HELLBOY

stars ron perlman, selma blair, rupert evans
4/5

i know, i know. you've seen trailer and immediately you think "some red guy running around fighting another 'greatest evil'". but trust me, this film is so much more than that.

ron perlman plays the title role, a demon from hell who was brought to earth by a portal created by the nazis, and raised by the FBI. yeah, its a kinda far-fetched but c'mon, it's a comic book. anyways, HB along with the FBI fight the things that go "bump in the night". enter john myers, a rookie FBI guy who has jsut been recruited to work for the bureau of paranormal research and defence (the BPRD). only when he first meets Big Red does he learn of his extence - up until then HB was a well kept secret of the FBI although there had been sightings of him.

the pair get off on a rocky start and myers soon questions why he is even there at all. but the father character in the film assures him that soon enough, his purpose will be clear.

then there's selma blair's character who is a pyrokenetic, meaning she can create fire using her mind. at the beginning of the film she has since left the bureau in search for normality in her life. but as the film progesses, she's brought back to the bureau and her purpose too, is realised.

initially i thought this film would be crap - i'd never heard of the comic before, and like i said before, its a huge red guy going around shooting up shit. but the film is amazing in the way it deals with human emotions, the choices people make, and the company we keep. director guillermero del toro (blade) has a fluid and dark way of presenting the story which i love, and the special effects are quite superb. but sfx aside, the origins of HB allow the film to explore what it is to be human and that what defines a man is not where he came from, but the choices he makes.

performances by all cast members were great, especially perlman being both the demonic HB, but at the same time being the average kinda guy who likes nachos and beer. the film is full of on-liners which is usually film suicide, but they work so well in this film that they've actually become a highlight.

-LOki