Hellboy: 10 Flaws That Prove Hellboy 3 Would've Been Better

Not only did Neil Marshall's Hellboy reboot fail to meet its original opening box-office projections, even making back its $50 million budget could be an uphill battle. Many critics praised David Harbour's portrayal of the title character, but found little else about the film to merit commendation. With the flick scoring only 15% on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of writing, moviegoers who stand by critical consensus will likely look past the current 64% audience approval rating and continue giving this R-rated adventure a hard pass.

While the new Hellboy draws heavily from the comics, one of the biggest obstacles standing in its way was not the source material, but rather Guillermo del Toro's previous adaptations. Fans of del Toro's films waited years for a Hellboy 3 that never came, and it's all too easy to wonder what we might have gotten if the director had remained on board.

The switch from sequel to reboot was a long process, and fans may never fully know what was left on the cutting room floor. A few details about the reboot, however, will make some disappointed fans pine for the sequel that they never got to see. The following ten flaws in particular are more than enough to spark mournful conjecture about what might have been...

Warning: Major spoilers for Hellboy ahead.

As detailed extensively by contributor Josh Brown, the Hellboy reboot has been the subject of numerous rumors that point to behind-the-scenes bickering and battles for creative control. Marshall was allegedly undermined by his own producers, while the script was supposedly rewritten by multiple cast and crew members without writing credits on the film. If these reports are to be believed, everything from the cinematography to the design of a single tree was grounds for in-fighting on set.

Since much of this press stems from anonymous sources, some readers may naturally take it with a grain of salt. Unfortunately, the overall dissonance of the film makes these rumors all too believable. The acting, design, and script all feel wildly inconsistent. At times, even the best performers - and the film is hardly bereft of actors with stellar credits to their names - deliver their lines without enthusiasm.

Ultimately, Hellboy has moments where you can tell a lot of work and passion went into it. Other times, however, it feels as if the cast and crew were simply trying to wrap up the shoot without caring about the end result.

There was never any doubt that Guillermo del Toro, Ron Perlman, and the rest of the cast and crew of the original Hellboy films collaborated well. They formed such a strong bond that Perlman wouldn't reprise his role without del Toro's involvement, a factor which contributed to bucking the sequel in favor of a reboot.

The del Toro films weren't always perfect, but they at least felt like part of a cohesive effort. Sadly, the same can't be said for the latest flop.