I caught this on tv last night having only actually seen it the one time back in 2004 when it was released. I remember really enjoying it, which I did again, but noticed a few things that kind of annoyed me second time around.
I have to admit to only reading Mignola's great comic after I had seen this. And even then I didn't read everything there was to, but I still see why its so popular, why director Guillermo Del Toro was such a fan, and why he chose to make this movie and its sequel. For the uninitiated, this first movie follows the comic arc Seed of Destruction and sees Hellboy as an infant, adopted by Professor Broom(John Hurt) during WW2 as Rasputin(Karel Roden) and his clock-work Nazi henchman Kroenen attempt to open an inter dimensional portal and free a giant squid deity in the hope that it will aid them in defeating their enemies. They fail, but fast forward 60 years and Hellboy(Ron Pearlman) is now an adult and works for Broom's Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense (BPRD). A young FBI agent John Myers(Rupert Evans) is transferred there and is quickly thrown into the deep end as he, Hellboy, amphibious Abe Sapien(Doug Jones) and Pyrotechnic Liz Sherman(Selma Blair) have to stop a resurrected Rasputin from finishing what he started back in 1944.
Sound insane right? And it is, but brilliantly so. Mignola's incredibly imaginative comic couldn't have got a better director for its big screen adaptation. Del Toro clearly loves the material and it shows. The costumes, sets, make up; all top notch and really succeed in drawing you into this strange world. The film strikes that difficult balance between action, comedy, drama.. there is even a bit of romance(that actually works). When it goes for funny, you laugh, when it goes for tragic, your sad. Its a mix many directors struggle with maintaining but Del Toro seems like he could do it in his sleep. Granted the actual plot is a bit all over the place at times. It could be a a hard sell for non fans of the comic or just folks that aren't a huge fan of the extremely far fetched. Also, things veer towards cheesy at times but the cast are so good(most of them) that they get away with it. Pearlman is a joy to behold as Hellboy. Acting from underneath a tonne of prosthetics he makes this creature from Hell one of the most likable characters to ever cross over from a comic book. Jones also does a great job as Sapien(although its David Hyde Pierce providing the voice) and John Hurt is as reliable as ever as Broom. Blair is ok, I'm not a huge fan of hers but she does her job in this, even though I can't help but feel her character would have worked better with a stronger actress. That being said, her scenes with Pearlman as Liz and Hellboy grow closer intimately are surprisingly effective. Evans as Agent Myers is meh..veering on bad at times. Some of his dialog towards the end is actually delivered pretty cringe worthy. Sure, thats the script, but the rest of the cast have to deal with the crazy dialog too and they pull it off! Kroenan makes a great physical baddie but as main villain Rasputin, Roden isn't nearly as..well, villainous as he needs to be. The CG effects are good, although they might have dated a bit now, and the action comes fast and furious as Hellboy lays the smackdown on various beasties.
Unfortunately last 20 mins don't work nearly as well as the previous hour and 40. It all descends a bit into CGI meltdown and that great mix I talked about goes out the window a little. Don't get me wrong, its still a damn good movie. Its great fun without being silly and its just the right side of dark not to take itself too seriously. But I think the ante was really upped on the sequel and Del Toro delivered a better movie overall. Lets hope he is able to bring us Hellboy 3 at some point.