Hellboy II: The Golden Army, surely one of the more unique comic book movies in existence, is frequently forgotten about when it comes to ranking the greats of the genre - and yet Guillermo del Toro's picture is one of very few comic book movies that feels intimate and personal to the person behind the camera whilst retaining a mainstream appeal. So Del Toro wasn't given permission to start work on this brilliant sequel - which stars Ron Pearlman as the iconic titular character - until Pan's Labyrinth became an unqualified success. The plot here isn't necessarily amazing, as Hellboy is tasked with stopping a crazy Prince (Luke Goss) from taking control of an ancient army, but the way in which the story is constructed - visually stunning set-pieces, fight scenes and immensely detailed and creative segue-way scenes pave the way - leaves little room for criticism. Pretty much, then, del Toro uses Hellboy II as an avenue to render the depths of his imagination on the big screen until his heart's content. As result, there's a keen sense of blockbuster poetry to the film.
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
