Battleship 2013: Pacific Rim Takes Summer Blockbuster Season To Predictable New Lows!

The Good: Special effects, Idris Elba is fine
The Bad: No real character development, Predictable plot, Lackluster acting.
The Basics: Perhaps summer’s least intellectually ambitious film, Pacific Rim is visually spectacular, but utterly mundane.


Every year, Summer Blockbuster Season produces a movie that might be conceptually weak, but preys upon the “money to burn” crowd. These films are usually big on special effects, low on character and the storylines might have an initially interesting premise, but they venture into predictable conflicts that are seldom compelling or possess a deeper meaning or theme. Last year, for example, there was a particularly low point when Battleship (reviewed here!) was released. This year, Guillermo Del Toro, who seems to be unfortunately committed to crap since Pan’s Labyrinth (reviewed here!) directs the would-be popcorn special effects movie of little substance with Pacific Rim.

Pacific Rim is basically a Godzilla-style monster movie where the creatures are fought by giant robots (a la Voltron). While the movie is a live action film, not an animated work, it feels much like an anime. It is big on scope filled with monolithic characters and a concept that becomes less compelling and original as the film goes on. Instead, as one might predict, Pacific Rim simply degenerates into a special effects film focusing on giant creatures fighting. Given how humanoid some of the creatures – like the knife-headed creature in the opening sequence – are, Pacific Rim looks less like a cutting-edge summer movie in many points and more like a high-tech hokey recreation of something written by a high school student.

Yeears after a rift opens in the Pacific Ocean, unleashing giant alien Kaiju (depending on the creature, they look more reptilian or insectoid). The Kaiju lay waste to the coastal cities. The human response is to develop giant robots called Jaegers. The Jaegers are piloted by pairs of people and because they are essentially psychically tethered to one another to move the Jaegers, the developers have discovered that they are ideally operated by brothers. Raleigh and Yancy Becket are piloting a Jaeger together when the Kaiju manages to wreck their vessel resulting in Yancy’s death.

Stunned and adrift, Raleigh goes to work on the U.S.’s back-up plan to resisting the Kaiju, the Wall. Building a wall to keep out the Kaiju is not viewed as a realistic long-term strategy by Stacker Pentecost, who is coordinating the international effort to build a superior Jaeger. Pentecost taps Raleigh to be part of a team to occupy a new Jaeger that is designed to seal the interspatial fissure under the sea and stop the Kaiju once and for all. Backed by a scientific team that is developing more lethal ways combat Kaiju and a sense of purpose he has not had since his brother die, Raleigh steps up.

While the initial concept of aliens rising out from under the sea and humanity developing giant mechs to stop them is neither original nor inherently bad, Pacific Rim is pretty unremarkable. While it does not dangle obvious Romantic Subplot Bait (or characters around just for basic sex appeal, as in Battleship), the otherwise professional and intelligent Mako Mori is flustered by Raleigh when he is not wearing a shirt. This is a pretty ridiculous element added to the very “guy” Pacific Rim for no particular reason. I suppose for similar reasons, there is a dog included in the film to accompany the working class guys.

Pacific Rim might be the biggest (in scope) film directed by Guillermo Del Toro, but the battle sequences actually seem reminiscent of the types of combat (and reveals) already seen by Del Toro in his works like Hellboy 2: The Golden Army (reviewed here!). In fact, there is something unfortunately formulaic about Pacific Rim in the way it is structured. Mako Mori provides an excuse for a woman to the kick ass of the leading man, much like Selma Blair whacked around Ron Perlman (who is in Pacific Rim). John Hurt is replaced in the mentor role of stature with Idris Elba. Elba, more than the special effects, is the reason to watch Pacific Rim.

