Home :: DVD :: Science Fiction & Fantasy  

Alien Invasion
Aliens
Animation
Classic Sci-Fi
Comedy
Cult Classics
Fantasy
Futuristic
General
Kids & Family
Monsters & Mutants
Robots & Androids
Sci-Fi Action
Series & Sequels
Space Adventure
Star Trek
Television
Hellboy (Two-Disc Special Edition)

Hellboy (Two-Disc Special Edition)

List Price: $19.98
Your Price: $14.99
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 2 3 >>

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Stylish fun
Review: "There is a place, a dark place, where ancient evil slumbers, waiting to be awakened," a character warns in the first minutes of "Hellboy." And if you think that ancient evil is going to continue slumbering through a film with a title like "Hellboy," you must be dreaming. Awaken it does -- on two fairly spectacular occasions -- and to defeat it, the world must call upon a guy who could squash Spider-Man with one sweep of his rock-hard right hand, a scarlet-skinned avenger who makes the Hulk look not-so-incredible.

Hellboy, as readers of the Dark Horse comic know, is a half-man, half-demon and, as played by Ron Perlman, he's a whole lotta fun to hang around with. Although he's got brute strength to spare, his fireproof hide hides a tender side: He vainly tries to sand down the pair of horns that keep threatening to sprout out of his broad forehead, he consumes basins of chili and mini-mountains of nachos in one sitting, and he enjoys the company of ... kittens.

The dream project of the gifted Mexican screenwriter and director Guillermo del Toro ("Mimic," "Blade II"), "Hellboy" initially appears to be a flashy mishmash of elements lifted from "Raiders of the Lost Ark," "X-Men," "The Matrix" and other fantasies. But stick with it. Somehow del Toro gives the movie unexpected rhythm and spirit; don't be surprised if you get caught up in this weirdly affecting tale about a superhero bedeviled by his need for acceptance and companionship.

The screenplay by del Toro begins in 1944, as the Nazis and the diabolical Grigori Rasputin (yes, the Mad Monk himself) combine science and black magic to open a portal to Hell. The results are dire for all concerned, and in the midst of the mess a miniature red menace manages to cross over from the dark side.

Adopted by paranormal expert Professor Broom (John Hurt), the little creature grows up to be Hellboy, the secret weapon of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, an organization dedicated to stamping out monsters whenever and wherever they appear. They're a low-profile bunch. Instead of the supersonic jet the X-Men travel around in, the BPRD team disguises itself as a band of trashmen.

In the rare moments when he's not fending off attacks by the sinister forces of Rasputin (Karel Roden), Hellboy attempts to deal with new BPRD trainee John Myers (British TV star Rupert Evans), who has managed to win the trust of Hellboy's dreamgirl, Liz Sherman (Selma Blair), a sullen soul cursed with pyrokinesis: Whenever her temper flares, everything goes up in flames. The bizarre love triangle is delightfully well-played, with Hellboy fuming and fussing as he stalks John and Liz. "When am I ever gonna get a girl?" Hellboy complains. "I drive around in a garbage truck."

"Hellboy" also introduces Abe Sapien, an intellectually inclined gill-man/psychic who speaks with the voice of David Hyde Pierce; an undead assassin with a horribly mutilated body, veins full of dust and a clockwork heart that keeps him running; and Sammael, a hell-hound capable of resurrecting itself (or quickly reproducing copies of itself) each time it seems to be near death. Avid readers of the comics will be pleased to know creator Mike Mignola served as a visual consultant here, and he's at least partially responsible for the film's sleek, dark, glossy/grungy look.

Certainly not everything works as well as it should. The humor, which often gives scenes a welcome edge, sometimes gets perilously close to the thudding one-liners that eventually sent Arnold Schwarzenegger into exile in the California governor's mansion. An insufferable bureaucrat (Jeffrey Tambor) who abruptly disappears from the storyline -- a plot point that's ridiculed during the end credits -- is an extraneous annoyance that slows down the action and should have been cut before shooting began.

