7/10
Although Guillermo del Toro is
often thought of as a horror director, his past few films have
revealed his true interest lied not so much in horror as in fairytales.
The apotheosis of that trend was arguably Pan’s Labyrinth;
but it continues unabated in his new film, Hellboy 2: The
Golden Army.
It’s been a fair stretch since the last Hellboy
film (4 years) but del Toro’s burgeoning reputation and
the character’s loyal fan following have conspired to make
this one of the more anticipated releases of the year so far.
If you’re one of those who’s been looking forward
to this film, I doubt you’ll be disappointed.
The Golden Army is another good example
of why del Toro is becoming a real force in cinema as he again
comes up with a winning formula. That formula is based on a solid,
coherent script steeped in myth, and includes classic del Toro
touches like bizarre creatures and terrific action, but yet retaining
a sense of humour about the whole thing.
Mythic elements provide the backdrop to the story.
Seems in the dim, dark past a war was fought between humans and
creatures like elves, sprites and ogres. The king of the elves
unleashes a mechanical army swathed in golden armour that wreaks
carnage on the humans. Appalled at what he’s done, the king
decides to strike a deal – the humans will stick to the
cities, the elves to the woods, and the golden army decommissioned.
To do so, the king breaks the crown that gives him power over
the army into three. But of course, the reunion of the three parts
will give whoever possesses the crown power to control the invincible
golden army. Yes, it’s a bit Lord of the Rings, but it ties
into several strands of European mythology.
In the first Hellboy, we were introduced
to the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Development –
a.k.a. BPRD – run by Tom Manning (Jeffrey Tambor). It’s
still home to Hellboy (Ron Perlman) and the literally incendiary
Liz Sherman (Selma Blair), but the pair have gotten rather cosier
than when we last saw them. Liz is acting strangely, and Hellboy
is itching to break out of the BPRD’s veil of secrecy. That
opportunity arrives when an auction is disrupted by the arrival
of the rather creepy Prince Nuada (Luke Goss), heir to the elf
kingdom, and someone who’s not too keen on seeing the truce
with the humans upheld any longer. He, of course, is seeking the
crown. With the aid of the intelligent Abe Sapien (Doug Jones)
and newcomer Johann Krauss (voiced by Seth MacFarlane), the BPRD
must prevent Nuada from finding the three pieces.
Del
Toro brings together several threads of his previous work in this
film. Immediately recognisable will be some of the creatures that
inhabited Pan’s Labyrinth, and the way del Toro
makes heroes of his “freaks” – a frequent theme
in his films. Possibly less obvious are the intriguingly mechanised
apparatus that make up the golden army, which echo his breakthrough
film Cronos; and the intersection between the real and
the fantastic, which informed films like The Devil’s
Backbone.
While there are also elements here that are a little
more pedestrian (I could have done without the scene that mirrors
a feature of the Harry Potter films, for instance); but del Toro’s
assured direction and eye for the remarkable generally overcome
these deficiencies.
Under all the make-up, Ron Perlman (a fantastic
but wildly underrated actor, in my opinion) does a sterling job
as the titular character. Bear in mind too that Perlman is pushing
60, but still manages to give great life to the mutant hero. Selma
Blair gets a rather larger role than she did in the previous instalment
of this series, and brings some much-needed nuance to the piece.
Jeffrey Tambor – who cracks me up whenever I see him on-screen
– is again memorable as Manning, while Luke Goss and Anna
Walton are suitably aloof as elvish siblings.
Fans of Hellboy won’t need any convincing
to get out and see this film. For everyone else, despite the surfeit
of superhero flicks doing the rounds at the moment, this is a
film worth catching if you have the chance. Del Toro rarely disappoints,
and The Golden Army is no exception.
Del
Toro brings together several threads of his previous work in this
film. Immediately recognisable will be some of the creatures that
inhabited Pan’s Labyrinth, and the way del Toro
makes heroes of his “freaks” – a frequent theme
in his films. Possibly less obvious are the intriguingly mechanised
apparatus that make up the golden army, which echo his breakthrough
film Cronos; and the intersection between the real and
the fantastic, which informed films like The Devil’s
Backbone.