| Title: | Hellboy |
| Rating: | PG-13 |
| Release Date: | April 2, 2004 |
| When seen: | Opening Night |
| Venue: | Uptown Theater Washington, DC |
| Review: | Excellent! |
Hellboy is a fun adaptation of the Dark Horse comic book (at least to my eyes, never having read the comic book, though having heard many good things about it). The movie is a great mix of dark drama and dark comedy. It's very dark all around. That's probably why I enjoyed it. The main character, Hellboy, is a sort of demon creature who has some extraordinary abilities, such as being immune to fire. But he's got a very human desire to be "normal". Throughout the film, Hellboy keeps his horns filed down to stumps in his effort to fit in. It does a very good job of being funny, but at the same time making you feel sad for his situation. The basic plot involves a Nazi scheme to take over the world, and some pretty icky creatures that don't want to die. Hellboy keeps up a very witty dialog throughout his various encounters, though the humor is tempered somewhat by the writers' willingness to let characters die. The special effects are wonderful, and some of the imagery was absolutely remarkable -- to the point where it entered my dreams last night. This film will definitely enter my DVD collection, and it may even be worth seeing again.