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Was supposed to go to the theatre last night (again) and yet another snafu sent me to dinner and a movie instead (not a bad trade-in all things considered). Decided to see Hellboy.
This is a film based on a fairly popular comic book in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer vein ~ very tongue in cheek unwitting superhero takes on the evil Russian Rasputin and a wind-up Nazi. It's done in a very comic-book to screen fashion with enough special effects and CGI monsters to make your head spin and a lot of very corny humanizing of the title character, who is a monstrous cigar-smoking demon.
Don't get me wrong here, this is a very silly film, but I confess it held a few surprises for me that I really enjoyed/laughed at and found highly entertaining. I don't want to give a whole lot away and I actually think your enjoyment of the film might hinge on having no idea what to expect.
I will say it's a refreshingly "clean" film. Minimal cussing, no gratuitous sex stuff, no gratuitous people violence (very retro-comic book in this manner). Ron Perlman as the title character is totally loveable in spite of his ugly face, and interestingly, while the name of God is never mentioned (oddly enough), the film is full of Catholic iconography. Hellboy's "father" is Catholic, carries a rosary (which is an important talisman in the film), an enormous statue of Saint Michael is very prominent in their "house" and there are several scenes (including the opening shot) that take place in a cemetery in which crucifixes are prominent. There's also some amusing bits about relics from the Vatican. Religion is never really discussed and Hellboy's origin is treated more like an unfortunate ethnicity rather than a spawn of Satan.
I think there's a lot to be admired about the way these things are handled in the film. A less cautious approach might have overpowered the appeal and made it inaccessible for people ~ particularly ex- or anti-Christians ~ as it is, the biggest danger would be in boosting the idea that the Catholic Church is in league somehow with the occult. I hope young people will see the film, be elevated by the message (which is very simple, but good), and be intrigued by the supernatural power of the faith enough for it to leave a positive lasting impression on them.
This is by no means a great film. In many ways it's even stupid. But I would rather see Hollywood producing this sort of moral heroic tale of good against evil than most of what else is available out there to watch these days.
Note: I've never read the original comic book for this. I'm intrigued enough to pick it up now.
This is a film based on a fairly popular comic book in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer vein ~ very tongue in cheek unwitting superhero takes on the evil Russian Rasputin and a wind-up Nazi. It's done in a very comic-book to screen fashion with enough special effects and CGI monsters to make your head spin and a lot of very corny humanizing of the title character, who is a monstrous cigar-smoking demon.
Don't get me wrong here, this is a very silly film, but I confess it held a few surprises for me that I really enjoyed/laughed at and found highly entertaining. I don't want to give a whole lot away and I actually think your enjoyment of the film might hinge on having no idea what to expect.
I will say it's a refreshingly "clean" film. Minimal cussing, no gratuitous sex stuff, no gratuitous people violence (very retro-comic book in this manner). Ron Perlman as the title character is totally loveable in spite of his ugly face, and interestingly, while the name of God is never mentioned (oddly enough), the film is full of Catholic iconography. Hellboy's "father" is Catholic, carries a rosary (which is an important talisman in the film), an enormous statue of Saint Michael is very prominent in their "house" and there are several scenes (including the opening shot) that take place in a cemetery in which crucifixes are prominent. There's also some amusing bits about relics from the Vatican. Religion is never really discussed and Hellboy's origin is treated more like an unfortunate ethnicity rather than a spawn of Satan.
I think there's a lot to be admired about the way these things are handled in the film. A less cautious approach might have overpowered the appeal and made it inaccessible for people ~ particularly ex- or anti-Christians ~ as it is, the biggest danger would be in boosting the idea that the Catholic Church is in league somehow with the occult. I hope young people will see the film, be elevated by the message (which is very simple, but good), and be intrigued by the supernatural power of the faith enough for it to leave a positive lasting impression on them.
This is by no means a great film. In many ways it's even stupid. But I would rather see Hollywood producing this sort of moral heroic tale of good against evil than most of what else is available out there to watch these days.
Note: I've never read the original comic book for this. I'm intrigued enough to pick it up now.
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