The reviews for
Hellboy have begun to pour in, and, to be frank, they're bloody awful.
Although one or two critics did seem to enjoy the movie - to some extent, at least - the majority of write-ups are pretty scathing, with one review even referring to the Neil Marhsall-directed reboot as "one of the worst comic book movies ever made."
While that's likely an exaggeration, you'll be hard pressed to find much in the way of positivity or praise in this first wave of reviews - although most seemed happy enough with David Harbour's take on the demonic hero.
Have a read through some excerpts below, and be sure to keep an eye on
Rotten Tomatoes as more reviews come in.
Hellboy currently sits at 11% (ouch).
To view all of the review excerpts at once, simply click on the VIEW LIST (ONE PAGE) button below!
i09:
Like two great tastes that somehow don’t go well together, Hellboy’s greatest sin is that it makes you long for the film that it might have been because there’s so much about the movie that works in a vacuum. David Harbour absolutely nails the charming, lunk-ish aspects of Hellboy’s personality, and a handful of the film’s action sequences are legitimately fun to watch before you get back to the slog of the rest of the film.
WGTC:
Hellboy feels editorially chopped to bits, tonally disjointed and created from clashing perspectives that make for the type of "dark, gritty" reboot that misunderstands why certain "dark, gritty" reboots end up working.
BMD:
There are three sequel hooks stapled to the end of this thing, yet somehow it earns none of them. I don't even know how that's possible! Hellboy is some very ill-advised cinema, and those who enjoy the prospect of cinematic trainwrecks are likely to get some joy out of this. Everyone else... well, you all know where to find the better version.
Hitfix:
I spent almost Hellboy‘s entire run time either recoiling in horror or howling with laughter. Like Hellboy‘s climax, the subtext of which is essentially the protagonist heroically screaming “Yuck, girls!” it was perfectly true to the spirit of an extended adolescent metalhead fantasy. I think this is how Hellboy was always meant to be.
Den of Geek:
A soulless, noisy mess of a movie that has far more in common with lesser Underworld or Resident Evil sequels than it does with the work of Guillermo del Toro or Mike Mignola.
The Wrap:
Neil Marshall’s “Hellboy” is a wellspring of creativity, a major superhero movie made for hardcore R-rated horror fans, overflowing with humor and action and scares. It’s ambitious and low-key at the same time, knowing full well that its target audience isn’t the mainstream blockbuster demographic that demands structure or even sanity.
Rendy Reviews:
If you’ve seen one movie from production company Millennium Films, then chances are you’ve seen them all. With features such as The Hitman’s Bodyguard, The Mechanic: Resurrection and London Has Fallen, this testosterone-led studio prides itself in bloody action but stays in the realm of mediocrity because of either a weak script, terrible editing, or cheap visual effects. Hellboy, unfortunately, nails all three!
/Film:
In a word, Hellboy is unpleasant. Other appropriate adjectives to describe this reboot include dreadful, obnoxious, unnecessary, and interminable. Considering the shadow cast by the two Hellboy films written and directed by Guillermo del Toro, it might be easy to presume that this new version simply pales in comparison. Though that’s true, let’s not belabor the point: this Hellboy is quite bad all on its own. There’s no need to compare this to del Toro’s films, because to do so would just inspire pain.
Time Out:
Guillermo del Toro’s original two Hellboy films (from 2004 and 2008) gave us a lovable outsider with a big heart, a bigger fist and a penchant for cats and cigars, but only the fist survives this horrible redo from director Neil Marshall. Where the Mexican filmmaker brought loads of charm, wit and intricate monster designs, his Brit counterpart delivers gore, gristle and a heap of beasties straight from CGI hell. It’s two hours long but feels like an eternity, lurching incoherently from one noisy set-piece to another.
Screen Rant:
The movie has its merits, and the fantasy spectacle may be worth seeing on a big screen, but it's a middle of the road fantasy-action film; it's not bad enough to be so-bad-it's-good and not good enough to be widely appealing. Instead, Hellboy seems bound to be a misfire that quickly gets overshadowed by bigger blockbusters arriving in the coming weeks.