dailyfilm

I’m going to start with Hellboy, because in this crazy mixed-up world – why not? Directed by Guillermo del Toro in 2004, it quickly became a film that people around the World could happily ignore while they watch Spiderman or X-Men instead. But just because the film stars a giant red demon (played with childish petulance by Ron Perlman) who was brought to Earth by the Nazis by accident when a spell by Rasputin went wrong… that doesn’t mean it isn’t a good film! In fact, there is not one part of that last sentence which is not completely brilliant in every way shape or form.

As crudely explained above, the premise of Hellboy is that after the demon came down to Earth, he was kept a secret by the American Government and sent out on supernatural missions to kill other demons who appeared in the World before the people got antsy. He is, essentially, a superhero with a tortured conscience… well he would be, if he had much of a conscience. Mostly he’s just annoyed that he has to stay indoors all day while the girl he likes (a flame-spouting Selma Blair) hangs around in a mental asylum and worries about stuff. The story kicks off proper when the institute that keeps Hellboy’s existence hidden from the world hires a new member of staff to look after the big red teenager, called John Myers. As Myers arrives he is nervous, and this nervousness grows understandably as he walks through the building he is now to work in – which happens to be home to an aquatic monster called Abe Sapien.

He’s not put off though, and when he finally meets Hellboy the scene is grandly overplayed and simple at the same time. Del Toro is a master of gothic style, and he enjoys himself here in a succession of wild and thrillingly shot set-pieces, as seen briefly afterwards as Hellboy chases a monster through town, with Myers chasing after shouting “it’s a costume! It’s a costume!” This wicked sense of black humour pervades the film throughout, mostly through Perlman’s weary and childish main character. While the other characters are all mostly well drawn, Perlman stands out (handy; this is his film after all). Filling the cast with character actors such as John Hurt and Jeffrey Tambor doesn’t hurt either, and each actor tries their hardest to steal each scene they are in.

Perhaps, though, the scene is mostly carried away by the special effects. From an undead and grumpy Russian who guides Hellboy through some caves to the clockwork monster who stalks the background, rising out from time to time to kill off members of the cast; the special effects are spectacular and inventive. This helps the film, especially when the plot is a by-the-numbers affair. Mentors, murder mystery, conspiracies, and love stories that have been seen a thousand times before are recycled into this film, albeit in slightly twisted and new ways. Doesn’t really matter much, though, as the film doesn’t have much to offer apart from entertainment. And on this level, it succeeds.

The sequel’s got a lot to live up to.

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