Oh boy.
In 2016, things seemed to be looking up for Hellboy. Ron Perlman confirmed that he was actively working on making the third instalment of Guillermo del Toro's demon superhero saga a reality. Then everything fell apart. Now to add insult to injury, we have a reboot simply named Hellboy. And it's a mess.
Despite the lack of a number or subtitle, those looking for a back-to-basics origin story for Hellboy are fishing for disappointment. The reboot quickly brushes over crucial plot details with expository heavy flashbacks and character backstories are filled in retrospectively, meaning there's little to no context when a new character pops up on screen. To put it bluntly, the story is confusing, muddled and largely hard to follow.
To match, the acting from most of the main cast is strained and unconvincing. Sure, they're not helped by a one-dimensional screenplay, but their wooden performances make the human characters feel more unnatural than many of the ungodly creatures that populate the screen. Only David Harbour manages to impress as the titular boy from Hell with his gruff persona and roguish charm. While no Ron Perlman, Harbour proves himself a suitable successor to don the red paint and horns.
On the more positive side, there is fun to be had with the film if you can dim the lights in your brain as soon as the theatre goes dark. This is mostly due to its success in capturing the breathless feeling of a comic book as it moves from one set piece to another, not stopping to let you think too hard about what you've witnessed. Along with a rock infused soundtrack, the action scenes prove largely effective in getting the adrenaline pumping as monster entrails are blasted across the screen.
All of this, however, is undercut by a non-stop barrage of infantile jokes and cringeworthy one liners that seem to have been focus grouped by a bunch of teenagers. Except they're not the ones who will be viewing the film as its been slapped with an R18+ rating in Australia. At least the classification board has got one thing right; you'll need to be able to purchase alcohol to enjoy the miasma of idiocy on display.
In 2016, things seemed to be looking up for Hellboy. Ron Perlman confirmed that he was actively working on making the third instalment of Guillermo del Toro's demon superhero saga a reality. Then everything fell apart. Now to add insult to injury, we have a reboot simply named Hellboy. And it's a mess.
Despite the lack of a number or subtitle, those looking for a back-to-basics origin story for Hellboy are fishing for disappointment. The reboot quickly brushes over crucial plot details with expository heavy flashbacks and character backstories are filled in retrospectively, meaning there's little to no context when a new character pops up on screen. To put it bluntly, the story is confusing, muddled and largely hard to follow.
To match, the acting from most of the main cast is strained and unconvincing. Sure, they're not helped by a one-dimensional screenplay, but their wooden performances make the human characters feel more unnatural than many of the ungodly creatures that populate the screen. Only David Harbour manages to impress as the titular boy from Hell with his gruff persona and roguish charm. While no Ron Perlman, Harbour proves himself a suitable successor to don the red paint and horns.
On the more positive side, there is fun to be had with the film if you can dim the lights in your brain as soon as the theatre goes dark. This is mostly due to its success in capturing the breathless feeling of a comic book as it moves from one set piece to another, not stopping to let you think too hard about what you've witnessed. Along with a rock infused soundtrack, the action scenes prove largely effective in getting the adrenaline pumping as monster entrails are blasted across the screen.
All of this, however, is undercut by a non-stop barrage of infantile jokes and cringeworthy one liners that seem to have been focus grouped by a bunch of teenagers. Except they're not the ones who will be viewing the film as its been slapped with an R18+ rating in Australia. At least the classification board has got one thing right; you'll need to be able to purchase alcohol to enjoy the miasma of idiocy on display.