Read Positive User Reviews for Hellboy (2004)

8

Compi24Nov 28, 2012

With an amiable lead performance from Ron Perlman and some truly phenomenal visuals, "Hellboy" proves to be an extremely engaging cinematic experience.

3 of 3 users found this helpful30

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8

Bugger217Sep 3, 2017

When discussing turn-of-the-century comic book movies, the likes of Spider-Man 2 and X-Men 2 are always mentioned among the best. But there's one movie that many seem to forget: Hellboy. Director Guillermo del Toro took all the lessons he hadWhen discussing turn-of-the-century comic book movies, the likes of Spider-Man 2 and X-Men 2 are always mentioned among the best. But there's one movie that many seem to forget: Hellboy. Director Guillermo del Toro took all the lessons he had learned from his smaller Spanish-language films and his English-language crowd-pleasers, then smashed them together, and the results are magical.

Part fairy tale fantasy and part traditional superhero movie, Hellboy delivers a menagerie of colorful characters portrayed by a wonderful cast. These characters live a strange and mystical world, brought to life brilliantly by del Toro's masterful eye. The set design is superb, and the imagery is simply stunning. Of course, there's some truly thrilling action as well. If Hellboy passed under your radar, I can't recommend checking it out enough.… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

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7

amheretojudgeJun 20, 2019

Almost as if it is Del Toro's origin tale, genuinely moving and freakishly stylish.

Hellboy Del Toro is having a fanboy moment. For two straight hours. The writer and director, Guillermo Del Toro makes sure he passes on his love with a hopeAlmost as if it is Del Toro's origin tale, genuinely moving and freakishly stylish.

Hellboy

Del Toro is having a fanboy moment. For two straight hours. The writer and director, Guillermo Del Toro makes sure he passes on his love with a hope that someone will be moved equally by these rich characters just as he did. What is it when someone else tries to make an origin story of an infamous action figure or a comic book hero, it collapses. But when Del Toro does it. It is simply spectacular. It is probably the arrangement of the figure that he puts in front of us. His passion is irreplaceable. And with the mythological knowledge that he has, he might as well be crafting a sin in front of you and you wouldn't know the difference.

His film, looking at the formulaic structure of it, has a tendency to be a B grade average action film any day. But with command over the editing, visual, production, sound and his own department, he changes the course of the feature. It is incredibly difficult to say something about a film that is so textbook originated. The authenticity is its identity, there is very little room to devour ideas as a viewer. He doesn't let go off that nature versus nurture theme. If he could get a word in every scene of the film, he makes sure he gets the voice heard.

He is quite persistent like that. Isn't afraid of repetition, if anything, he carves it out as an emotional response, claims it as a part of being a human. The film isn't a feat of great performance. Don't get me wrong, the cast has done an excellent work. But the film is of such a stature that it can only be seen with all the ingredients, in its entirety, in its true sense, it is a collaboration of number of artists working on Hellboy, he who is the key to unlock Del Toro's tantrum on those comic books.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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10

juliankennedy23Aug 20, 2014

Hellboy: 10 out of 10: Hellboy is one of the three best comic book adaptations of the last ten years. Now considering the recent spate of mediocre comic book adaptations this is a bit like winning a beauty contest at a fat farm. Hellboy isHellboy: 10 out of 10: Hellboy is one of the three best comic book adaptations of the last ten years. Now considering the recent spate of mediocre comic book adaptations this is a bit like winning a beauty contest at a fat farm. Hellboy is simply head and shoulders above those.

It is on par with the recent Spiderman movies (Hellboy sports a better hero and better CGI effects while Spiderman takes the nod in the love interest and villains categories) better than the X-men films and simply puts other comic book adaptations to shame (League of Extraordinary Gentleman should be particularly embarrassed)

Hellboy starts with a rip-off of one of the last scenes in Raiders of the Lost Ark and introduces such horrible clichéd villains as Nazi babe and Rasputin. Yet the scene works. Director Guillermo del Toro nails a comic book style to the direction that keeps the action and humor going during the most implausible circumstances. Another kudos is in order for the special effects, both make-up (which is spot on) and CGI. Now I seem to hate most CGI effects.

