While David Harbour seems perfectly cast in the lead role, Hellboy attempts to introduce too many characters and details and suffers from a rushed, anti-climactic finale that leaves several plot lines unfinished and viewers feeling underwhelmed.
Hellboy returns to the big screen, but this isn’t a sequel to the Ron Perlman movies from 2004 and 2008. It’s also not really an origin story. Hellboy (the 2019 take, that is) introduces an already crime-fighting, wise-cracking hero and a story gory and profane enough to deserve its R-rating. While David Harbour seems perfectly cast in the lead role, the movie attempts to introduce too many characters and details and suffers from a rushed, anti-climactic finale that leaves several plot lines unfinished and viewers feeling underwhelmed.
Here’s the official description – “Hellboy is back, and he’s on fire. In this action-packed story ripped form the pages of Mike Mignola’s seminal work, the legendary half-demon superhero (David Harbour) is called to the English countryside to battle a trio of rampaging giants. There he discovers The Blood Queen, Nimue (Milla Jovovich), a resurrected ancient sorceress thirsting to avenge a past betrayal. Suddenly caught in a clash between the supernatural and the human, Hellboy is now hell-bent on stopping Nimue without triggering the end of the world.”
Directed by Neil Marshall, Hellboy runs 121 minutes and stars David Harbour, Milla Jovovich, Ian McShane, Sasha Lane, Daniel Dae Kim, and Thomas Haden Church.
Mike Mignola introduced the world to his comicbook superhero in 1993 after sketching him at a comicbook convention. Since then, there have been numerous comicbooks, one-shots, crossovers, video games, and movies made about the character. This latest film borrows storylines from several of the comicbook series including The Wild Hunt and Darkness Calls.
The movie opens with a flashback to Pendle Hill (517 A.D.). King Arthur and Merlin have summoned a meeting with the witch Nimue (Jovovich) to try to stop the plague she is spreading. Arthur betrays her and has her body cut into pieces and scattered across the world. The scene appears in black and white, with the exception of Nimue’s blood red cloak. Though the opening narration for this scene is hilarious and helps set the tone of the movie, it does make the scene feel a bit rushed and confusing. Given that the full scene is included (without narration) as a deleted scene, it looks like the narration may have been a later addition.
After the title card, the story then picks up with Hellboy (Harbour) in Tijuana. He’s tracking down an agent of the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense (BPRD) who appears to have gone rogue. This is the first scene to really show viewers how the movie uses colors. They are bold! Hellboy is a vibrant shade of red, but the movie takes every opportunity with other characters and sets to add color. From the costumes and make-up to the flashing pink and yellow lights behind Hellboy as he looks for the agent, the movie doesn’t shy away from color. It would be interesting to see how these colors are enhanced with an HDR upgrade.
The search in Tijuana doesn’t end well, but it does lead to one of Hellboy’s main internal struggles in the movie. Under the humor and one-liners, he’s facing an identity crisis of sorts. Hellboy wants to know who he is, why he is on Earth, and if he is a good creature or not. Fans of the comicbooks will already know a lot of those answers, but it’s nice to watch Hellboy’s journey and character development as he seeks these answers. Even under the makeup and prosthetics, Harbour manages to give a strong performance full of emotion and humor.
Hellboy returns to the BPRD in Colorado after the incident in Tijuana. The return trip is set to Black Rebel Motorcycle Club’s “Beat the Devil’s Tattoo.” It’s just one of the many excellent selections used for this movie’s soundtrack. With songs like “Mony, Mony” and “Smoke on the Water” used for the trailers and a Spanish cover of “Rock You Like A Hurricane” used for the first fight scene, the soundtrack is easily one of this movie’s highlights.
Another of the movie’s strengths is seen when Hellboy returns to the base in Colorado – the relationship between Hellboy and his adoptive father, Dr. Trevor Bruttenholm. Ian McShane offers a gruffer, grumpier “Professor Broom” than the one portrayed by John Hurt in the first live-action movies. This Professor Broom, though loving and supportive of his adopted son, also treats Hellboy like a soldier. It’s a tough love. The relationship is shaken after Hellboy is assigned to help the Osiris Club and learns more about the day of his birth.