Idris Elba has a commanding screen presence that makes it seem entirely plausible that his character (Pentescost) would be coordinating the Jaeger attacks and the effort to seal the breach. Elba has serious eyes and when he delivers his inspirational speech, despite some of the wording there is a powerful use of tone and body language to convey the magnitude of the moment. Elba is exceptionally well-cast, though his resume is not so long yet that one feels they have seen this performance from him. Much more than Charlie Hunnam’s Raleigh, Elba’s Pentecost dominates the film Pacific Rim.

As a film buff and one who generally enjoys It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, Charlie Day is unfortunately cast and utilized as Dr. Geiszler, one of the scientists studying the Kaiju and refining the technology that mentally links the pilots in the Jaegers. While Day is initially fine as Dr. Geiszler, there are so many beats where it seems like he is just channeling Leland Orser and while I might be the only one who found that distracting, Orser could have just as easily been used. Ironically, the frequently manic Day is restrained in Pacific Rim enough to be a plausible scientist, while one of the physicists screams and runs around like a maniac.

Even Charlie Day’s Leland Orser impression makes more of an impact than either Hunnam or Rinko Kikuchi’s (Mori) performance. The two have very little onscreen chemistry and they are trumped for whatever acting talent they bring to the table by the scope and scale of the Jaeger special effects. When Del Toro cuts between the special effects sequences and the human actors, it only seems to accent how bland and small most of the performers are.

In the end, Pacific Rim is only what it appears to be: a big-budget summer special effects film that belabors the science in its science fiction story before mortgaging any cleverness or originality in favor of giant fight sequences that are much less than inspired.

For other works with Idris Elba, please check out my reviews of:
Thor: The Dark World
Prometheus
Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance
Thor
28 Weeks Later

3/10

For other film reviews, please check out my Movie Review Index Page for an organized listing of all the films I have reviewed!

© 2013 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Mimicking Successful Science Fiction: The Razor Decision On Mimic

The Good: Competent acting, Excellent effects, Occasionally unpredictable
The Bad: Mostly predictable plot, Unmemorable characters
The Basics: Overall only occasionally entertaining, Mimic requires suspension of disbelief and/or scientific ignorance.


"If a gun is introduced in the first act, by the final curtain it must go off," is a pretty standard rule of plot. There are variations on this, of course: in Bound it's a pair of sheers. In Mimic it's a subway. And by no means is it a solid rule; many films get away with defying the convention by not having the gun go off or - like American Beauty - introducing a whole lot of guns. Then the movie becomes about why and how the convention is defied. When the intelligent viewer sees the subway in Mimic, we know it's going to run someone or something over. Horror, even more than science fiction, suffers from a lack of originality and surprise.

Such as it is, the plot of Mimic is a remarkably standard science fiction / horror plot. In the recent future, a plague carried by cockroaches is stopped by the work of inventive geneticists who develop a better beetle to go around killing the roaches and thus stopping the plague. Yeah! I'll admit, despite the scientific implausibilities that follow, the initial idea is an intriguing one.

Then, in an improbably leap of science, the genetic code of the new creature goes awry and evolution makes a few massive leaps underground resulting in terrifically huge bugs that have no problem with making a meal out of men. So, after an intriguing setup, the movie quickly degenerates into something most of us have already seen before. And the problem is, we've seen it done better.

Mira Sorvino plays the scientist, Dr. Susan Tyler, sent as part of a team to investigate the phenomenon and discovers the very cool, very creepy bugs. She's accompanied by a subway worker, Leonard, played by Charles S. Dutton in a very well acted role. In fact, the acting is one of the few extraordinary things - Mira Sorvino plays her part well. And Charles S. Dutton does his best with Leonard.

The problematic aspect is that the characters either aren't interesting or aren't acting like normal human beings. The male lead, Jeremy Northam, opposite Sorvino was completely unmemorable. Indeed; I had to check the IMDB to remember his character's name (Dr. Mann). And poor Charles S. Dutton - this film was made shortly after Alien 3 and if you watch Mimic you might wonder, as I'm sure he did, if he was picked for his role based on his role in the Alien film. Leonard and his far more developed character, Dillon from Alien 3, have ridiculously similar character resolution.

