The Greatest Trick

Guillermo del Toro has become one of the most visually innovative directors in the world. His wonderful fantasy movies recall the best of Terry Gilliam, Jean Pierre Jeunet, Tim Burton and even Jean Cocteau, whilst remaining unique in their own right. Yet to describe him as a maverick would be inaccurate as his directing pattern is to make one for himself and one for Hollywood in very much the same way Orson Welles and other Hollywood greats used to. His Hollywood products (Blade II and the original Hellboy) are good pulpy fun, whereas his personal projects are revered by the arthouse crowd (Cronos, The Devil’s Backbone). His masterpiece, Pan’s Labyrinth, brought him to the attention of one Peter Jackson who has turned the upcoming Hobbit films over to him, to the delight of salivating fanboys across the internet.

Meanwhile, Hellboy II is very much a Hollywood product. Despite being a visual treat, there is little of the thought provoking ideas and profound emotions of Pan’s Labyrinth. But that’s not to say it isn’t fun. On the contrary, Hellboy II is enormous fun – big, loud, funny, and teeming with astounding monsters. The delightfully daft screenplay corrects one mistake of its predecessor in that it doesn’t spend too much time with the villains at the expense of the heroes. This time, Hellboy, his bizarre friend Abe Sapien (a kind of human fish creature with psychic powers) and girlfriend Liz (a firestarter) are firmly centre stage. They are joined by hilarious by-the-book Teutonic newcomer Johann Krauss (a kind of ectoplasmic entity in what appears to be an old fashioned diving suit).

The plot is some utter twaddle about a rogue Elf prince called Nuada (who looks like a cross between Marilyn Manson and a Wraith from Stargate Atlantis) trying to regain a crown that will enable him to command the eponymous invincible Golden Army, and thus resume a war against mankind. Our friends at the secret FBI division of paranormal whatever-it-is, reluctantly rise to the challenge whilst dealing with a bunch of predicable subplots (Hellboy and Liz’s fiery romance leaves Abe feeling sidelined, until he starts to fancy Elf princess Nuala, Nuada’s twin sister – blah, blah, blah).

But all this is merely the hook on which del Toro hangs his phenomenal visuals, throwing in monster after monster in a series of increasingly astounding set pieces. One involving a troll market simply overflows with stunning creativity in the sheer magnitude and variety of mythical beasties. Other set pieces, including a stylish animated prologue and the thrilling final battle, are so incredible one desperately wishes the screenplay made the viewer care more about the plot and characters. Watching is the cinematic equivalent of eating a cake comprised entirely of icing.

Performances are all decent. Selma Blair, Doug Jones, Jeffrey Tambor and the excellent Ron Perlman all reprise their roles to good effect. John Hurt has a fun cameo and newcomers Anna Walton, Seth MacFarlane and Luke Goss all acquit themselves well. And yes, you read that correctly. That’s Luke Goss, who used to be in late 80’s teenybopper pop combo Bros. Actually, this is the second time del Toro has used him as a villain after he played a super-vampire in Blade II. On the technical side, everything is a triumph from the astonishing production design to the truly dazzling visual effects.

One thing I like about the Hellboy films and comics are the way conventional fantasy ideas are frequently turned on their heads. Most obviously, Hellboy himself is the son of a demon who has chosen to fight for good. Some Christians get their theological knickers in a twist over this, which is downright foolish as no attempt is made to attack Christianity, nor is this in any way meant to be theologically accurate. The idea of having a demon hero is meant allegorically to symbolize someone born from a bad background who decides not to use said background as an excuse for bad decisions.

The Elves, traditionally heroes, become villains here, even though Nuada’s reasons for his crusade against humanity seem fairly reasonable to me (we’re insatiably greedy, we’re destroying all those nice pretty forests, etc, etc). Some of the most fearsome monsters – one gigantic forest god thingy for instance – turn out to be rather pretty. An enigmatic and strangely beautiful Angel of Death provides another memorable example. On the other hand, I never realized tooth fairies were so vicious and deadly.

In short, if you love monsters of all shapes and sizes, this is a hands down must-see. Otherwise, it’s a summer blockbuster raised above average by del Toro’s incredible imagination. And did I mention the monsters?

Simon Dillon, August 2008.