Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Guillermo del Toro

Writers (WGA):

Guillermo del Toro (screenplay)
Guillermo del Toro (story) ...

Release Date:

11 July 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Fantasy

Tagline:

Saving the world is a hell of a job

Plot:

The mythical world starts a rebellion against humanity in order to rule the Earth, so Hellboy and his team must save the world from the rebellious creatures.

Plot Keywords:

Creature | Prince | Demon | Hell | Rebellion

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 13 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Thur. July 9	3:45 PM	MAX
Thur. July 9	11:35 PM	MAX

Cast

Ron Perlman	...	Hellboy
Selma Blair	...	Liz
Doug Jones	...	Abe Sapien / Chamberlain / Angel of Death
John Alexander	...	Johann Krauss
James Dodd	...	Johann Krauss
Seth MacFarlane	...	Johann Krauss (voice)
Luke Goss	...	Prince Nuada
Anna Walton	...	Princess Nuala
Jeffrey Tambor	...	Tom Manning
John Hurt	...	Professor Broom
Brian Steele	...	Wink / Cronie / Spice Shop Troll / Cathedral Head / Fragglewump
Andrew Hefler	...	Agent Flint
Iván Kamarás	...	Agent Steel
Mike Kelly	...	Agent Marble
Jeremy Zimmerman	...	Auctioneer

Also Known As:

Hellboy 2 (USA) (working title)
Hellboy 2 - Die goldene Armee (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and some language.

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Singapore:PG | USA:PG-13 (certificate #44505) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Ireland:12A | Malaysia:U | UK:12A | Finland:K-11 | Netherlands:12 | Australia:M | Norway:11 | Germany:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Hong Kong:IIA | South Korea:12 | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | South Africa:10V | New Zealand:M | Brazil:14 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Argentina:13 | Peru:14 | Denmark:11 | France:U | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | Iceland:12

Filming Locations:

Budapest, Hungary

Company:

Dark Horse Entertainment

Trivia:

The movie mentions Bethmoora, a city in the fiction of the early 20th century visionary writer Lord Dunsany. Also note that the Golden Army is hidden in Ireland, Dunsany's homeland. The term "glamour" used for the fairies' cloaking skill also originates in Dunsany's "The King of Elfland's Daughter".

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When the tooth fairies attack, Abe says that they feed mostly on calcium and go for the teeth first, yet when the devoured body of a BPRD agent is shown, all the flesh has been stripped but the skeleton and teeth are clearly fully intact.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Professor Trevor 'Broom' Bruttenholm: My son, would you turn off that wretched puppet, and brush your teeth?
Young Hellboy: Don't call him a puppet!
Professor Trevor 'Broom' Bruttenholm: I beg your pardon?
Young Hellboy: He's not a puppet! Howdy Doody's real!
Professor Trevor 'Broom' Bruttenholm: Well, Mr. Dee-dee Doo-doo will have to say good night.

Movie Connections:

References Scarface (1983)

Soundtrack:

Autumn

Great fantasy and imagery, numb story and dumb humor

It deserves to be seen first and foremost for del Toro's unleashed imagination - the Golden Army rulz indeed, by contrast with the terracotta cohorts from the unwatchable "Mummy 3". Some of the characters are pretty inspired - mainly Krauss, with his "ectoplasmic schwanshtucker", the trio composed by the versatile Doug Jones, and the elven twins - still, I can't not wonder: what will Guillermo do, when the world will grow bored with his thread-thin chinless, nose-less and palm-eyed (or, as here, wing-eyed) humanoids? Will he invent something original, or will go on like this to no end?

The weak points lay in the formulaic script (a narrative structure mathematically well-behaved, but with no ineffable at all) to the point of numbness, and the cheap humor, stiff to the point of dumbness. Plus, of course, the same old warmed-up soup of the fantastic heroes living among us as if it was the most natural thing on Earth - it works well in he Marvel series, since there it's been part of the pulp conception since its inception, in "Hancock" it was also tolerable, due to the witty humor, but it's already too much to show AGAIN AND AGAIN all kind of cyclops, godzillas and Ganymede vestals being interviewed live at C.N.N.

And, of course, the Hellboy himself. Ron Perlman has as much acting acumen as a wardrobe - fortunately, the filled-down stumps of his horns, too big for such a never used facial appendage, distract the attention from his irritating frown; at least, most of the time!