Source: THN
Date: 15th August, 2006
Posted by: Aaron Allen

DOUBLE TAKE: HELLBOY (2004)

First published in 1993 by Dark Horse Comics, Mike Mignola's Hellboy is one of only a few original and unique comic book characters to achieve widespread success in recent times, a feat not common for characters not originally based on concepts created in the 1930s or 40s. These older concepts and characters, such as Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman and their various permutations (Superboys, Batgirls, etc.) have the benefit of being uninterruptedly published for over 60 years whereas Hellboy is a newcomer. The key to Hellboy's success, besides Mignola's uniquely bold art style that is composed of strong angular line work and a heavy play of solid light and shadows, is how consciously and nostalgically its narrative structure interprets the popular history of comic book and pulp fiction conventions in the 20s, 30s, and 40s through the lens of gothic literature. Hellboy is a postmodern pastiche of horror, action, detective, fantasy, mythology, gothic, and science fiction that appeals to a broad range of audiences yet, due to its uniqueness, is strikingly original and unlike anything else seen in comics. Hellboy follows the adventures of an occult detective working for the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense (B.P.R.D). Hellboy, the detective protagonist, is a red-skinned, humanoid-devil with a tail, large right hand made of stone, and horns that he files down into circular nubs. Along with other members of the B.P.R.D - including but not limited to an artificial man made of clay - Hellboy travels the world visiting typical gothic landscapes such as old castles and mansions with hidden doors and crumbling floors, as well as sublime European mountain ranges, dark forests, subterranean lakes, catacombs, and mausoleums to protect the world from supernatural threats. These threats include everything from aliens to ghosts to vampires, cyborgs, robots, witches, figures from mythology and folklore, not to mention re-imagined versions of historical individuals who have been mythologized, such as Grigori Rasputin (1870-1916) who is shown to possess immortality, magical powers, and dark mystical knowledge. The primary threat to Hellboy's world is the cosmic Ogdru Jahad, a group of giant, indescribable, tentacled beasts that desire to consume the universe but are imprisoned in space, lurking on the limimal edge of reality in homage to the literary works of H.P. Lovecraft. In the first collection of Hellboy issues, we learn that Nazi experiments into the combination of technology and magic are the source of Hellboy's birth. On a small island off the Scottish coast in 1944, a group of Nazi scientists under the spiritual leadership of Grigori Rasputin are deployed by Hitler to enact project Ragnarok. The experiment goes awry and Hellboy is conjured up as child but he appears at an entirely different site where his is claimed by the Allies instead of the Axis. He grows up in America where he is raised to fight evil although, as it slowly comes to be revealed, he is in fact the catalyst for the world's end. His red right hand is the key to the apocalypse.

In 2004, Hellboy was adapted into a feature-length film starring Ron Perlman, John Hurt, and Selma Blair. It was directed by Guillermo del Toro (Mimic, Blade 2, The Devil's Backbone). The whole movie bursts with energy and joy that revels in its over-the-top concept without turning into a farce. The film tells a synthesized version of Hellboy's origin in which Rasputin (Karel Roden) conjures Hellboy during an attempt to bring free the Ogdru Jahad, but Hellboy is adopted by a young paranormal researcher, Proffessor Bruttenholm (John Hurt), and grows up to fight monsters. The adult Hellboy, played with sincerity and light wit by Ron Perlman, is joined by the psychic fish-man Abe Sapien (Doug Jones / David Hyde Pierce) and Liz Sherman (Selma Blair), who can create fires with her mind. When Rasputin returns, he seeks to capture Hellboy in order to use him to bring about the apocalypse.

