If someone were to tell you that there's a movie that will actually make you cheer for the son of Satan, your reaction might be one of intrigue, or of fear that someone's going to try to get you to drink the Kool-Aid. Rest assured, it is the former reaction that is much more appropriate in the case of Hellboy 2: The Golden Army, and it's safe to say that director Guillermo del Toro has created a visual spectacle that is astounding on many levels. Hellboy 2 is, of course, the sequel to the semi-cult favorite Hellboy, and it does something that's about as rare as Stephen King writing a romantic novel: It's a sequel that's actually better than the original. The second installment opens up with a flashback to one of Hellboy's early Christmas Eve memories, in which both he and the audience are told the story of a war between the humans and the elves. During this war, the King of the Elves commissioned a massive indestructible mechanical army that would wreak havoc on the humans. The army is controlled by whoever wears a magical crown, and after the King realizes the horror of what he's done, he divides the crown and hides it so that no one will ever command the army again. After that back story, we are in present day, and the Prince of the Elves has decided to come out of exile to find the pieces of the crown and assume control of the Golden Army so that he can punish the humans for all of their wrongdoings. This is where Hellboy and his partners at the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Development come in, and their job is to stop this insane prince from starting a war all over again. To avoid spoiling the rest of the film, let it be mentioned quickly that along the way we witness love stories, breakneck action, jaw-dropping visuals, and just the right amount of comic relief. Overall, Hellboy 2 is a visceral and widely entertaining film, and certainly stands out from most superhero films (cough, The Dark Knight), and manages to hold a good amount of merit without even having to take into consideration that "it's a superhero flick."
Special Features:
As far as the special features go, let's just say that the offerings are to film students what shiny objects are to babies: mesmerizing. The standout of the entire set of special features is a two-hour behind-the-scenes look at every aspect of the film from concept to final product, and it's a monster. The level of creativity that del Toro somehow manages to cram into one film is remarkable, and just watching him walk around a set and point out every single intricate detail and explaining its purpose will definitely inspire anyone interested in the field. Any casual viewer will certainly enjoy much of this as well, especially the bits on how many of the incredibly surreal characters were brought to life through makeup and animatronics. All of the requisite features are there as well (languages, deleted scenes, commentaries), but the behind-the-scenes feature is what makes this DVD a must-own for anyone who enjoys this sort of film. A
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