Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)

I'm so glad Pan's Labyrinth's success enabled Guillermo del Toro to have as much money and creative control as it appears he did for this wonderful sequel to 2004's underrated Hellboy. An unspecified amount of time has passed since the first film: government-employed demon Hellboy (Ron Perlman) and pyrokinetic Liz (Selma Blair) are now living together, provoking as many violent clashes as it does tender moments for their coworker and friend, the amphibious psychic Abe Sapien (the incomparable Doug Jones), to endure. Due to Hellboy's increasingly flippant treatment of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense's rule of secrecy, the German medium Johann Krauss (played by John Alexander and voiced by Seth MacFarlane) is sent in to streamline their investigations and enforce inconspicuousness.

Meanwhile, there is much turmoil in the ancient underground Elven kingdom. The long-estranged and palely badass Prince Nuada (Luke Goss) has returned to beseech his father (Roy Doltrice) for a piece of a special crown which would enable him to control the ancient Golden Army, consisting of large mechanical self-sustaining and self-repairing soldiers. His father wishes to maintain the long-standing peace contract between magical creatures and humans, while Nuada acknowledges that due to their systematic destruction of earth, the destruction of humans is justifiable. He obtains the crown fragment but realizes he needs the final piece from his twin, Princess Nuala (Anna Walton), who has escaped into the arms of Hellboy and the gang. She tells them the story of the Golden Army as they prepare to guard her from Nuada, to whom she is psychically connected.

Simultaneously, Liz and Hellboy are still fighting, Abe is lovesick for Nuala, Johan is at odds with Hellboy, and they're all trying to figure out Nuala's map that supposedly leads to the Army in an endeavor to protect it from the prince. They meet and/or battle a lot of creatures and ultimately Hellboy must face Nuada in a final showdown (hell yes) and save the human race yet again, at the risk of his own life and uncertain ideologies.

Just check out this movie's keyword list on imdb and you can easily see how good it is. It's got everything from Steampunk to Stabbed in the Head to Blood on Camera Lens to Unwed Pregnancy. Awesome. Hellboy II is a totally rad, fantastical adventure with splashes of romance and sword fighting. The script is solid, imaginative, and funny. The mythological and fantasy aspects are thrilling and substantial, but not overbearing. The relationships between the characters remain essential, keeping the focus on these lovable and surprisingly relatable characters against the miraculous action/adventure backdrop. That being said, the story is definitely interesting and creative, weaving together familiar dreamy figures with new creatures. Visually, it is of course incredible and magical and breathtaking and innovative and gush. I was practically drooling over the Angel of Death (Doug Jones, pictured below), the troll market, and forest spirit. Gee whiz. The character design is top-notch, mixing the urban with the unreal, and keeping a slightly dark tone over it all.

I really dug everyone's performances, naturally. Ron Perlman remains the best-cast actor ever in a comic book movie. Selma Blair is strong and sympathetic and not oversexed. Doug Jones continues to impress everyone in the room, tackling three characters but especially shining as Abe, who is too adorable, and even taking over vocals for David Hyde Pierce. I also really really liked the Johann Krauss character because hot damn he has like, this stern ectoplasmic form encased in a steampunkian diver suit! And he's German! And can beat up people with gym lockers! Also kudos to Luke Goss for pulling off a really badass elf. I kind of wanted Nuada to win just because he was so driven, and so capable. And I suppose he was sort of right about the whole destruction of earth thing. His seemingly incestuous relationship with Nuala was a little odd though, mainly because it wasn't really explained, just hinted at. Are all elvin twins naturally sleeping with each other? I do not pretend to have the answer to that question. Anyway, this movie is wonderful- fun, exciting, imaginative, and even better than the first. Here's hoping del Toro doesn't get too tied up in The Hobbit to do a third.

4.5/5