Many a big-budget Hollywood film has come out recently with horrible special effects that stick out despite 50 million plus budgets. Hellboy's effects are simply seamless where one forgets that entire characters and locations are digitally generated. The acting is also seamless with lead Ron Perlman giving a scene stealing cigar chomping performance that rivals Daniel Day Lewis's turn in Gangs of New York and Jeffrey Tambor turning a stock cliché (obstructionist bureaucrat who wants to shut everything down) into a humanistic sympathetic character. (This is also an example of very smart writing that makes even the clichéd characters into three-dimensional figures.)

While all is not perfect (In addition to Nazi Chick and Rasputin we also have a Clock/Sand Nazi and a Space Cthulhu as an improbable villains) Hellboy is better than an action movie should be, much better than a comic book adaptation ought to be, and immeasurable better than a movie called Hellboy deserves to be.… Expand

9 of 11 users found this helpful92

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8

MovieMasterEddyApr 7, 2016

Sci-fi/fantasy extravaganza is a labor of love for helmer Guillermo del Toro, and acknowledged comic buff. Based on Mike Mignola's cult-fave comic series, pic has more than enough across-the-board appeal to attract mainstream auds unfamiliarSci-fi/fantasy extravaganza is a labor of love for helmer Guillermo del Toro, and acknowledged comic buff. Based on Mike Mignola's cult-fave comic series, pic has more than enough across-the-board appeal to attract mainstream auds unfamiliar with source material.

Inspired primarily by “Seed of Destruction,” Mignola’s first “Hellboy” story cycle, and “The Corpse,” a later tale recently reissued by Dark Horse, del Toro’s scenario occasionally echoes “Men in Black,” “X-Men,” del Toro’s own “Mimic” — and more than a few classic tales by horror writer H.P. Lovecraft.

Effective blood-and-thunder prologue set during WWII introduces Trevor “Broom” Bruttenholm (initially played by Kevin Trainor) as a supernatural expert for Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense, a super-secret U.S. organization dedicated to battling German efforts to wage war with black magic.

On a dark, stormy night in Scotland, Broom and an Army commando unit interrupt curiously undead Grigori Rasputin (Karel Roden) as the infamous Russian mystic leads Nazi scientists and soldiers in an effort to use a “Hell-Hole Generator” to transport Ogdru Jahad (a.k.a., Seven Gods of Chaos) to Earth. A gun battle, the pic’s first spectacular set piece, ensues. After the battle, Rasputin disappears with two key associates — Kroenen (Ladislav Beran), masked and blade-wielding immortal, and Ilsa (Bridget Hodson), icy blond beauty. But Broom and commandos find the generator did manage to transport a surprise package: A bright red imp festooned with horns and a pointed tail. Broom names the foundling Hellboy.

Sixty-plus years later, anailing, aging Broom (John Hurt) is still aligned with Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense, and is still serving as surrogate father to Hellboy (Ron Perlman). Latter has grown into a massive and muscular figure with a misshapen right hand (credit Rick Baker for spot-on Hellboy makeup).

Big guy smokes cigars, gobbles Baby Ruths and speaks in the terse, tough-guy argot of a film noir hero. But he keeps his horns filed downso the stubs resemble a pair of goggles pushed onto his forehead.

Hellboy lives with Broom at BPRD headquarters in Newark, N.J., usually venturing out only to aid in investigation and destruction of paranormal threats. Occasionally, however, he takes unauthorized trips into the outside world, causing “Hellboy sightings” that must be explained away by government spokesperson — and, secretly, BPRD supervisor — Tom Manning (Jeffrey Tambor).

Lately, Hellboy has repeatedly gone AWOL to reconnect with sad-eyed Liz Sherman (Selma Blair), who fled BPRD and committed herself to a mental hospital because she fears she can no longer control her fire-spreading, pyrokinetic powers. H.B. loves her, of course, but duty calls. Along with fellow BPRD regular Abe Sapien (played by Doug Jones, amusingly voiced by unbilled David Hyde Piece), a scaly and telepathic “gill man” who thrives underwater, H.B. joins Broom and other agents at a Manhattan museum where an immense monster is wreaking havoc. The monster, Sammael(Brian Steele), a well-nigh indestructible beast, resembles the love child of “Alien” and an octopus. Sammael and its spawn are controlled by the newly revived Rasputin.

Pointedly disdaining the current craze for wire work and martial artistry in movie mayhem, del Toro provides an abundance of two-fisted, straight-shooting action throughout “Hellboy.” Title character’s dust-ups with Sammael and other icky creeps are at once rousingly exciting and explosively funny, often playing like oversized smackdowns between WWE superstars.

