Hellboy 2: The Golden Army (2008)

Flush with the international success of the imaginative fantasy-drama PAN’S LABYRINTH, writer-director Guillermo del Toro returns to Mike Mignola’s comic book creation for an upgraded sequel that offers more of everything while staying largely true to the source material. The film gains big points for its dazzling visuals and for significantly ramping up the fantasy-tinged screen fighting by having former Jackie Chan stunt team member Brad Allan choreograph the action and BLADE star Luke Goss delivering impressive fighting form.

In HELLBOY 2: THE GOLDEN ARMY, Ron Perlman returns to the role of a wise-cracking, red-skinned demon who abandoned his supposed destiny to destroy the world to front a small team of paranormals working for a secret government agency to deal with supernatural threats. This time the threat comes in the form of Prince Nuada, the pale-skinned patricidal inheritor of an underworld kingdom populated by trolls, elementals and other mythical creatures. His plan is to gain power over a mechanized army and wage war on humankind in order to reclaim the world for his kind.

It’s a plot that is similar to another 2008 summer movie, THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR. Another similarity between both films is the fighting prowess exhibited by their lead villains. This is expected of Jet Li but Luke Goss, former member of British pop duo Bros, unleashes a surprisingly good wushu-inspired performance that finds itself fitting comfortably somewhere between roles filled by Ray Park in THE PHANTOM MENACE and Orlando Bloom in THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy.

The demon and “Hellboy” concepts might be a turn off to some Christian audiences but viewers will find the actual fantasy content and use of myth, magic and violence no worse than what you would find in THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy, THE NARNIA CHRONICLES or the Bible itself. I actually find the Hellboy character to be a fascinating study of predetermined traits in human nature and the concept of being born into sin. Unfortunately, the sequel’s script downplays the character’s internal conflict with his true nature and instead focuses on his insecurities and light relational problems with his pyrokinetic girlfriend Liz (Selma Blair). Throughout, Perlman proves a master of emoting through his distinctive makeup with unique charm. The character belongs to him and him alone. His performance, along with excellent scripting makes this one of cinema’s most likable demons.

As entertaining as the Hellboy character is, other viewers, like me, may have found themselves on the verge of rooting for Nuada. Del Toro smartly gives the villains of this movie a measure of sympathy and depth beyond a simple desire to kill humans. They’re not actually villains, just characters with a different agenda and moral code. This, along with ample down-to-earth humor takes HELLBOY beyond typical genre film convention, which is something that del Toro has repeatedly proven himself to be extremely skillful at.

Nuada understandably has a chip on his shoulder because, according to HELLBOY legend, it was the humans who failed to honor a pact with his father and eventually drove all magical beasts into hiding. This taps directly into classical Celtic mythology which is dominated by the idea that humans and their reason or monotheist religion drove the creatures of pagan lore into extinction or at least into the shadows.

Nuada is the underdog of the story, fighting a battle that technically is already lost. Furthermore, Nuada is a character who is highly disciplined in martial arts and relies on this training to further his aims. In contrast, Hellboy is more representative of a spoiled rich kid or celebrity who has everything provided for him and just has to show up to fire some guns and throw a few punches. He doesn’t even get that right for although the threats are neutralized, he makes a physical and public relations mess of things, much to the chagrin of his superiors. Again, del Toro doesn’t leave the characterizations quite that simple. Hellboy is a simpleton in many ways but is smart enough to realize that his enemy has a legitimate argument. His battle with a giant elemental becomes an internal struggle to rationalize defending unappreciative humans from a race of beings already nearly extinct as a result of human domination.

The idea of having a disciplined and technically superior fighting villain going against a sloppy and misunderstood hero is a common theme in the martial arts movie genre. One of the best examples is DRUNKEN MASTER where Jackie Chan portrays a troublemaking Wong Fei-hung forced to step up his game in defense of his master when superkicker Hwang Jang-lee comes calling. For most of us, it’s easier to relate to the flawed hero but we also admire fighting skills and in many of the best martial arts movies the villains have the best moves.