One of the few successful aspects of the plot is the way it comes together. A young boy is abducted near the very beginning of the film and he is weaved throughout film expertly. The problem is, while the threads come together, the viewer tends to lose interest. I'm a patient person, especially when it comes to film, but this movie tried my patience and bored me. If it wasn't for the acting and the occasional moments where the director managed to surprise me in the way the bugs appeared, this movie would have been a complete wash.

Recommended only for fans of science fiction or horror solely because there's not much to the film for those who are not.

For other science fiction films, please check out my reviews of:
Avatar
The Star Wars Saga
Skyline


4.5/10

For other movie reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2012, 2004 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Pan's Labyrinth: Another Good Movie, Not As Great As I'd Hoped

The Good: Excellent effects, Interesting story, Good acting
The Bad: Characters are all "types," Simple concept yields simple results, Pacing
The Basics: In a visually stunning film, a girl escapes from the horrors of a repressive political regime through her imaginary muse who she hopes can save her.


Given my general disappointment in the Academy Awards, I was looking forward to watching Pan's Labyrinth. Based on everything I had read or heard about it, I was prepared to say that it had been robbed for Best Picture and I was ready to be blown away. I watched Pan's Labyrinth on DVD in its two-disc treatment on my HD-TV (reviewed here!). I was ready to be impressed.

I was not.

Falling in under my expectations, Pan's Labyrinth is a beautiful looking film that succeeds in a lot of ways: writer/director Guillermo Del Toro ought to be proud. Indeed, it might even be the best film of last year. But that only strengthens my argument that the award would mean more if it were only given out when a truly extraordinary film was released, as opposed to every year.

During the rise of Franco's Spain in 1944, a young girl named Ofelia is brought to live with her mother and her new beau, Capitan Vidal at an installation in a remote area. Her mother falls quite ill during her pregnancy and the Capitan shows no affection for her or desire for a stepdaughter. Ofelia soon realizes that she is in an untenable situation; if Vidal's baby is born, she will be cast aside and if anything happens to her mother, she will be cast aside. It is under that cloud that Ofelia begins to imagine a better world for herself.

Having moved to the compound, Ofelia discovers an ancient maze nearby and in the center lives a faun. The faun charges her with a series of mystical quests to save her mother's life and Ofelia attempts to meet the demands of the magical creature. While Ofelia descends into her fantasy realm, her mother falls more ill and the rebellion against Vidal's forces grow, sending the captain into an insane rage which menaces all around him.

Pan's Labyrinth is a visual marvel. Ofelia's creative mind is perfectly expressed by Guillermo Del Toro and the special effects department backing him up. The film looks good. And despite the fact that the film is in Spanish with subtitles (there is no dubbing option on the DVD), the film is quiet enough that most of the effects may be appreciated by the American viewer as there are not constant subtitles running over the effects. Pan's Labyrinth looks great and the fantastic creatures are wonderful, most notably the Pale Man, a nightmarish creature with eyes on the palms of its hands. This is a freaky looking film.

I'll admit, I was psyched about the movie because of its look. Even hearing that it was essentially a fairy tale for adults, I was excited. After all, I own The City Of Lost Children (reviewed here!) on DVD and that's an adult fairy tale. It's also what killed Pan's Labyrinth for me. Pan's Labyrinth, to be sure, is darker than The City Of Lost Children. But it's monolithically darker in tone. In The City Of Lost Children, there is a great deal of ambiguity. There is horror, a French quasi-incestuous relationship, and monsters in all sorts of forms. Anything can happen, making it entertaining and creepy every viewing. In Pan's Labyrinth, the end is revealed in the opening moments and all of the characters are either emotionally cold or outright creepy. Ofelia's mythical hero, Pan, is almost as terrifying as Capitan Vidal. They both speak to the girl in similar harsh tones.

