Hellboy 2: The Golden Army Review

Written by: alex1176   

While it's not quite the masterpiece that "The Dark Knight" is, visonary director Guillermo Del Toro's special-effects extravaganza proves to be more fun that the original 2004 cult film. It maybe more conventional with its big-budget action sequences and kung-fu fight scenes, but "The Golden Army" stills stays true to the Mexican director's roots.

Once again, veteran actor Ron Pearlman plays the intimating red demon who has a soft spot in his heart for the fiery (literally) Liz Sherman (Selma Blair). And Doug Jones also returns as Abe Sapien, the man-fish who begins to fall in love with a princess. This time the villian is Prince Nuada, an elf (Luke Goss, Nomack of Del Toro's "Blade II") who feels threatened by the human world and desires to re-awaken the Golden Army, an unstoppable force made up of hundred of giant robots which create pure destruction. Hellboy's job is simple, yet not so simple; stop the martial-art trained Prince from bringing and end to the human race.

After the dark "Pan's Labyrinth" (a masterpiece), Del Toro's popcorn flick may go down easier for fans who just want pure fun. It's faster paced than the first and is much bigger in scope, if not story. The director also includes some silly humor and it all works. If you want a gory thriller, than you'd probably want to rent Del Toro's "Mimic" or "Cronos" instead. But if you want nothing more than to have a good time, than "Hellboy 2" will prove to be the perfect ride. It's filled with all sorts of imaginary creatures, but keeps the horror element down to a minimum.