Hellboy II – The Golden Army, Blu-ray (2008)
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Starring: Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones
Studio: Universal 61105623
Video: 1.85:1 for 16:9 color, 1080p HD (Disc 1; Disc 2 is standard DVD for bonus features)
Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1, Spanish or French DTS 5.1, DD 5.1 (Disc 2)
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
Extras: Feature commentary track with Guillermo del Toro, Commentary track with cast members, (On separate standard DVD:) Digital file copy, “Hellboy: In Service of the Demon” – over two hour look at the creation of Hellboy II, Production workshop puppet theater, Image galleries, Deleted scenes with director’s commentary, Troll market tour with del Toro, Zinco epilogue animated comic; U-Control Exclusives: Concept Art Gallery, Director’s Notebook, Set Visits; BD Live Exclusive: Comic Book Builder
Length: Two hours
Rating: *****
The master of dark-but-not-too-dark fantasy films, is back from his successes with the original Hellboy and Pan’s Labyrinth. This time he takes comic book creator Mike Mignola’s scarlet red monster with a giant rocklike right hand and tail and puts him in opposition to a fantastic array of creatures dreamt up by del Toro – some clearly recycled from Pan’s Labyrinth. The Blu-ray cover is 3D. His main adversary in the sequel is Elf Prince Luala, who wants to end the eons-old truce between the fairies and humans by control of the unstoppable Golden Army. The prince tests Hellboy’s dedication to keeping the various monsters under control, by reminding him he is really one of them – one of the “others.”
Among new elements in the story are a more self-sufficient Liz the fire-starter, and the revelation that’s she is pregnant with twins from Hellboy, sea-creature Abe falling in love for the first time, and a new boss of the monster-control organization named Johann – who is basically a tin suit with ectoplasm in it. There is an hilarious scene between Johann and Hellboy, as well as one between Abe and Hellboy which del Toro says in his commentary track was the most fun of any scene he had ever filmed. The two get drunk on Hellboy’s stash of Tecate while singing along with a Barry Manilow love song. Did I mention the wonderful humor in the movie? That’s one of the things that makes Hellboy my favorite superhero; also the fact that although he’s often juvenile and headstrong, a TV, candy bar and Cuban cigar addict, but he also loves cats and has a heart of gold. The scene of him leaping about a crumbling building while cradling the baby he’s rescued in his tail is just one example.
I didn’t have time for the second disc of in-depth extras, but for the first time in a bit I viewed the entire film using del Toro’s fascinating commentary track. At the same time I selected the English subtitles so I could see the dialog going on while the director was speaking. He obviously had a ball indulging in his self-named fetishes for gears, mechanical things, bizarre creatures, caves and dark things. He even paid out of his own pocket for some huge duct work above the throne of the elf-king, because it wasn’t in the budget and he wanted to have his design realized in his film. Some of the exteriors were shot in Budapest, but they had to skip an ornate national bank building the location people had felt perfect for the film. The bank evidently didn’t believe this was a sequel to Hellboy that they were shooting and were afraid it might be a ruse to rob their bank! Del Toro’s creatures shouldn’t be confused with Victorian, Alice-in-Wonderland creatures. No, no – they’re much more twisted. The scene at the Troll Market under the Brooklyn Bridge is mind-blowing. I especially dug the tiny psychedelic Gumbys with two heads and three arms, and the large bulbous bare-chested man to whom Johann says “Hope I didn’t disturb your baby.” And the baby says “I’m not a baby, I’m a tumor.”
There are some well-staged fights between Hellboy and the Prince, as well as other otherworld baddies sent against him. The concluding scene with the Golden Army is spectacular – del Toro’s gear-and-fire fetish in full flower. The Blu-ray transfer is glorious and if you sit close enough to your screen the experience is not that scaled-down from the theatrical version I had seen earlier (and with my sofa-mounted transducer, the sound was even better). BD-Live, which requires an Internet-capable player and hookup, lets one text-chat with friends who may be watching the movie at the same time. It also allows you to show friends your favorite scenes from the movie, and to see footage from a new Angelina Jolie feature. The U-Control feature (both of these only work on the latest players with the latest firmware installed) allows viewers to explore the making of the film without leaving the movie itself. On Hellboy II it includes Schufften Goggle View, Director’s Notebook, Set Visits, and a Comic Book Back-Story Interactive feature. (But are these things people really want or are they just new promotable features that “they” decided we should want?)
– John Sunier