Ofelia's world is filled with brutality. Kind people around her are being killed as an example to the revolutionaries fighting against Franco's oppressive regime. Vidal is part of the mechanism sent to the countryside to find and eliminate the rebellion there. Ofelia's emotional needs are anything but met, so as a psychological tale, Pan's Labyrinth creates a very real and viable solution for the child; an escape into an imaginary world. Highlighting the horrible reality with the fantastic.

But beyond that intelligent exploration into the resiliency of a child, Pan's Labyrinth falls down completely on the character level. Ofelia is the naive little girl who must be protected and is doing what she can to protect herself, Capitan Vidal is a horrendous ogre, not illustrating any real love for Ofelia's mother either. The revolutionaries who are fighting Franco's forces are heroes and their people make noble sacrifices to protect one another, even at the cost of their own lives.

But they are nothing more than that. All of the characters, as a result, are "types" as opposed to vibrant individuals. Even the title character is strangely dull. Creepy and seemingly manipulative, Pan seems more a way for Ofelia to justify the cruelty around her than offer a genuine escape from it.

That said, the acting is decent. Despite the script which limits them to fairly dismal characters, the performances are good. Doug Jones, who performed the physical work of Abe Sapien in del Toro's cinematic version of Hellboy (reviewed here!) performs quite well as both Pan and the Pale Man. Jones has a wonderful sense of physical movement that makes him an obvious choice for roles that keep him layered in prosthetics. As Pan, he is able to emote through his eyes and with this fluid sense of body language (most recognizably with his hand gesticulations).

Sergi Lopez performs the role of Vidal and he is just the right side of "over the top" as the villainous Capitan. Lopez plays the part with a sense that his character is constantly on edge, shifting his eyes wonderfully every time he is in an environment he cannot control. Lopez is menacing in the part and there is a sense while he is on the screen that he could belt or shoot anyone at any time. Given his kinder nature in the DVD extras, this would seem to be a decent performance.

Ivana Baquero plays Ofelia and she does the role fine, though it's not much of a stretch for her. Baquero is charged with playing a little girl living on the border between reality and a fantasy realm. This does not require much acting for a child actor as young actors live that same border. Baquero holds her own with the adults, though, revealing a maturity beyond her years.

The DVD set comes with a bonus DVD loaded with features. There is a commentary track, deleted scenes, and the usual slew of featurettes, emphasizing the preproduction, shooting of the film and the special effects. The bonus features are quite informative for Americans wondering about the technicalities of making a film, especially outside Hollywood!

But the net result is a film that's not mind-blowing cinematic experience I had hoped for. It is low on character and the plot is nothing that has not been done before. It's enjoyable, but it's not all it's cracked up to be.

If you've not seen the film, it's certainly worth a watch, though one must be prepared for an adult film with a surprising amount of violence, often involving women and children. But for the buy? I'd make sure you like it more than I did before adding this one to your permanent collection.

For other fantasy films, please visit my reviews of:
The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy
The Harry Potter Saga
Breaking Dawn, Part 1


7/10

For other film reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2011, 2007 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.

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A Visual Marvel Does Not Mask The Disappointment Of Hellboy 2: The Golden Army.

The Good: Visually imaginative, Moments of character
The Bad: Predictable (obvious) plot, Mediocre acting, Pacing issues
The Basics: Hellboy 2: The Golden Army capitalizes on writer/director Guillermo Del Toro's visual style and love of fairy tales, but gives the viewer little new.


It is a rare thing that I see a movie and review it positively, yet do not look it up well in advance of the release of a sequel. Sometimes when that happens, I check out my original review just to prepare myself for the experience of seeing the new movie. Because I never go back and re-rate my reviews, I am sometimes surprised by what I find when I read my older reviews. This is exactly what I felt going into Hellboy 2: The Golden Army, which I prepared for by re-reading my review on Hellboy (reviewed here!). I remember very little about Hellboy save that the villain became progressively larger and my ultimate feeling was ambivalence.

