Helluva good time

Hellboy marks the beginning of a long line of films to be released this year based on obscure, generally unknown comic books, with characters that don’t necessarily wear spandex nor have capes. Apart from the ultra-hyped Spider-Man 2 and the Halle Berry starrer Catwoman, both in the summer (and I mean the US summer), and the third Blade film, Blade: Trinity, in December, several upcoming movies based on lesser-known comics include the just-released The Punisher, Man-Thing in September, and The Mask’s sequel Son Of The Mask in October. And if Hellboy is any indication, this will be a good, if not decent year for the genre, Catwoman aside.

Based on Mike Mignola’s Dark Horse comic books, Hellboy begins, like most films of the genre, with the origins of its title character. In 1944, in the midst of World War II, Russian monk Rasputin (Karel Roden) opens a portal to unleash monsters from another dimension as part of a Nazi experiment. Yet after something goes wrong, he is sucked into it, and chaos erupts as American soldiers invade the area. Professor Trevor Bruttenholm (John Hurt) finds a Snickers-loving "red monkey" in a nearby building and names it "Hellboy," concluding that it was able to get through the portal and arrived on Earth from another dimension. Fascinated by the creature, the professor cared for it as his own, bringing it to America and studied it more at the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense. Cut to present day, and Hellboy (Ron Perlman) now works secretly within the bureau with the professor, agent John Myers (Rupert Evans) and his fellow "freaks" (Abe Sapien, an incredibly likable amphibious human-like creature voiced by David Hyde Pierce being one of them). Right on cue, Rasputin returns with an all-new, ready-to-be-hatched plan for the destruction of mankind, and Hellboy, with the help of Bruttenholm, Myers, Abe, and fire-wielding are-they-or-aren’t-they girlfriend Liz Sherman (Selma Blair) must stop him before we – shock! – all die.

Hellboy’s obscurity to the general audience definitely helps the film, diminishing any preconceived notions we could have had with a familiar comic book source; this makes the film surprising – and surprisingly enjoyable. Writer-director Guillermo del Toro (Blade 2) helms and writes with ardor and evident enthusiasm. The screenplay embodies engaging action, wry wit, and earnest romance that Del Toro is able to pull off unscathed. Impressive, colorful visual effects splash off the screen and layer the script’s fun cynicism in seamless energy; its dark humor and genuine romance give Hellboy its warm veracity.

Ron Perlman, often playing the deranged monster of astonishing repugnance, gives a funny performance as the crimson-red title character, and just as Del Toro, the entire cast seems to be having a blast making the movie – and this is what I think makes Hellboy so special. The same heated fervor and genuine enjoyment the entire cast and crew seem to put in making Hellboy is felt in the actual production, and thus is conveyed powerfully to the audience.

It doesn’t take itself too seriously, and just has a great time putting on a show. A big, colorful, flashy production, Hellboy knows the right formula for a great action movie and is smart enough to use it correctly, and delivers straightforward, no-nonsense fun and excitement.

Bottom Line: One of the best comic book movies ever made, Hellboy is a film that’s funny, scary, exciting, and is bursting with vivacious energy.

Grade: B+

To-Do List

Movies

• Watch Hellboy.

CDs

• Listen to Damita Jo by Janet Jackson. Finally, after all the Boobgate hoopla, the attention has finally returned to Janet’s music with her new album of sexy R&B beats and catchy pop. (Her SNL performance, in which she spoofed her own "wardrobe malfunction" by playing Condoleezza Rice exposing herself in front of the 9/11 Commission, was one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen.)

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For comments, e-mail me at lanz_gryffindor@yahoo.com.