But for every little flaw or misstep, "Hellboy" manages to come up with something unexpectedly off-the-wall to compensate for it, such as the inclusion of 1940s chanteuse Vera Lynn's "We'll Meet Again" on the soundtrack, or a fistfight that somehow continues, even as the participants are hurtling down an elevator shaft.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: FANTASTIC HERO...TOUCHING STORY
Review: *HELLBOY: The Director's Cut*
What does it take to be a man? That is a very good question. Some take their manhood for granted, while others risk their lives and become a man by accident. This story is much deeper than it appears. I was truly touched, towards the end of the movie, when Hellboy makes his choices between right and wrong.
There's not much, if any, foul language. For todays standards it was very tame. Nor is it really all that scary. But there are some neat and bizarre monsters, great special effects and lots of action.
Dads...I highly recommend this movie. Sit down with your 13 year old or older son and enjoy this fantastic film. Then ask him what he thinks it takes to be a man. I bet he'll want to be a "GOOD" and "HONORABLE" person. Don't let the title fool you, there is something to be learned from a movie like this. Not to mention it's just stinking neat to watch. Ron Pearlman is fantastic. He really makes Hellboy a respectable SUPERHERO with a great sense of honor and a great sense of humor.
This movie is deeper than it appears. 2 THUMBS UP...WAAAY UP!!!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Witty HELLBOY is fun, rollicking adventure
Review: Based on the Dark Horse comic, HELLBOY is probably one of the more unusual superhero films around today. In a prologue set in World War II, the U.S. Army foils a (...) plot to open an other dimensional portal and unleash monster fiends upon the world. However, an infant demon slips through into our world. Taking pity on him, government scientist Professor Broom raises the tyke as his own. Sixty years later, we find the demon all grown-up and fighting paranormal menaces for a secret U.S. government agency. However, Hellboy finds himself battling not only the evils of his past, but his own feelings for Liz Sherman, a fellow freak with pyrotechnic powers.

Ron Perlman is perfectly cast as the demon with a blue-collar attitude towards his job. In many ways, he comes across as your local garbage man or plumber with his world-weary view towards the many monsters he faces. His snappy comebacks are especially amusing. Perlman's costume and make-up also reinforce the image with his floppy raincoat and filed-down horns, which resemble goggles more than anything. Selma Blair is touching as Liz Sherman, the somewhat sullen object of Hellboy's affections, while John Hurt brings an added amount of warmth as the elder Professor Broom. Rupert Evans is solid as the young FBI agent who is introduced into Hellboy's world. As the evil Rasputin, Karel Rodin underplays the part, making him a somewhat bland bad guy. Doug Jones, with the voice of David Hyde Pierce, makes the fish-man Abe Sapien a truly fun creation. Lending solid support is Jeffrey Tambor as Hellboy's antagonistic boss. Director Guillermo del Toro does a wonderful job keeping the film at such a brisk pace that we easily get swept up in the story.

Despite having a lower budget than most films of its type, the special effects are definitely better than average with snaky haired monsters providing menace and a complaining zombie half-corpse providing laughs. HELLBOY is a fast-paced, fun film that definitely will draw in fans of the cult comic, while the irreverent attitude will appeal to action fans in general. It doesn't matter if you're familiar to the comic or not, this film is definitely a enjoyable time, and as such, is one that I definitely recommend.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Perlman sells fun and frantic HELLBOY
Review: Based on the Dark Horse comic, HELLBOY is probably one of the more unusual superhero films around today. In a prologue set in World War II, the U.S. Army foils a Nazi plot to open an other dimensional portal and unleash monster fiends upon the world. However, an infant demon slips through into our world. Taking pity on him, government scientist Professor Broom raises the tyke as his own. 60 years later, we find the demon all grown-up and fighting paranormal menaces for a secret U.S. government agency. However, Hellboy finds himself batting not only the evils of his past, but his own feelings for Liz, a fellow freak with pyrotechnic powers.

Ron Perlman is perfectly cast as the demon with a blue-collar attitude towards his job. In many ways, he comes across as your local garbage man or plumber with his world-weary view towards the many monsters he faces. His snappy comebacks are especially amusing. Perlman's costume and make-up also reinforce the image with his floppy raincoat and filed-down horns, which resemble goggles more than anything. Selma Blair is touching as the somewhat sullen object of Hellboy's affections, while John Hurt brings an added amount of warmth as the elder Professor Broom. Rupert Evans is solid as the young FBI agent introduced to this unusual situation. As the evil Rasputin, Karel Rodin somewhat underplays the part, making him a rather bland bad guy. Doug Jones, with the voice of David Hyde Pierce, are delightful as fish-man Abe Sapien. Lending solid support is Jeffrey Tambor as Hellboy's antagonistic boss.

Despite having a lower budget than most films of its type, the special effects are definitely better than average with snaky haired monsters providing menace and a complaining zombie half-corpse providing laughs. HELLBOY is a fast-paced, fun film that definitely will draw in fans of the cult comic, while the irreverent attitude will appeal to action fans in general. It doesn't matter if you're familiar to the comic or not, this film is definitely a fun time, and as such, is one that I definitely recommend.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Glad I borrowed it!
Review: Ever watch a video at home and say "geeze I'm glad I didn't buy that one!?" Well this is one of them. I thought for a moment I was watching "Raider of the lost Ark"..then it all went south...I mean what the heck? I like logical progression...this isnt that..a Baby Ruth lovin' little red devil...(how'd that get there?) next thing..a full grown trouble makin', head grindin' cigar smokin' monster fighter..with a bad attitude. Well one good thing..I still have my money....