Still, as I participated in Summer Blockbuster Season (2008), Hellboy 2: The Golden Army sure seemed like a movie I needed to see. After a summer of disappointments and few surprises, I was ready for something good that I would enjoy and might actually surprise me in a good way. Unfortunately, this is not the case with Hellboy 2: The Golden Army, which is sadly average at its best.

As a child, young Hellboy was told the story of a war between the elves and men and the fantastic army of robots that was built for the elves to crush the men. His father read the story of the truce between the two sides and the Elven prince who went into exile rather than accept the peace. There is a crown, split into three parts, which controls the Golden Army and it has been lost to history. As the Bureau of Paranormal Research And Defense struggles to maintain anonymity with Hellboy's antics drawing attention to them, a new director is brought in to establish control.

Around the time the ectoplasmic suit Krauss arrives, there is a brutal attack of tooth fairies that cleans out an auction of prominent citizens in Manhattan at which a portion of the lost crown was being auctioned. Hellboy, Liz, and Abe Sapien find themselves at the mercy of the elf prince. While Hellboy takes on the elf's henchman Mr. Wink and an elemental, Abe discovers the elf princess and pursues her and the last piece of the crown Prince Nuada needs to gain control of the Golden Army. Wounded by a magical spear, Hellboy and Abe must figure out how to prevent the Golden Army from laying waste to humanity and save the life of Princess Nuala, who is mystically tied to her twin brother.

Hellboy 2: The Golden Army is a visually imaginative film by Guillermo Del Toro, perhaps best known for directing Pan's Labyrinth. The problematic aspect of Hellboy 2 is that it looks a lot like Pan's Labyrinth in the lighting and creature design. There are imaginative beings and the scenes in the Troll Market are fun to watch just for the visual spectacle of the creature design. Del Toro has an imagination and it is one that translates well to film, at least for the sense of visual majesty that a good special effects department can execute.

The problem is that Hellboy 2: The Golden Army is a kid's story in many ways set in a fantastic world, remarkably similar to that of Pan's Labyrinth. There is a similar sense of style and story simplicity that carries through both films. The premise of the entire movie is established in the opening story that Hellboy is told as a child and from the moment that prologue ends, the movie is remarkably uncomplicated and terribly predictable.

In other words, this is not a movie where the plot is going to light the world on fire and it certainly is not one that is going to challenge the viewers. The plot is one virtually everyone has seen before, certainly anyone who saw Hellboy has seen a movie with more or less the same plot as this film.

Hellboy 2: The Golden Army almost works best when it is not trying to be serious . . . except at the end when Krauss has a throwaway line that panders to the PG-13 audience's mentality. But in one of the earliest sequences, when Director Manning is walking through the Bureau with Sapien and there is background comedy going on, it is amusing enough.

The problem, essentially, is that when the movie is not trying desperately to be funny and get out the catch phrase punchline that kids might quote or attempting to be visually spectacular in a way that surprises or intrigues the audience, the movie falls flat on the character front. Hellboy is irritable and irritated, Liz has become something of a nag and Abe Sapien is just lonely until both Krauss and Nuala come into his life.

Abe's character makes a great deal of sense then, in that he becomes motivated by love, desire and the strong - understandable - urge to be lonely no longer. He makes decisions that are questionable but comprehensible based on those factors and it works. There is a simplicity to his relationship with Nuala and their mutual ability to read thoughts makes for an intensity that makes more sense than the usual love story in a film. The viewer can easily get the levels that Sapien and Princess Nuala are communicating on in the simple scenes where they put their hands together.

The problem comes in the form of Hellboy and his character. Prince Nuada opens Hellboy up to the idea that humans will never accept or like him. While fighting the elemental creature Nuada unleashes, the elf prince and Hellboy have a great conversation where Hellboy is compelled to acknowledge that unique creatures - when destroyed - diminish the whole. That understanding this vital theme does not lead him to change his perspective or modify his actions becomes incredibly disappointing. Equally disappointing is that many of the moments that could be the best character bits end up as obvious plot points.

