Choice Thoughts on Hellboy 2
Although comparison of this film with The Dark Knight is entirely expected given the chronological closeness of the two and their places within the comic book genre, I don’t think the comparison really serves either film with any fairness.
The Dark Knight has been garnished with praise beyond belief and no doubt it is an outstanding film. But it’s by no means the be all and end all of comic book movies. It’s a beautifully-created mess of a film that is very good but exhausting given the bleak worldview, relentless thematic ideas and huge performance of Heath Ledger. It leaves a space for a film like Hellboy 2 to fill, a comic book movie that eschews the engagement with real crime and overtly political issues that The Dark Knight hits and rather provides a phantasmagorical fantasy story-book world in which an audience can exist fall.
Guillermo Del Toro’s previous film prior to Hellboy 2, Pan’s Labyrinth, is among the finest pieces of work created on this side of the millennium. One of its key charms is the imagination that he manages to bring to the piece, specifically to the set design and the monsters he creates as part of the fantasy world of the lead character. Although I would argue that perhaps Hellboy 2 goes one monster too far in its array of fantastical beasts, eventually becoming an veritable conveyor belt from Del Toro’s mind, the sheer wealth of design ideas here and the consistent ability to avoid getting bogged down with overarching themes and plot gives this film a lightness on its feet that makes it both charming and hugely enjoyable to watch. Maybe it’s somewhat hollow but I think to start walking into every comic movie post-The Dark Knight expecting to watch a coruscating deconstruction of superheroes and relentless ‘dark’ storytelling is both dangerous and unwarranted. Surely there is no one who really wants to see constantly dark comic book movies because at some point, there becomes a need for entertainment to burst through and for movies to make sure they understand their place as escapism. I loved The Dark Knight, but I don’t want to go into a Hellboy film an be engaged on issues of national security, surveillance and domestic terrorism.
Hellboy 2 is fun, funny and breezy, never taking itself too seriously and providing a great slice of entertaining escapist cinema with set design and imagination to rival anything around.
Read Cassam at Screenjabber’s thoughts on the film here.
Most Anticipated Summer Movies
With so many films planned, I bet you’re all wondering what I’m most looking forward to at Electricity and Lust and well, I’m going to tell you. So here’s the five films I’m most anticipating across June, July and August along with some honorable mentions. (UK release dates)
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