However, del Toro isn’t always attentive to coherent transitions while warp-speeding through his storyline. Worse, he occasionally neglects to prepare uninitiated auds with context from the comic books.

Well-cast thesps generate rooting interest in their individual characters, thereby propelling plot momentum through sheer force of their colorful personalities. Del Toro provides nifty quirks and eccentricities for characters: Edgy relationship between Hellboy and Manning (well played by Tambor) builds toward amusing pay-off. Ultimately, on-screen actors (and unseen Pierce) prove to be pic’s most important special effects.

Perlman is terrifically boisterous and literally larger than life in title role, yet also elicits sympathy. In this, he is immeasurably aided by Hurt, who’s genuinely poignant in his relationship with Broom’s “son.”

Blair offers a career-best performance as Liz, conveying a wealth of mixed emotions with each wanly melancholy smile. Newcomer Rupert Evans is engagingly game as John Myers, a young FBI agent. Production designers and f/x supervisors are fantastically impressive in their rendering of del Toro’s darkly imaginative take on “Hellboy” mythos.… Expand

3 of 4 users found this helpful31

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9

Pluto744Jun 22, 2021

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1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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9

Acquit77Jul 18, 2021

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8

EpicLadySpongeMay 4, 2016

Based on the superhero by Mike Mignola for Dark Horse Comics, this movie brings the absolute reason why hell should be imposed to come out at any second from now.

1 of 5 users found this helpful14

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7

SuperheroMoviesSep 5, 2013

Sporting a great quantity of keen visuals and impressive costume designs, Del Toro's comic adaptation manages to astonish with its unique style and appealing characters.

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

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7

Voodoo123Oct 20, 2019

+Great production design
+Fantastic cast deliver memorable performances
+Excellent cinematography -Sluggish pacing in the edit -Focus on exposition makes screenplay feel slow Del Toro and the crew deliver a fantastic ride in 2004's Hellboy.+Great production design
+Fantastic cast deliver memorable performances
+Excellent cinematography
-Sluggish pacing in the edit
-Focus on exposition makes screenplay feel slow

Del Toro and the crew deliver a fantastic ride in 2004's Hellboy. For sheer cinematic beauty it looks great in 4k HDR. Some of the more outlandish CGI sequences show their age in 2019, but the practical effects look incredible. The world is just so interesting to experience with some haunting moments that feel almost as if to nudge genres from action adventure to horror/thriller... The talented cast deliver memorable performances here and every penny of ther production budget is on the screen and then some! Exposition heavy screenplay and strange editing choices make Hellboy seem more bloated and slow when directly compared to the very impressive sequel.… Expand

0 of 3 users found this helpful03

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7

homer4presidentMar 28, 2015

Hellboy is an amazing thrill ride. Not only was it great to pick Ron Perlman, it was great to make this movie. The plot was fun, the effects and music were great, and the fish guy was awesome. My only tiff is sometimes the effects wereHellboy is an amazing thrill ride. Not only was it great to pick Ron Perlman, it was great to make this movie. The plot was fun, the effects and music were great, and the fish guy was awesome. My only tiff is sometimes the effects were cheesy. But if you can deal with that youll love this movie.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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7

Cinemassacre94Mar 20, 2016

Like superheroes from Spider-Man down to the Blue Beetle, Hellboy looks like he could have no other name. What else could you call a being with bright-red fireproof skin and a pointy tail? Only the horns are missing, and that'sLike superheroes from Spider-Man down to the Blue Beetle, Hellboy looks like he could have no other name. What else could you call a being with bright-red fireproof skin and a pointy tail? Only the horns are missing, and that's because—according to one character in Hellboy, the new adaptation of Mike Mignola's comic book—he files them off "to fit in." Found 60 years ago by soldiers breaking up a mystic Nazi ritual, Hellboy now works alongside other well-intentioned freaks in the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense. He's a demon from another dimension, but he's all-American at heart.

Hellboy is a great character, and he's brought to life with gruff tenderness by Ron Perlman, the go-to actor for finding the humanity in oversized creatures: The list of actors who could make high drama out of fighting a monster with one hand while holding a crate full of kittens in the other remains pretty short. But the film around Perlman never quite finds its footing. Writer-director Guillermo del Toro recently created a mood of sustained, meaningful dread in The Devil's Backbone and turned Blade II into an exercise in unrelenting action. He's versatile, but he can't seem to make up his mind about what kind of film he wants to make. Hellboy uneasily mixes Men In Black-style gags with straight-faced drama, which mostly revolves around Selma Blair as a woman with an unfortunate tendency to burst into flames.