In orchestrating Nuada’s fighting moves, Brad Allan looks to have drawn largely upon his wushu experience to lend the villain a highly dynamic look, particularly with his weapons use. In scenes involving Nuada and Hellboy, Allan often incorporates complex wirework when appropriate. It’s greatly appreciated that CGI doubles are either non-existent or so cleverly worked in as not to be noticed. It appears that considerable effort was made to keep the action live, despite the plethora of fantasy elements and exaggerated abilities in the movie. Screen fighting in HELLBOY 2 is far superior to the cartoon absurdity of fantasy fighting in effects films like UNDERWORLD: EVOLUTION and VAN HELSING. It’s definitely an improvement over Donnie Yen’s exaggerated fight choreography in BLADE 2 and suggests that del Toro is gradually allowing more sophisticated fight work in his films. Of all of the mainstream effects filmmakers working in Hollywood right now, I’d have to say Guillermo del Toro has one of the better grasps of quality screen fighting and how it should be incorporated into an effects film. Of course, del Toro’s skill as a filmmaker goes far beyond signing off on fight work.

The sequel benefits from the terrific addition of a new character to the returning team which includes the previously unmentioned Abe Sapien (Doug Jones) and Tom Manning (Jeffrey Tambor). FAMILY GUY’s Seth MacFarlene voices Johann Krauss, the team’s fastidious and newly assigned leader who happens to be little more than a cloud of vapor in an antique diving suit. What makes the character work is MacFarlene’s German-accented voice that channels Ludwig Von Drake, a reoccurring Disney cartoon character voiced by Corey Burton. His role is basically to give the film the comedic touch of a cartoon, particularly in a purely slapstick moment with Hellboy in a locker room.

The area where the movie steers a little off course is in the romantic fluff that is sprinkled in. It is at these points that the movie feels more like a routine, witless Hollywood film pandering too broadly for its own good than the exciting genre movie that HELLBOY 2 otherwise is.

HELLBOY 2 can be added to a growing list of movies partaking in what I would call a design renaissance. It’s a movie filled with exotic make-up effects, lush sets and costumes and even brilliantly conceived digital puppetry, all added to an equally enjoyable story with quality action. Similarly brilliant design is appearing in a lot of movies of late. In 2008 alone, we have the wonderful digital animation of KUNG FU PANDA and WALL-E, as well as beautiful design from live-action films like THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM, THE DARK KNIGHT and TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR. That doesn’t even include international gems like MONGOL and RED CLIFF.

Even among all these offerings, the work of del Toro along with production designer Stephen Scott who previously oversaw DOOM and HELLBOY, stands out. The high point in my mind occurred during the final match between Hellboy and Nuada. Not only do we get this incredible fight pitting brawn against finesse but it’s staged on this absolutely amazing set made up of giant moving gears. I’m not sure what the film’s unusual mix of magic and machine would be classified as, perhaps steampunk. As a fan of both science fiction and fantasy, it’s long been a fascination of mine to see magic and machines merge. It’s a concept widely seen in the production design of popular video games ranging from WORLD OF WARCRAFT to FINAL FANTASY, as well as anime like STEAMBOY. This film is heaped in this element at every level and is brought to the screen with the same kind of creativity and energy that once made Jim Henson and George Lucas household names.

In terms of creative production design and spirit, HELLBOY has become the closest thing we have to a successor to the STAR WARS franchise. It had a modest start but with THE GOLDEN ARMY Guillermo del Toro has taken it to new heights of imaginative fun. In addition to outstanding effects and action, it has a healthy dose of light-hearted humor and bits of romance and drama to round out a film that feels very complete, like a four-course meal. It’s funny to look back at the early development of the HELLBOY franchise and see the difficulties del Toro had in pitching the idea to executives who were nervous about a hero with red skin and a tail. This film humanizes its fantasy characters better than many conventional dramas do. It’s a credit to a lot of talented folks involved but from most accounts none of it would have happened without del Toro’s unwavering support for this franchise which amazingly switched studio hands after Sony failed to properly market the first film and then lost interest when it came out even at the box office. If the current opening box office tally along with other critical responses is any indication, HELLBOY 2 will go down on record as one the best genre films of 2008, right alongside IRON MAN and expectantly THE DARK KNIGHT. It’s a renaissance indeed.

Related Topics: Brad Allan, gallery, Hellboy 2: The Golden Army (2008), Luke Goss, swordplay, wirework, wushu