Hellboy 2: The Golden Army does not change, challenge or modify the Hellboy character. Instead, he does what he does, more or less as he did them before, until the movie ends and he still does more or less what he wants. This is not a film about growth or change, but it has all of the important elements of a movie that could be a great character study where that sort of change does happen.

In fact, it seems like this movie is mostly about setting up the third installment as opposed to actually being substantial in its own right. As important, Liz makes the key decision that sets up future installments in possibly the last decent scene in the film. One might think this enhances her character, but instead this just seems - again - like a plot point as opposed to a character decision.

Hellboy 2: The Golden Army might well be a decent flick for those looking for a popcorn movie. I wanted excitement, adventure and something that challenged me and was different from what I have seen before. Instead, this was a very typical fairy tale turned action film with increasingly complex villains who Hellboy and his peers must defeat in order to save the world. Or sell movie tickets. Sadly, this might have been the most expensive movie ticket I ever paid for and it is not worth it. I suppose this movie might work if one has a craving for popcorn during the times the film would be shown as a matinee. But full price . . . nah.

This movie is more like watching a video game for all its substance and predictability. It is stylish, but not substantial and it adds up to an ultimately forgettable film. At least when the third film is released, I won't feel bad about not remembering much about this one.

On DVD, HellBoy 2 features a ton of extras that more or less justify the film's existence (though they do not excuse the imaginative flaws). There are deleted scenes with commentary that add more to the relationships between the primary characters. It's a shame they were not re-integrated back into the movie. There is a commentary track as well as a two-hour featurette on the making of The Golden Army on the second disc. Unfortunately, between the two bits there is a lot of overlap and there is a repetitive quality to them. There is also an extensive look at the special effects and that is pretty cool, but not enough to recommend the movie for a permanent collection.

For other works with Jeffrey Tambor, please check out my reviews of:
The Hangover, Part II
The Hangover
Arrested Development
How The Grinch Stole Christmas

4.5/10

For other film reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2011, 2008 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Another Non-Invincible Superhero! Hellboy

The Good: Dark, Well-Acted, Interesting premise
The Bad: Some special effects, Predictable plot
The Basics: When the tortured soul Hellboy needs to save the world, he has to become a team player to thwart monster after monster after monster.


My dad has a philosophy; invincible superheroes are boring. He grew up on X-Men and other Marvel characters and instilled in me an appreciation for heroes who are flawed, yet powerful. After all, what is the fun of a hero that is all-powerful? Of course they'll win. But when you've got a hero who has a weakness and still manages to overcome, that's something. I have to remember to introduce my dad to Angel. As it stands, I think he'd like Hellboy.

Back in World War Two, the Nazis attempted to use paranormal forces to win the war (that's the premise of the movie and not necessarily one of my beliefs!). To that end, they opened a portal which allowed through a small, devilish creature that was subdued by the Allied through the use of candy bars (I kid you not). Now, in our times, that creature has become known as the Hellboy and he is a part of the United States' secret Paranormal Defense team which is protecting us against all sorts of baddies. Hellboy has lain low for a while when someone threatens him and his team, ultimately revealing that the most dangerous element may be Hellboy himself.

Hellboy is, at the end of the day, your pretty standard superhero tale. We get the character's backstory, we meet the character, we see what he's up against - in this case an army of demon dogs that have laid eggs in the sewers - and he goes off to try to thwart them. In the process, he loses the aid of his sidekick - in this case, a cool telepathic amphibian named Abe Sapien -, is forced to go it alone, realizes he can't, enlists the aid of another, and finds that the villain he though he was fighting is just the tip of the iceberg.

