HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY

US, 2008, 119 minutes, Colour.
Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones, Jeffrey Tambour, John Hurt, John Alexander, James Dodd, Seth Mc Farlane, Luke Goss, Anna Walton, Brian Steele, Roy Dotrice.
Directed by Guillermo Del Toro.

Mexican director, Guillermo del Toro, must love the Hellboy comics. Not only did he write and direct the very successful and imaginative Hellboy in 2004, he has written and directed this sequel and, as with all his films, especially the Oscar-winning Pan’s Labyrinth, has imagined the extraordinary and sumptuous fantasy locations and creatures that abound here. Visually, Hellboy II is a treat.

Taking for granted the detail in the original Hellboy about how the young lad came to Earth during World War II and was saved by the Allies from being a creature of destruction, the film opens in 1955 with a pleasing interlude where John Hurt as the adolescent boy’s father-figure (who has to struggle with Hellboy’s penchant for watching junk television) tells him a fable that is the basis of what is to follow.

In a secret kingdom, gold clone warriors are made by the ambitious king. However, out of control, they massacre their enemies. The king sequesters them but his ambitious son (Luke Goss) needs the missing part of the royal crown to bring the army alive again. When the crown is up for auction in modern-day New York, the prince strikes, using a monstrous creature to destroy all in his path. But, Hellboy (Ron Perlman recreating his role) lives in New York where (a bit like Hancock), people and the media misunderstand his actions to save them. Hellboy’s partner Liz who can burst into flames (Selma Blair again) is having domestic difficulties and is fighting with him.

In the meantime, Tom Manning (Jeffrey Tambor) is trying to keep a lid on the experiments going on, especially with Abe Sapien, the Merman (Doug Jones). No such luck as Prince Nuada keeps attacking after killing his father. However, his twin sister, Nuala (Anna Walton), is on the side of good and Abe Sapien falls for her (and, at one stage, with Hellboy lamenting his fights with Liz, they sing along with Barry Manilow to ‘Can’t Live without You’!).

There are all kinds of breathtaking feats, including Hellboy, holding on to a baby he has rescued, confronting a monstrous tree demon as he scales the buildings in Times Square, an underground market of mutants and the caverns under New York where the Golden Army is revived and goes into battle).

While there are some similarities with the now familiar screen heroes like Spiderman and Iron Man. Del Toro’s visual imagination makes the Hellboy films quite different from the others.

1.The impact of the sequel? The popularity of comic strips? The hero types, the world in which they live and work, the heroes, themselves, ordinary powers, extraordinary powers? Good versus evil?

2.The work of Guillermo Del Toro, his imagination? Serious films? Comic strips? Creating characters, the author of the screenplay, his drawings, sketches and designs, the monsters, the action, interest in machines, cogs etc?

3.The studio work for the film: the sets of New York, 1955, Trinton, the laboratories, the mythical kingdom? The Golden Army and the soldiers? The caves in Ireland? The market of the trolls?

4.The special effects, for characters, makeup, actors within the costumes, computer graphics, the battles, the creatures? The monster: Mr Wink, the green monster? The angel of death? The chancellor? The tooth fairies?

5.The musical score, the use of the classics, Barry Manilow and ‘Can’t Live Without You’? The final credits with Barry Manilow’s song?

6.The popularity of the Hellboy films, the differences from other characters? The introduction, the explanation about World War Two, the boy saved by the Allies, the photo with the troops and the infant? The 1955 sequence, the boy and his watching TV? The professor, his bringing up the boy, reading the story, the imagination? The introduction to the myths that followed?

7.The illustration of the story, the king, the battles, the massacres, the humans and the machines? The creation of the Golden Army? The slaughter? The king’s decision, hiding the army? His son, his daughter? His son rebelling?

8.The present, the setting up of the auction, the statue, the crown? Nuada and his preparation, physical training, physique? Mr Wink, letting him loose, the various machines getting the crown? The absolute destruction?

9.New York City, the television, the journalists, their reaction to Hellboy? The photos, the newspapers? Manny and his dismay at the photos, discussions with Abe? In New Jersey, the walking and talking – and passing all the rooms with experiments, struggles? The comic ignoring of what was going on? The crisis in New York?

10.Hellboy, his appearance, part devil, horns and tail, Red? His character, in the past, becoming a slob, watching TV, fighting, the living with Liz, the arguments, the destructive battles between them? Her keeping quiet about her pregnancy? Her wanting time alone? Asking Red to rethink?

11.The media and its turning against Red after he saved New York from the monster?

12.The agents, their confronting Mr Wink, fighting the tooth fairies, the destruction? The tooth fairy giving the information about the market?

13.The new head of the agency, his being a vapour? Germanic in tone, accent, orders? Red and his reactions? The fight with the vapour, the banging of the locker doors? His changing attitude, participation in the action, allowing the plane to be taken?

14.Abe, in himself, aquamarine, with Manny, observing the fights? His care for the princess, trust, falling in love? Their discussions, Tennyson’s poetry? Listening to Barry Manilow, drinking with Red, their duet with Barry Manilow? His knowledge of Liz’s pregnancy? His stealing part of the crown from the Tennyson book? At the end, giving the piece to Nuada to save his sister?

15.The market, the range of creatures, their activities, the door and the vapour getting through the lock to open? The entry into the kingdom?

16.Nuada, his sister, the bonds between them, appearance, their mutual feeling? The blue book, his search? The fight in the library? Confronting Red, Red and his drinking? Wounding Red, the difficulty of removing the spear, Red going to hospital?

17.The map, the revelation about Antrim? The Irish mythical creature, the bargain about the spearhead, opening the rocks, their becoming a statue? Going to the depths? Meeting the angel of death? The bargain, Red living? The beggar getting his spearhead?

18.Nuada, his wanting to get the army, the fighting with the soldiers, his killing his father? The peace (**?piece?) from Abe, his power? The soldiers, the army resurrecting? The fight, the vapour getting into one of the soldiers and destroying them? Red challenging Nuada, the rules of chivalry? The choreography of their duel? Red within the cogs?

19.Nuada, his speech, his power, the princess killing herself, his death? Liz, and her burning the crown before Red could make decisions?

20.Manny and the agents outside the rocks? The happy ending for Red and Liz – walking the Irish countryside, wanting to get a house in the country? The baby?

21.A satisfying and highly imaginative rendition of comic book stories, good and evil, mythologies, battles?