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A surprisingly enjoyable movie
Review: First of all, I'm not a SCI-FI fan and have never read a single comic book in my life so this review is not based on my previous love/hate of this character or the comic book it is based on.

The one thing I really like in the movie is the lead character of HellBoy and the actor Ron Perlman who played it to near perfection. This was the first time I even knew there's a comic-book character called HellBoy but watching Ron Perlman playing him felt like I know the character for a long time. The plot of the movie in reasonably interesting and you won't feel bored by different twists and turns. The director could've done more on the character development of the other characters except the lead role but the lead character's interestingly funny performance compensates that to quite an extent. This could be because I don't know other characters (as I've never read the comics it is based upon) but many other characters are just like two-dimensional pictures filling the scenery. A little more effort could've brought this movie at par with Spiderman2 where every character is alive and fitting in the movie.

I played this movie for my 4-year old son but both my wife and I ended up watching it and we actually enjoyed this as a family movie. There's no blood and guts flying all over the horizon, there's no vulgarity in the dialogs even when they're spoken by the villains and there're no super-sexy barely dressed female heroes/villains so you can practically sit with your kids and watch this movie ... and enjoy it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Hellboy (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Review: Hellboy (Ron Perlman) isn't your average hero. Hell. He isn't even your average superhero. Brought forth by the Nazi's during a sacred ritual towards the end of World War II. Our hero was summoned by accident when the evil monk of Russian history/folklore,Grigori Rasputin was meddling with forces that lead to his undoing. With the twisted and evil monster trapped for another sixty years when things don't go as planned (US soldiers heroically intervened). Hellboy is raised by Prof. Trevor "Broom" Bruttenholm (John Hurt), an expert in the occult. Our demonic hero is initiated in to the Bureau of paranomal research were he joins the amphibious, kind hearted, and clever fellow "Freak", Abe Sapien (voiced by David Hyde Pierce). When Rasputin returns once again with the aid of his minions the maniacal, undead asassin Kroenen (Ladislav Beran) and the monks faithful lover Ilsa (Biddy Hodson). Hellboy must unwillingly pair up with John Myers,(Rupert Evans) an idealistic, naive new agent of the Bureau. Not only that but the big hunk of an evil basher becomes entangled in a love triangle with the pyro-telekinetic love of his life Liz (Selma Blair) and his new comrade. Fighting evil couldn't prove more difficult or outthere.



Rating: 5 stars
Summary: hellboy rules
Review: I went and saw HB 7 times I think this movie is awesome. Ron Perlman did a fantastic job. He made the movie. I think everyone should see this movie at least once and then buy it. I'm so glad it will be on sale in July instead 6 months from now. I can't wait to have ot for my very own.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Pleasantly surprised...
Review: If you are on the fence about seeing this movie, let me recommend seeing this highly. I am an avid movie watcher, and comic book reader, however I have never read a hellboy comic in my life, so I went into this movie with no pre-conceived notions of what to expect. I was a little hesitant, because of the directors previous effort "Blade II". I enjoyed that movie somewhat, but it just wasn't great for me. So needless to say, I really didn't think this movie would be all that. But I was pleasantly surprised. The effects were amazing, the story was great and the actors did a superb job. Ron Perlman was fantastic. I was little hesitant about the fact of him having the lead role, I just didn't think he was that strong of an actor (sorry Ron), but he fit this character like a glove, he was awesome. The other characters were great and the casting was well done. The character interaction in this movie was interesting and fun. This was just a fun sci-fi/action flick that kept me 100% entertained the entire time. I doubt you'll come away thinking this movie is oscar-worthy or anything, but I think most people out there will find it quite enjoyable. You will hear over and over comic afficionados bashing this movie for not being true to the comic books, but I loved it. Not only is it a great movie, but this DVD supposedly has tons of little "goodies" and extra features, that definitely makes buying this DVD worthwhile.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent movie!
Review: In my opinion, Ron Pearlman is a not so good of an actor and mostly all the movies he makes are bad. But this movie has totally made my mind change about him because Hellboy is probably the greatest comic book adapted movie. The movie has a great deal of action, humor (reffering to Ron Pearlman-Hellboy),a great script, great costumes, and an ingenious plot that keeps making you wanting to know what will happen next. This movie truly is great in every single way. For comic book movies fans, this is a must have or a must see. Absolutely great and loved it!


<< 1 2 3 >>

© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates