A fluid continuation of the original, Hellboy II: The Golden Army sees director Guillermo Del Toro back reteaming with his hand-picked star Ron Perlman and the duo picking up where they left off in ‘04. Once again Hellboy is dealing with his lot in life and his ongoing role as savior of the human race, all the while being relegated to lurking amongst the shadows and avoiding human interaction. On top of which, Hellboy now has newfound relationship issues with his girlfriend, the fire-starter Liz. The tone, atmosphere and expert craftsmanship of Del Toro are plainly visible – even if some of these creatures tend to resemble Pan’s Labyrinth rejects – but the storyline is a bit of a letdown, leaving Hellboy toiling away at issues he already dealt with in the first. The story leaves little room for the character to grow and while the action is extremely well orchestrated, the heart of Hellboy II lies in scenes such as the one where Hellboy’s laying around with Abe, ruminating on his love life and public image with a beer in hand and a bud to open up to. For some reason there’s something memorable about a Buick-sized Devil and an amphibian man singing “Can’t Smile Without You” into a couple empty cold ones. These are the scenes that make it good to have him back, but next time let’s give him some more room to grow.
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