The fundamental problem with Hellboy is that it starts with too many villains. Hellboy is brought into the world by Rasputin, his unaging Nazi lover and a mechanical blade-wielding assassin. They are thwarted in the first ten minutes of the movie and we move on to the dog-demon thing and that's cool. It's a fine adversary and the movie works pretty well while Hellboy, Abe, and some other government agents, attempt to kill off it and its spawn. But then the trio of evil resurfaces and we, the viewers, are left wondering when the movie will end. And so, as Hellboy moves toward destroying the trio of goons, in the process learning the meaning of his overlarge rock hand, we begin to feel some catharsis. But, just when the viewer believes that the end has come and Hellboy has thwarted the last of the evil ones, something even bigger enters the picture. I mean bigger, obscenely big. And it's just too hard to care by that point.

Hmm . . . maybe I didn't like it as much as I thought when I sat down to write this review.

The truth is, it's the last creature and the special effect of the gargantuan beast that costs the movie a lot of points. While Rasputin describes the hell that he can use Hellboy to create on Earth, we catch a glimpse of some of the creatures flying through the sky and they are awesome. It's an impressive visual. When Rasputin uses Hellboy to try to open the portal to let some of the big baddies in, that is also a sufficiently cool effect. But what comes next with Rasputin - the genesis of the final evil - is big and ridiculous and not at all impressive.

The truth is, outside the ending effects, the special effects are pretty decent. The effects around Abe Sapien and the dog creatures are wonderful, making them feel like a part of the world, as opposed to comic book aliens. So, the real drawbacks are the plot predictabilities and the pacing and the final special effects battle. It feels like a battle of special effects creations as opposed to characters or forces.

But outside that last battle, the emphasis of the movie does try to be on the characters. And it's a worthwhile venture into superhero universe. Hellboy is tortured by love for a woman, Liz Sherman, and while it seems like something we've heard before, Hellboy does it differently. Unlike something rather safe like Superman - where we never truly see a villain exploit Superman's love of Lois Lane - Rasputin uses his knowledge of Hellboy's love of Liz Sherman to manipulate him, putting him in the position of saving the woman he loves or the world. Moreover, Hellboy is not invincible. Neither is the more powerful Abe Sapien. It's a nice twist; the more intellectually powerful and all-around useful Sapien is exceptionally fragile. Similarly, Liz has the ability to burn well, pretty much the world, but is an emotional wreck. These characters are less monolithic than your comic book standards and that is refreshing to watch.

Add to the depth of character the general quality of the acting. Selma Blair makes Liz empathetic, more than either a damsel in distress or a superpowerful being. Blair has an uncertain quality to her eyes that makes her character seem legitimately unstable. Using David Hyde Pierce to voice Abe Sapien similarly makes that character resonate with intellectual authenticity.

Moreover, Jeffrey Tambor steals just about every scene he is in. Tambor plays the uptight Dr. Tom Manning, a government liaison who has some authority over the Department. Tambor is excellent at modulating between hyperbole comic relief and pragmatism, making Manning a character who is equally interesting to watch as Hellboy.

As for Hellboy, they say this was Ron Perlman's first chance to open a movie on his own and I assume those people are referring to "for an American audience," as he had quite a bit of success in other countries and movies (like The City of Lost Children) long before this. Perlman goes beyond adequate for the part, using his voice and eyes to overcome what could be seen as overbearing make-up. At no point in the movie did I find myself thinking "Ron Perlman . . ." it was always "Hellboy." I can think of no better praise for an actor.

In the end, it is pretty much a razor decision. I'd watch it again if I was bored and wanted a superhero movie. Heck, I'd watch it voluntarily before I ever watched a full episode of Smallville. If you like dark and different, Hellboy will eat up two of your hours, even if sometimes it might feel longer.

For other films based upon comic book characters, please check out my reviews of:
Watchmen
Captain America
Catwoman

6/10

For other movie reviews, please be sure to visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2011, 2004 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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