If you want a clue as to the tone of Hellboy, think of Ivan Reitman's Ghostbusters but with less comedy and more scares. Guillermo del Toro manages to balance fantastic visuals and horror with action and deadpan humor. What's best about Mignola's comic (the distillation of everything pulpy about comics from over the years like monsters, private eyes, Nazi villains, etc.) is brought out in the film and even enhanced. By taking liberties with the comics and introducing a love relationship between Hellboy and Liz. In the comics, Mignola never really knew what to do with Liz. He would have killed her off in the comics if one of his editors hadn't persuaded him to keep her. Guillermo del Toro on the other hand, adds an interesting angle to the comics by turning their relationship into a romantic one, giving the audience a conventional entry point for the audience into an otherwise unconventional movie. Also, by playing up the father-son relationship between Professor Bruttenholm (pronounced Broom) and Hellboy, the movie is further enriched by conflict and drama. John Hurt brings an articulated warmth and gravity to the role of Bruttenholm that plays well against Perlman's depiction of Hellboy as a working class, rough and tumble kind of guy. The movie is not without its faults. I felt the beginning was too rushed and at some points the CGI is very obvious, but overwhelmingly the film succeeds. The special effects are generally very good, the cinematography is beautiful and poetic in places (when Hellboy coaxes up the corpse in the snow, it looks wonderful), and the action is always well placed and well executed. The production design is incredibly thoughtful and interesting. Del Toro's depiction of the Nazi Assassin Karl Ruprect Kroenen, a perverted scientist obsessed with self surgery whose body is animated by clockwork mechanisms, is bizarre and frightening and also a great addition to the film. In the comics, Kroenen is a meek character, but in the film he is a silent, stealthy killer. Both versions of the character, however, hide their faces behind an ominous gasmask.

In the end, Ron Perlman is Hellboy. It seems like he was born for the part. His quips never seemed strained or force, just natural and exasperated. In many respects, in regards to his idiosyncrasies, Hellboy is quite like a 14 year old kid in an adult's body, and this comes through in his actions and romantic expressions, but he is tempered by a very palpable emotional depth and maturity. All the characters are unique and have distinct and engaging personalities, except for Rasputin who does not get much screen time although, in the extended Director's Cut, he is allowed to shine. More character interactions would have bettered the film (again, something remedied in the Director's Cut), but the movie is in no way lacking.

Truth be told, you'll probably either love Hellboy or hate it. This movie seems custom made for me. It has everything I love in my popular culture. Others will not get this film at all because they expect something more serious or more predictably "superhero". Hellboy manages to occupy that in-between space that defines a great superhero film; it doesn't take it self too seriously yet it does not descend into camp. In a way, Hellboy has a harder time then most comic book films. X-Men, Spider-Man, Hulk, Daredevil…they not only benefit from name and character recognition, but their plots are more predictable. Because superhero films are withdrawing from the concept of overblown and overplayed bright costumed characters with extensive gimmicks, they're injecting some realism into their plots. Within the context of the films, it is not hard to accept the existence of mutants, a man who transforms when angry, and costumed vigilantes. It helps they don't wear yellow spandex. But Hellboy, at its core, is completely fantastical although, let's be clear, while it is fantastical the emotion is real. Hellboy may be a huge, red devil man with horn stubs that fights monsters, goes up against magic, immortal Nazis, and befriends a fish man and pyrokinetic, and that's harder to swallow for some people, but in the movie he feels real. By creating characters that are not just cut-outs from the movie formula cookbook, and by investing time and depth to them, the acting and direction of his film help to solidify the fantastical story elements for the audience.

Grade: A- / A

Hellboy has been optioned by Paramount for a sequel. Reportedly, Guillermo Del Toro will take Hellboy into the folklore-based narratives of the comics now that he has done the urban monster / Nazi angle. If you need to satisfy your Hellboy fix, no need to wait. Hellboy continues to be reborn in other incarnations. Two animated films are soon to be released: Hellboy: Sword of Storms will be released in 2006 and Hellboy: Blood and Iron will be released in 2007. Both films are animated features that will air on the Cartoon Network before being released on DVD. Although the films will reunite the cast of the live action movie in their roles, the films will not be sequels to the live action movies nor will they be explicit translations of Mignola's comics. The strength of Mignola's Hellboy concept is its flexibility of translation and I eagerly wait to see what other creators will do with the character.

Hellboy (2004) is available in two DVD editions – a single disc theatrical cut and the supremely superior three disc director's cut.

NEXT WEEK: I list the top ten WORST comic book films ever made. Hold on to your hats kids, because there's no turning back.

See you at the movies, and hopefully if I can convince you, also at the comic shop!

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