The big question I have about this film? Did it even need to be a reboot? I feel that it would have worked better as another installment in the Del Toro Hellboy canon, with Ron Perlman reprising the famous role. If it were a third film in the Del Toro series, we would have more time to develop the characters instead of retreading the Hellboy backstory with which we’re already familiar.
The plot as it’s told is very similar to the Del Toro films, in that it’s less one movie and more an episodic series of events tied around an overarching plot. The special effects are passable, about on par with other modern superhero movies, the jokes were quite funny, the action scenes served their purpose, the horror elements were genuinely terrifying, and the music is just meh.
As for the characters... well, I’m disappointed that Liz and Abe did not return for this film, as I felt they complimented Hellboy’s personality perfectly in the original films. Hellboy himself is not quite as interesting a character as in the original. I’m sure the new actor was trying his best, but he’s not written as sympathetically or as charismatically as the Perlman portrayal, instead being a Wangst-y grouch like Chris O’Donnell’s Robin. Furthermore, his female counterpart here seems to be just a watered-down rehash of Liz. On the other hand, Ben Daimio is a cool and likable character (Becuae how could anyone go wrong with British Werewolf Johnny Gat?) and Lobster Johnson FINALLY makes his silver screen debut — he doesn’t appear for very long, but he makes every second count. The Blood Queen poses a genuinely terrifying threat, but isn’t developed well.
Overall, it gets a 6/10 from me. It wasn’t great, but I’m still glad I saw it.
Would’ve Worked Better as a Sequel
The big question I have about this film? Did it even need to be a reboot? I feel that it would have worked better as another installment in the Del Toro Hellboy canon, with Ron Perlman reprising the famous role. If it were a third film in the Del Toro series, we would have more time to develop the characters instead of retreading the Hellboy backstory with which we’re already familiar.
The plot as it’s told is very similar to the Del Toro films, in that it’s less one movie and more an episodic series of events tied around an overarching plot. The special effects are passable, about on par with other modern superhero movies, the jokes were quite funny, the action scenes served their purpose, the horror elements were genuinely terrifying, and the music is just meh.
As for the characters... well, I’m disappointed that Liz and Abe did not return for this film, as I felt they complimented Hellboy’s personality perfectly in the original films. Hellboy himself is not quite as interesting a character as in the original. I’m sure the new actor was trying his best, but he’s not written as sympathetically or as charismatically as the Perlman portrayal, instead being a Wangst-y grouch like Chris O’Donnell’s Robin. Furthermore, his female counterpart here seems to be just a watered-down rehash of Liz. On the other hand, Ben Daimio is a cool and likable character (Becuae how could anyone go wrong with British Werewolf Johnny Gat?) and Lobster Johnson FINALLY makes his silver screen debut — he doesn’t appear for very long, but he makes every second count. The Blood Queen poses a genuinely terrifying threat, but isn’t developed well.
Overall, it gets a 6/10 from me. It wasn’t great, but I’m still glad I saw it.