Hellboy Review: 3 Ups & 7 Downs

The dubiously-anticipated Hellboy reboot is now in cinemas worldwide, and falling in line with months of rumours that it was a troubled production, the superhero movie has opened to near-universal critical scorn.

And indeed, there isn't really much point trying to defend the film that director Neil Marshall and his cast have delivered - an insanely sloppy, overcooked, loud and stunningly dull car crash of elements that just don't fit well together.

Even with a sensibly low $50 million budget, the film's going to face tough competition from Shazam! and Avengers: Endgame at the box office - to say nothing of the effect the reviews will have - only further cementing how this reboot ultimately did nothing for anyone (not even studio executives).

If you're in the mood for an entrancingly bizarre dumpster fire of a film, you might get something out of this, but you still need to consider whether it's truly worth 121 minutes of your life.

There was certainly promise here, but it was almost entirely squandered amid a roughshod production that reportedly left Marshall, star David Harbour and producers constantly at odds. So first up, here's what didn't work...