Hellboy (Movie Review) – A Bloody Hell Of A Ride

Review: Hellboy by Neil Marshall (5/10)

It’s not to anyone’s surprise at this point that the 2019 reboot of the Hellboy franchise didn’t quite resonate with audiences. In fact, even as a long-time fan of the original Guillermo del Toro movies, it’s taken Netflix to stream it before I reluctantly gave it a chance. Let’s just say I’ve been let down too many times by adaptations of beloved franchises. But, to my surprise, this film by no means earns the amount of criticism bestowed upon it. It’s no masterpiece, but it’s far from an undisputed failure.

Credit: Lionsgate

Now don’t get me wrong, I can see where this criticism is coming from. Hellboy boasts a rather uninspired plot, filled with a generic world-ending event and lacking much of the charm of its lauded predecessor. But let’s not ignore the fact that this an undeniably fun way to kill two hours, even if the amount of narrative substance starts and ends at the stumps of Hellboy’s filed horns.

Much of my enjoyment came from the passive world-building surrounding the characters. As a casual reader of the Mignola comics, I think I can comfortably say that I am familiar with things your average viewer wouldn’t be. And in a film of this calibre, that makes all the difference. I found myself entranced not so much in the narrative thread pushing the film forward but the subtle nuances of a world painstakingly crafted by its creator, Mike Mignola.

A world of monsters and intrigue — Credit: Lionsgate

The cameo of pulp hero Lobster Johnson was a particular standout, even if his appearance was fleeting. I'd say spoilers, but anyone who knows who that is will have seen the movie by this point. Had this not been spoilt for me by a clickbait article, that would have been an unexpected treat. And if this film has anything to show for it, it’s that the director clearly had a passion for this world beyond a quick glance at volume one. So be warned, it does help to be previously familiar with these characters and the world they inhabit.

Not to give all the praise to the director, lead actor David Harbour is the true beacon of light in an otherwise mediocre cast. I’d even go as far as to say he was on par with Ron Perlman — go easy on me, please. It's that charisma that prevents this film, in my eyes, from being a boring slog. Even if the gory (questionable CGI) violence provides a nice distraction, without a character to route for, there’s not much to grab your attention. So cheers, David — you tried your best.

Harbour is the undisputed MVP of this film — Credit: Lionsgate

Now, about everyone else in the film, not including Thomas Haden Church in his minor role as Lobster Johnson, I can’t really say much. No seriously, the script is so bland that I paid as little attention as possible whenever they spoke. My eyes were more of a glaze. And when you’re talking about a man who turns into a giant Jaguar monster and a woman who can make the dead appear out of her mouth, that’s saying a lot. And if that intrigues you, as it did me, prepare to be disappointed. I am not familiar with them in the source material, but I imagine they’re better written than this.

It's less interesting than it looks — Credit: Lionsgate

Where’s Abe Sapien when you need him? Oh wait... Yes, unfortunately, despite the blatant set-up for a sequel, we will not see everyone’s favourite fish-man back on the big screen anytime soon. It is a shame because honestly, ignoring all my digs at the movie, the world-building was very well handled. Given a new creative team and a couple more movies, this franchise could have blossomed once more. But what can you do? It seems we’ll have to make a few more petitions.