9. Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)
Universal PicturesGuillermo del Toro's Hellboy was a solid cinematic introduction to the eponymous big red demon, and with the origin story and world-building out of the way, the Mexican director was able to go for broke in the sequel. His love for the source material is clear, and the attention to detail is evident in every frame. Deftly blending superheroics, sci-fi and fantasy, The Golden Army offers even more action, humor and heart than its predecessor. Ron Perlman is again spot-on as the title character, equally comfortable being both a bad-ass and a hopeless romantic, especially in the hilarious rendition of 'Can't Smile Without You', while Luke Goss provides a surprisingly physically intimidating villain. As you would expect from a del Toro production, the design of the movie is gorgeous; everything from the sets (the Troll Market in particular) to the creatures are wildly inventive, and with a bigger budget the sequel doesn't skimp on the set-pieces either. The only bad thing is that it seems increasingly unlikely that audiences will ever get to see Hellboy III.