Hellboy (2004) mini review

based on a comic
[8/10]

Hellboy is a film about redemption, about Good vs. Evil, about the freedom to choose.

I won't give away the backstory, but Hellboy is a creature from the nether planes who forsakes his namesake and works with the U.S. Government's Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense to fight the good fight against creatures of the dark. That's extremely succinct and sounds almost ridiculous when juxtaposed with that first sentence, but if you want to know more of the story, I'll let you watch it.

Hellboy is slightly reminiscent of Men in Black - besides the rookie joining the secret government organization to fight monsters, I mean. It has a sort of the same flavor - it's dark and funny, it doesn't take itself too seriously, and it's very well done. Ron Perlman makes an excellent Hellboy, and he's joined by such actors as John Hurt, Tom Manning, and Selma Blair. Having recently read Hellboy: Seed of Destruction, I'm surprised at how close they kept to the comic, even down to recognizing a number of quotes (though, being a movie, it does have it's share of departures).

See it if you'd like to see a comic book (anti-)hero brought to life and you're not scared of things that go bump in the night.

Don't see it if wouldn't care for the many occult references in the film.