Hellboy feels more at ease when it errs on the side of comedy, throwing in gags about Perlman's love of pancakes and cats, letting him fill the floor with discarded love notes to Blair, and giving him a grumpy talking skeleton as a sidekick. It looks great, too—it loses Mignola's woodcut-inspired art, of course, but stays true to the world of the comic.

Too bad the story and, more surprisingly, the action never come alive. The villains, even a reincarnated Rasputin, don't pack much menace, and the fight scenes mistake busy for thrilling. With its oddly charming setup and weirdly appealing characters, Hellboy is pretty much impossible not to like a little, but it's also hard to like a lot. There's a fantastic film to be made from this material, but now, the burden of making it falls to a sequel.… Expand

0 of 5 users found this helpful05

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8

BeatrixKiddoSep 16, 2019

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Awesome movie! Effects were awesome and Red was a badass! And the most important: no cgi stuff! What else can l say? I liked it a lot.… Expand

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7

jonslowJan 5, 2019

Lovely HellBoy , He loves cat. I really love his character. Good acting....

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9

akshatmahajanSep 20, 2020

I loved this movie. It was entertaining and well-paced. One thing that I liked about this movie was it didn't have unnecessary scenes or unnecessary stretching.

Pearlman played the role of Hellboy very nicely. All of the other significantI loved this movie. It was entertaining and well-paced. One thing that I liked about this movie was it didn't have unnecessary scenes or unnecessary stretching.

Pearlman played the role of Hellboy very nicely. All of the other significant characters are equally well-presented by their respective actors.

The movie moved well, didn't get stalled anywhere, and both the action and drama were moderated with smooth transitions between each.

Overall, I would recommend this movie to everyone. You will surely love it.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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9

Autopsy904Jun 14, 2021

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9

ReceptacleJun 24, 2021

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10

Stagger74Jul 13, 2021

》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》¡
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9

Abbatoir89Sep 2, 2021

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Finally a superhero with an attitude, a narsistic habit and a few addictions. Got to love it...
In my opinion a great and entertaining movie. The storyline is somewhat a lot for one movie (in the line of 'League of XO Gentleman' and 'Van Helsing'). But apart from that, this movie looks good: great special effects and eye for detail. Sets the right atmosphere: spooky, occult. And hits the spot with the right amount of (black) humor.

I think it's the best superhero movie till this moment. Because the superhero is more human than all the others, despite his appearance (very big and very eh... red). This is a superhero with a hangover and he doesn't care.… Expand

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9

Missile44Sep 10, 2021

*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:
☆°•☆°•☆°•☆°•☆°•☆°•☆°•☆°•☆°•☆°•☆°•☆

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8

JohnH.Apr 4, 2004

An enjoyable adventure flick. Not perfect, but definitely the most entertaining theatre excursion so far this year.

0 of 0 users found this helpful

9

PrinsM.Mar 6, 2008

Good adaptation of an awesome graphic novel.

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9

AndrewB.Jul 10, 2008

To not be charmed or entertained by this film would require either a heart of stone or an utter lack of taste in entertainment. It does an excellent job of creating a comic book feel and look, and Ron Perlman's hellboy is more than To not be charmed or entertained by this film would require either a heart of stone or an utter lack of taste in entertainment. It does an excellent job of creating a comic book feel and look, and Ron Perlman's hellboy is more than likable enough to carry multiple films. So what if the plot can be a bit hard to follow at times. Since when did that matter much for a comic book film?… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful

8

OliverC.Jan 14, 2007

As much as the acting and writing could have been improved, Del Toro still brought us the best looking monsters i've ever seen in a movie. And that's no mean feet.

0 of 0 users found this helpful

7

ERG1008Aug 23, 2010

Nazis open evil portal helped by evil monk, hellboy arrives, US troops shut portal, 60 years later, Hellboy works for Government, evil monk returns..
Slightly better than average superhero picture with some decent effects & good action scenesNazis open evil portal helped by evil monk, hellboy arrives, US troops shut portal, 60 years later, Hellboy works for Government, evil monk returns..
Slightly better than average superhero picture with some decent effects & good action scenes let down by awkward story telling.
Ron Perlman is pretty good in the lead despite the cliched dialogue & the 107 year old Nazi assassin is a right nasty piece of work.… Expand