Franchise Frenzy: Hellboy

In a recent Reddit AMA (that stands for Ask Me Anything), one of my favorite directors of all-time, Guillermo Del Toro, finally threw in the towel. He finally admitted Hellboy 3 wasn't happening. The reason wasn't for lack of trying, oh goodness no. The problem was that no studio was willing to finance the project, which required a massive budget to depict the apocalyptic scenarios that occured in Del Toro's proposed story for it.


What a shame it won't come to life (even more of a shame we'll likely see Grown Ups 3 before Hellboy 3), but at least we still have the original two Hellboy adventures to adore. Perhaps the most fascinating thing about this proposed third movie is that it fits in with how each new Hellboy movie gets its own tone, while retaining the the positive aspects (the characters, visuals, Ron Perlman) of its predecessor. The third movie seemed to have a "disaster movie" vibe going on, which is quite different from the first movies sci-fi atmosphere.

I'd easily say the second Hellboy is the best of the bunch, but the first one is still a more than worthy entry on its own merits. The creatures are as memorable as always (really, if Del Toros involved, that's almost guranteed), though the characters sort of lack the depth the second one would bring, especially Selma Blairs Liz, who doesn't get much to do here. Oh, and the audience surrogate for this adventure (who helps viewers get information on all the weird and unusual things that exist within the world of Hellboy) is John Myers, whose a boring, forgettable fellow the movie spends too much time on. Do not fret though; there's more than enough of Ron Perlmans memorably gruff turn as Hellboy in here to make things fun, plus John Hurt brings his reliably enjoyable presence to the proceedings.

But it's in the second movie that things get taken to heights of excellence that never fails to dazzle me. The whole affair just has this sense of beauty in the way Del Toro brings this movie (which has the tone of a fairy tale...on acid) and its majestic visuals to life. Plus, the supporting cast, like Liz and Abe (whose voiced by Doug Jones in this adventure) are given more to do here to great results, especially Abe, who shares a scene with Hellboy that's hilarious, and surprisingly poignant. By the time this extravaganza of visual and filmmaking delight is complete, I defy one not to be entranced by the glorious world of Hellboy.

Sure, a third movie may never happen, and yeah its a massive letdown. But at least we have these two movies around (especially the second) to remind us not only of the power of visual driven storytelling, but also how effective Ron Perlman is as an actor. He's actually a fantastic dude in terms of acting capabilities, especially in his voice work, and I'm glad these two movies gave him the chance to have the spotlight. Though if Del Toro really felt like it, a Hannibal Chau movie wouldn't be a bad idea, not a bad idea at all honestly.