. P. Lovecraft's demons having long tendrils that surround a gaping maw. Lovecroft's creations were always in another world trying to get to ours. Near the end of the film another like creature shows up from out of an opened gateway to bring danger to Hellboy. There is even a "Hellboy" comic book that is periodically referred to that looks like a seventies Marvel Comics book.
Ron Perlman makes "Hellboy" happen. Now that I have seen him as Hellboy I cannot imagine another actor in this role. His makeup is so realistic. Perlman pointed out in the Q&A after the film that it took four hours to apply if he had his shirt on and six hours if he was topless. The makeup was handled by Rick Baker-Monster Maker. But it is not just the outer covering that is Hellboy. Ron Perlman gives this cigar chomping creature a hard boiled detective type persona. He is constantly making witty observations out of the side of his mouth and he appears to be very comfortable with the creature suit. Despite his hard guy facade, Hellboy thinks nothing of telling a nine year old boy his love life tribulations as they both enjoy cookies and milk on a rooftop with Hellboy seeming to relish the cookies more than the boy. After the movie let out Ron Perlman stood outside the theater talking, and signing for the fans, a good sign that he too was proud of his performance.
As can be noted by the cookies and milk scene, del Toro is able to add humor and a human touch to this movie. The director had even said, "Everything you need to learn to be human you can learn from monster movies." Hellboy, in addition to cookies and milk, has a fondness for guzzling beer and scarfing down Baby Ruth candy bars. The FBI keeps a supply of candy bars on hand for moments when he might be in a bad mood. Hellboy also has a menagerie of cats that he takes care of and takes the time out to make sure a box of baby kittens remains unharmed in true superhero fashion as he battles an evil monster.
Hellboy's love interest whom he frets over like a love sick teenager is Liz Sherman as played by Selma Blair. She is in a psychiatric hospital due to the guilt she feels over the innocent deaths she has caused in her short lifetime because of her inability to control her firestarter powers. When angered she loses control of her intense fire generating powers and no one anywhere around her is safe. Another super powered being that helps Hellboy is Abe Sapien a kind of amphibious creature who has empathic powers and is very at home in the water. Liz and Abe are not overly used in this adventure, but are more or less 'set up' for perhaps a sequel. When asked about a sequel, del Toro replied, "We'll see in a couple of weeks." This would be when "Hellboy" opens nationally.
During the Q & A session afterwards with del Toro, Mignola and Perlman, del Toro talked about how he had met Mike Mignola six years ago and discussed doing the movie. Mignola added that he was thrilled by the movie as not everyone can pull off a dream project. Responding to a question del Toro said, "Lovecraft is very present in 'Hellboy.'" Then del Toro said he talked with the Studio about using Ron Perlman as Hellboy and the studio balked because they felt he wasn't a star. Using money as leverage, del Toro said he told the Studio he would use a budget of sixty million instead of the original ninety million budgeted for "Hellboy." The Studio went with that proposal. He pointed out that he had total control over the "Hellboy" movie. When asked why the character of Lobster Johnson was not in this movie, del Toro replied, "The first movie is the hardest because you have to set the world." When another fan complimented del Toro on "The Devil's Backbone" he quiped, "Oh, you were the one that bought that DVD?" referring to the commercial failure of that film. This sense of humor was again reflected by del Toro when he talked about the romance between Liz and Hellboy where you have a firestarter girl fall in love with a fireproof guy. When Ron Perlman was asked what approach he took to the character of Hellboy, he praised del Toro's adaption of the screenplay and modestly said "it was just a question of showing up." For his next film project, del Toro said he would like to make H.P. Lovecraft's "At The Mountains Of Madness." If he can't get a studio to back that he might go to Spain and make a personal project about fascism in 1940's Spain.
By the way the poster on display at the film's showing was different from the one pictured for this review.
This movie was nearly perfect. I have not been a fan of Guillermo del Toro's films before, but this one is a beginning. I would give this film four and a half stars out of five.
----Randy