HELLBOY II
THE GOLDEN ARMY

Starring:
Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones, Seth MacFarlane, Luke Goss, Anna Walton, Jeffrey Tambor and John Hurt

Director:
Guillermo del Toro

Running Time:
120 mins

Out to buy on Blu-Ray/DVD 08/12/08

"Ah Crap!"

Thousands of years earlier Prince Nuada's (Goss) father had promised a truce between the mythical and the human world but as the human lay waste to the planet and the mythical creatures are forced out of their promised homes, the forests, Prince Nuada's decides to declare war. With creature sightings increasing, the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defence (BPRD) are busier than ever and Hellboy (Perlman) sightings are increasing tenfold, much to his amusement. When it becomes clear that Prince Nuada is going to release the fabled Golden Army, an unstoppable force of legend that even Hellboy won't be able to fight, the BPRD really has its hands full.

Hellboy is back and this time he might not have a god to fight but an unstoppable army might just put up a big enough fight to satisfy the big red demon.

With the first adaptation of 'Hellboy' becoming a cult classic you would have thought that Red's second adventure would be a sure thing but when Sony didn't pick up the option of a follow up, director Guillermo del Toro and creator Mike Mignola had to take the project elsewhere. Fortunately Universal saw the potential in a sequel and after the success del Toro's last project 'Pan's Labyrinth' gained Oscar recognition, the writer/director was trusted to bring back Hellboy and the BPRD and he has done another fantastic job.

Picking up not long after the events of the first movie, 'Hellboy II: The Golden Army' sees Hellboy and Liz's relationship going through a tough time and when they fight, the whole of the BPRD knows it. What they don't know is that trouble is brewing in the underworld, the place that the mythical creatures retreated to after the Great War between them and the humans. A truce was forged between King Balor and the humans after the king gained control of the Golden Army, an unstoppable, mystical force that would have decimated the world, if the King had not had shown restraint. Now, thousands of years later, King Balor's son Prince Nuada sees that the human's are breaking the truce by destroying the environment and the Earth itself and this is an act of war and he plans to release the Golden Army to purge the planet of human kind. Now Hellboy and Liz have to put their arguments behind them and join Abe Sapien and new commanding officer Johann Krauss to take the fight to the Prince and still try to keep their existence a secret from the humans. This story works because of director Guillermo del Toro's collaboration with 'Hellboy' creator Mike Mignola and this makes this not just an extremely good comic book movie but a great fantasy movie in its own right.

The returning cast revel in their roles. Ron Perlman was born to play Hellboy and he eases back into the role he made his own in the previous film. Even under the layers of makeup, Perlman's performance rings true as the big man shows a more tender and even frustrated side to Red, as his love for Liz turns into a relationship. Doug Jones gets the chance to make Abe Sapien his own character after having his voice replaced by David Hyde Pierce in the first film. Selma Blair returns as Liz Sherman and the chemistry between her and Ron Perlman is clearly evident, even though Liz doesn't have as big a role as she did in the first movie. Jeffrey Tambor is as good as ever as the face of the BPRD who has to try and keep Hellboy a secret. There is also a nice return for John Hurt as Professor Trevor 'Broom' Bruttenholm in a flashback sequence. The new cast members are also good with former 'Bros' star Luke Goss showing that he can be a good screen villain, as he did for Guillermo del Toro in 'Blade II'. 'Family Guy' creator Seth MacFarlane provides the voice for the new team leader Johann Krauss and he does a great German accent. There is also a good turn from Anna Walton as Abe's love interest Princess Nuala.

'Hellboy II: The Golden Army' is a visually stunning, thoroughly entertaining, comic book fantasy movie. As with all Guillermo del Toro movies, he successfully mixes practical and computer generated effects, sets and backgrounds to create a fantastical vision of the human and mythical worlds. This is another fine example of how to adapt comic books to the silver screen and shows again how visually stunning Guillermo del Toro movies can really be.

PICTURE & SOUND

The Blu-Ray disc presents the movie in High Definition wide screen 1:85 up to 1080p, with Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround sound. The pristine picture and glorious sound highlight the astonishing visuals, creature designs and visual effects from this excellent movie.

BONUS FEATURES

Disc 1

Feature Commentary with Director Guillermo Del Toro
The man at the helm introduces the movie and then provides a dense and disturbing (his own words) commentary for his second Hellboy movie. One of the great movie directors working in cinema today always provides the best commentaries and this is no exception. Filled with an astonishing amount of information, delivered in his own unique, comedic style, Del Toro's commentaries are always a joy to listen to and this is another must listen to for all fans of the man.

Feature Commentary from cast members Jeffery Tambor, Selma Blair and Luke Goss
The three stars of the film provide a chatty and for the most part amusing commentary for 'Hellboy II: The Golden Army'. While this isn't as good as the one the director provides, but saying that most commentaries are not as good as one by Guillermo Del Toro, this is still a good listen for fans of the film

Outtakes (3.03 mins/High Definition)
Watch the cast and crew have fun and make a hash of their lines on set.

U-Control
Utilise Universal's unique in movie experience with 'Scene Explorer: Schufften Goggles View', 'Director's Notebook', 'Set Visits' and 'Concept Art Gallery'

BD-Live
Log onto the Internet with your Blu-Ray drive or PlayStation 3 and enjoy extra features for 'Hellboy II: The Golden Army'

Disc 2

Prologue (1.23 mins)
Writer/director Guillermo Del Toro introduces the special features on the second disc.

Hellboy: In Service of the Demon (2hrs 34.50 mins)
Director Guillermo Del Toro, creator/writer Mike Mignola, producers Lloyd Levin and Lawrence Gordon and stars Ron Perlman, Doug Jones, Selma Blair, Jeffery Tambor, Anna Walton and Luke Goss join the rest of the cast and crew for this extensive documentary. With sections on pre-production, production, the creatures, casting, the sets, computer animated characters, practical effects, music, editing and Mr Wink, this is an exceptional insight into the making of a big budget movie. A must watch for any Del Toro fan and anyone who wants to know more about movie making.

Production Workshop (4.43 mins)
Watch 'Professor Broom's Puppet Theatre and see a thumbnail storyboard progression with commentary by director Guillermo Del Toro.

Pre-Production Vault
View galleries of 'Creature Designs', 'Mike Mignola's creator gallery', 'Production design' and 'Production stills' Marketing Campaign View the 'Print Gallery' and 'Poster Explorations'

Troll Market Tour with Guillermo Del Toro (12.25 mins)
The director takes you on a behind the scenes tour of the fantastical Troll Market.

Zinco Epilogue (5.16 mins)
An animated comic in which the tale of a forgotten foe is told and man's allegiances to the dark arts are revealed.

Deleted Scenes (5.03 mins)
Entitled 'Blackwood's Auction Video', 'Coffee Break', 'Minty after taste', 'On the beat', 'Prince Nuada's silver lance' and 'Big Baby Montage', these deleted scenes are accompanied by a commentary by director Guillermo Del Toro.

OVERALL

As with all Guillermo Del Toro movies, the Blu-Ray treatment for 'Hellboy II: The Golden Army' is exceptionally good. The documentary is brilliant, the commentaries fantastic and the rest of the bonus material is just as good. This is how a film should be presented and the standard bearer of every Blu-Ray to follow.

BLU-RAY

Hellboy


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