Meanwhile, a mysterious old woman instructs a violent, animalistic fairy named Gruagach to collect and reassemble the pieces of Nimue if he wants to get revenge on Hellboy. Again, fans of the comicbooks – you’ll know who this woman is almost immediately.
All in all, the movie presents a strong first act. We’re introduced to our hero and his team, told a bit about the struggles Hellboy will go through, and given just enough of a mystery to keep viewers engaged. We see action, and the cg and special effects, though questionable in some scenes, somehow work perfectly for the look and tone of the movie. There’s also David Harbour delivering laugh-out-loud one-liners and quips. The opening act has an entertaining blend of humor and action; however, the first act is actually the best part of the movie. Unfortunately, the movie doesn’t stop there with the introductions of new characters and storylines . . .
It isn’t until the second act that viewers are introduced to Alice Monaghan (Lane), a young woman Hellboy saved when she was a baby, and M11 agent Ben Daimio (Kim), a fellow BPRD agent with a strong dislike for Hellboy. Both Alice and Daimio are given their own character arcs, but the details are rushed. It feels like the writers wanted to include as many iconic characters from the comicbooks as possible, but this leads to characters like Grigori Rasputin and Lobster Johnson (Church) appearing briefly in only one or two scenes apiece.
In addition to many comicbook characters, the film also attempts to incorporate many comicbook storylines. The film’s main conflict, the struggle against the return of Nimue, is often delayed by plot lines that feel like side quests in a video game. Several of the movie’s key plot lines are then frustratingly left unanswered or unresolved when the third and final act attempts to rein it all in and focus only on the story’s central conflict. The additional plot elements through off the pace of the movie’s action. Take the final climactic battle for example. Without giving too much away, viewers don’t see a big action sequence to close out the story. (When I watched it, I actually said, “Wait, was that it?” out loud.) The endgame is more mentally and emotionally driven. That choice fits with Hellboy’s journey of self-discovery, but it doesn’t match the tone of the rest of the movie or fulfill the battle promised in the trailers. With all the marketing materials promising epic battles and non-stop action, it’s disappointing to not see the movie deliver on those promises.
Overall, the story attempts to incorporate too many details – plots, characters, locations, etc. – from the comicbooks. While this was probably meant as a treat for longtime readers, it will likely leave them wanting more details instead of rushed stories or cameos. Viewers not familiar with the comics may be overwhelmed or confused by the amount of information. Focusing instead on a few key characters and saving others for a potential sequel would have simplified the plot and strengthened the overall story.
Is There a Scene After the Credits?
Yes – two actually! Stick around for a mid-credits scene meant as a treat for the comicbook fans and a post-credits scene that sets up a storyline for any possible sequels.
Special Features
- Deleted Scenes [7:56 – total]
– “Full Pendle Hill Opening”
– “Shower Scene”
– “Blood Queen & Gru In Parking Lot” - Previsualizations [7:19 – total]
– “Giant Fight”
– “Gru vs. Hellboy”
– “London Apocalypse” - “Tales of the Wild Hunt: Hellboy Reborn” (3-Part Documentary found only on the Blu-ray disc) [1:11:28]
The Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital combo pack comes with some basic standard features. Nimue is featured in all of the deleted scenes, which might explain why a lot of her character development and motivations feel absent from the final cut. The previsualizations show scenes in the form of digitized, animated storyboards. They’re incomplete computer renderings of how the final scenes are intended to look. The documentary (again only found on the Blu-ray disc) spends time looking at the characters, make-up, costuming, sets, and production of the movie; however, the most interesting part might just be watching David Harbour go through makeup and costuming each day. Unlike a lot of special feature documentaries, this one doesn’t add a lot of new information, look at source material, or compare the movie to other versions. The content offered is rather drawn out and forgettable.
Takeaway
Overall, this version of Hellboy is probably closer to the comicbook series in terms of appearance and gore. David Harbour nails the snark and veiled insecurities of the character. Unfortunately, though the movie starts with a strong opening act, it spends too much time introducing new characters and distracting plot lines and ultimately suffers from a rushed, anti-climactic finale that leaves story elements unresolved and viewers underwhelmed.
