FanDominion

OPENS: July 11, 2008
RATING: PG-13
GENRES: Dark Fantasy, Comedy, Steampunk
NO SPOILERS

Writer/director Guillermo del Toro (director of three-time Oscar-winner Pan’s Labyrinth as well as Blade II and the original Hellboy) is on a roll, according to mainstream movie critics, who hail him as everything from the next Hitchcock to the next Ovid.

Although not all the critics loved the film – almost 9 out of 10 gave it positive reviews – which is an accomplishment for a genre film since the mainstream press seems hellbent on dismissing anything with an out-of-this-world imagination.

Not so with Hellboy II: The Golden Army.

Critics universally praised del Toro for his unique visual style and ability to set a mood like not other directer working today. Also, the actor playing the title role, Ron Perlman (TV’s Beauty and the Beast) an unlikely action hero at age 58, was praised by most as being at the top of his game.

Of the few negative comments, some found fault with the story as too simplistic or unbelievable, as if they forgot they were watching a social commentary disguised as a horror comedy about a big red demon who cut off his horns, loves kittens and decided to fight for the good guys.

The absurdity of life is the message, guys.

Del Toro’s next films: Doctor Strange in 2010 and in 2012 – The Hobbit (official prequels to Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy)

WATCH THE TRAILER

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• Outstanding special effects
• Great visuals in cinematography
• Genuine chills – and laughs
• Moody and original dark fantasy elements

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• Action, violence and language may be too harsh for children.
• A few critics found the plot too predictable.

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{for="Los Angeles Times" value="8"}

"Starting with characters created by Mike Mignola for Dark Horse Comics, writer-director Del Toro, whose one-of-a-kind Pan’s Labyrinth won a trio of Oscars in 2007, is almost alone in his ability to re-create on screen the wide-eyed exhilaration and disturbing grotesqueness that is the legacy of reading comics on the page.” – Kenneth Turan

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{for=”Seattle Post-Intelligencer” value=”8″}

“It definitely gives us our money’s worth in the sheer volume of its imaginative fantasy creatures and it’s that rare superhero-movie sequel that’s better than the original.” – William Arnold

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{for=”Slate” value=”8″}

“Mexican director Guillermo del Toro has started to look like a legitimate successor to Ovid. Del Toro is not so much a creator of myths as a collector of them, a transhistorical myth nerd whose pantheon of influences ranges from Hesiod to Harryhausen (with liberal helpings of steam punk and Catholic iconography).” – Dana Stevens 

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{for=”Kansas City Star” value=”6″}

“Here’s the problem: too much razzle-dazzle. Not enough Ron Perlman.” – Robert W. Butler 

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{for=”The Vancouver Sun” value=”9″}

“In a season of endless comic book superheroes, Hellboy II is a unique visual feast.” – Jay Stone

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{for=”Minneapolis Star-Tribune” value=”9″}

“Guillermo Del Toro’s stylish sense of wonderment makes for the best superhero movie of the summer. ” – Colin Covert

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{for=”Chicago Tribune” value=”7″}

“in the right hands, digital effects, creature design and directorial elan can work together to give you the best sort of willies.” – Michael Phillips

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{for=”Rotten Tomatoes” value=”9″}

“Del Toro crafts a stellar comic book sequel, boasting visuals that are as imaginative as the characters are endearing.” Tomatometer

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