Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Starring Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, and Doug Jones
Directed by Guillermo del Toro
Rated PG-13

This is still an entertaining film for about the last hour - at least that's where the real highlights are - and it does show the near boundless limitations on director Guillermo del Toro's unique imagination.

Beginning with what's right, the most important thing is that the story works as a sequel. This movie doesn't feel tacked on just to make money. Hellboy, of course, is played by Ron Perlman, and he's great in the character, pretty much an average man's man who happens to be some sort of indestructible mutant. But he smokes cigars, drinks Tecate, is losing his hair, and has real problems with his lady, the fire breathin' Selma Blair.

The various other monsters and odd creatures are the true accomplishments in Hellboy II, from the returning Abe Sapien (Doug Jones) to the gaseous scientist Johann Strauss (voiced by Seth McFarlane). In fact, it is Jones, used by del Toro in both the previous Hellboy and Pan's Labyrinth as well, and he functions here as multiple characters, most memorably as a spooky Angel of Death in the film's final act. It's worth debating how much better the films are because of Jones' physical portrayals.

The villains aren't nearly as intriguing, although their story is rich and detailed, if not tremendously compelling. There was an agreement long ago that man would rule the cities and the imps, goblins, elfs, orcs, and all the rest would roam the forests. The king of the other world had commissioned a mechanical golden army that man could not stop, but rather than bring destruction down on the planet, he dismantled the army...but not the soldiers.

Thousands of years later, the king's son, Prince Nuada (Luke Goss), vows to bring back the army and rid Earth of man once and for all - pretty much the same thing The Happening was about, only with visible villains. Goss is powerfully evil, puts up a good fight when it matter, and looks effectively creepy throughout. In fact, everything in this movie looks good.

But there's a little too much attention paid to life on the home front for Hellboy, who wrestles with domestic bliss and his emotions in almost equal measure. And though a down-in-the-dumps Hellboy provides a surprising musical interlude that is the comic highlight of the film, it's a long way to go to get the laugh. Because the story is so complex, Hellboy II would have been better served avoiding a lot of the strife with the wife and focusing on the action.

As it stands, it's still a hell of a lot of fun...eventually.