Sword of Storms

“In the first animated feature from director Tad Stones (Buzz Lightyear of Star Command), a folklore professor becomes unwittingly possessed by the ancient Japanese demons of Thunder and Lightning. But when The Bureau of Paranormal Research & Defense dispatches a team of agents to investigate, a cursed samurai sword sends Hellboy to a supernatural dimension of ghosts, monsters, and feudal mayhem. Now, while pyrokinetic Liz Sherman and fishboy Abe Sapien battle one very pissed-off dragon, a lost and cranky Hellboy must find his way home. Even if he can survive the perilous journey, how much crap does a guy have to put up with from the two most vengeful and ferocious spirits of Japanese legend?”

The Sword of Storms, released in 2006, features the voices of Ron Perlman and Selma Blair voicing their iconic roles of the live-action film. David Hyde Pierce was approached to voice Abe Sapien again, but graciously relented, thinking Doug Jones should have used his own voice while physically playing him in the film and should in this animated feature as well, which he does. Although I’m a fan of the films, I never read the graphic novel. This animated film almost bridges the gap between the two worlds somewhat, providing great art and animation, opening up the world of Hellboy and the Bureau of Paranormal Research & Defense, yet still maintaining the voice acting and performances of the people who brought these characters to life on screen. The animation itself isn’t going to break new ground or anything, and it honestly reminds me a lot of the Batman: The Animated Series in a lot of ways, and for me that was a great thing. Thanks to the animation, we can explore a lot more of this world and dive deeper into heavier supernatural elements that might not work in live action, such as giant flying bat mutants, zombie mummies, and Japanese thunder gods.

The story itself is a lot of fun, especially the Japanese element it has to it. Hellboy is totally sarcastic, pissed off half the time, and does some very funny stuff to the entities he encounters in this feudal dimension, like when he hides the bodies of a bunch of ghost heads who, after trying to kill him, desperately plead for him to give them their bodies back. This leaves Abe and Liz to have their own adventure, which is entertaining but still leaves a bit to be desired. The same formula applies to both of these stories, in which Liz is scared of her raw power and her ability to control it, and ends up obliterating everything at the last second. Granted, there is more to it than that, but her story doesn’t have the depth that it could. Abe doesn’t seem to be utilized much either, only providing a bit of clear headed dialogue and reason, lacking some of his other useful abilities.

Overall, it’s an entertaining Hellboy story. For fans of the films and graphic novels, it’s your chance to see more adventures from these amazing characters, preserving the essence of the films in the animation.

Blood & Iron

“When Hellboy, Liz Sherman, and Abe Sapien are assigned to investigate the ghost-infested mansion of a publicity-hound billionaire, they uncover a plot to resurrect a beautiful yet monstrous vampire from Professor Bruttenhom’s past. But before they can stop her bloodbath, Hellboy will have to battle harpies, hellhounds, a giant werewolf, and even the ferocious goddess Hecate herself. How much crap does a guy have to take from a Hungarian Blood Countess before he and his surrogate father can avenge the souls of the damned? It’s going to take more than just a horde of very pissed-off demons for our heroes to see the light in this animated adventure from creative producers Guillermo Del Toro and Mike Mignola.”

Of the two films, I think I enjoyed Blood & Iron just a bit more than the first, mainly due to the inclusion of John Hurt this go-around as Professor Broom. The story itself has many more layers than Sword of Storms, giving us a glimpse into the Professor’s past and an event that still haunts him to this day. There are some great sequences with Hellboy being the sarcastic asshole we all love, getting the crap beat out of him by some huge monstrous creature.

Where the story suffers, however, is the Liz and Abe story again. It follows much of the same path in the previous film, with Liz having the same struggles controlling her power, afraid to let it loose, with Abe backing her up while Hellboy is off doing his own thing. Additionally, the inclusion of this other agent whose power is that he’s a metal detector, is honestly really lame. Despite this, I found this story quite enjoyable with some extra history from the characters I grew to love on screen.

Video

The video for both of these films are presented in 2160p 4k Ultra High Definition Widescreen 1.78:1 featuring Dolby Vision. I believe this is one of the first animated films I’ve seen in Dolby Vision, and it honestly looks great. The colors of the ultra high definition transfer looks exceptional, and though they can look a bit drab at times due to the tone of the animation and story overall, the brighter colors such as the paranormal stuff really do look incredible in contrast to everything else. The animation lines looked great as well, very detailed and clear, with no issues of note.

Audio

The audio is presented in Dolby Atmos, giving us a great track that takes full advantage of the new mix. There are some very intense sequences and fights which sound as though they’re going on right in front of you. I will admit there was also a supernatural atmospheric moment that scared me to death, as I thought it was something real behind me. The score takes that Marco Beltrami music from the films and includes it, making it feel even more like a continuation of those characters and the stories from the film.

Special Features

Tons of extras included on this disc, enough for any fan to appreciate and spend a bit of time diving through.

• A New Breed: Creating the New Hellboy
• Conquering Hellboy: The Actor’s Role
• A View from the Top: The “Heads” Sequence
• Tales from the Tomb: A Look Inside Blood & Iron
• “Iron Shoes” with Introduction by Mike Mignola
• Sword of Storms: Audio Commentary Featuring Hellboy Creator Mike Mignola, Supervising Producer-Director Tad Stones, and Director Phil Weinstein
• Blood & Iron: Audio Commentary Featuring Mike Mignola, Tad Stones, and Vic Cook
• Reversal of Fortune: Professor Bloom’s Story

If you’re a fan of the film, graphic novel, or both, this animated series is just what you need to get all the Hellboy you can in anticipation for the new film. With some great extras and the absolute best technical features available, for the low price point this is definitely worth picking up!