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Director : Guillermo del Toro |
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Hellboy: I wish I could do something about this. But I can't. But I can promise you two things. One: I'll always look this good. Two: I'll never give up on you... ever.
Liz Sherman: I like that.
Hellboy: Good.
The movie starts with a classified army mission in 1944. The Nazis were combining science and magic to help win the war. Professor 'Broom' is a paranormal adviser to President Roosevelt who is along on the mission. At the Nazi occult site we see Grigori Rasputin. He is opening the portals for the seven gods of chaos who will destroy the world. The American troops move in and Broom blows up the portal. The Americans search the area and find a little demon with a huge right hand, which has come through the portal. The army company called him Hellboy.
Flash forward to the present day and we see of the former Nazis searching in the mountains of Moldavia. They find the place they were looking for and they bring Rasputin back to earth.
The presence of a Hellboy on earth is debated and discussed in the media. A young FBI agent, John Myers, is given a new assignment. When he enters the building he encounters Abe, a talking underwater humanoid. He is at the Bureau of paranormal Research and Defense. John then gets to meet Hellboy, who he is now assigned to. Hellboy is a cigar smoking, Baby Ruth eating cat lover. Hellboy soon gets an assignment : an ancient evil entity killing people at a library. When the entity gets killed he is able to come back to life. Hellboy finally disposes of the monster and heads over to a low security psychiatric hospital; to see Liz, who is a firestarter, and with whom he grew up with. Hellboy is a hero with an attitude. He goes on in public even though it is forbidden. The boys come and pick up Hellboy.
Meanwhile Rasputin and Ilsa go to a museum and free up some demons.
Hellboy was really burnt in his fight. They also discover eggs from the creature. Then Broom tells John that he is dying and he needs him to look after him when he is gone. John goes to see Liz and Hellboy and Abe go after the reborn monster, again.
Rasputin comes to see Broom, and he tells him that Hellboy will open the portal which will lead to the end of the world. Rasputin has his minion, Karl Ruprecht Kroenen, a sword wielding former Nazi, surgically altered monstrosity deliver the final blow. Hellboy heads to Russia and Liz tags along as they search for Rasputin's mausoleum. Hellboy finds Karl and quickly dispose of his father;s killer. Then they go after the monster and his multiplying children. Hellboy is getting beat up and Liz tells John to hit her, which he does, and she goes in to her firestarter routine. Liz burns up all the monsters. At the end of it, Ilsa and Rasputin have Hellboy and John locked up in chains. Hellboy's right hand is the key to open the portal. If he does not Rasputin will kill Liz. To save Liz Hellboy says his demonic name, has his horns grow in and then walks up to open the portal. Hellboy tears off his horns, closes the portal and then stabs Rasputin with one of his horns.
Roger Ebert, in his 3 1/2 star review said: "Hellboy is one of those rare movies that's not only based on a comic book, but also feels like a comic book. It's vibrating with energy, and you can sense the zeal and joy in its making. Of course it's constructed of nonstop special effects, bizarre makeup and a preposterous story line, but it carries that baggage lightly; unlike some CGI movies that lumber from one set piece to another, this one skips lightheartedly through the action."
I think Hellboy is funny, audacious, original, interesting, exciting and extremely well done. Hellboy is a hero, because despite his bad attitude and wise guy remarks, he always tries to do the right thing. A very good superhero movie.
