Hellboy II: The Golden Army (12A) (From Basingstoke Gazette)

Hellboy II: The Golden Army (12A)

12:01am Wednesday 20th August 2008 in

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THIS second instalment of the adventures of everyone's favourite big red man from the fires sees acclaimed director Guillermo del Toro seriously indulging his love of fantastical creatures.

In what's otherwise, to all intents and purposes, another of Hollywood's summer blockbusters, every shot is filled with the weird and wonderful contents of his imagination, lending a Pan's Labyrinth sensibility to the entire film.

For those who may have missed Hellboy first time around in 2004, this sequel begins with a brief recap, reacquainting us with the creature Professor Bruttenholm (John Hurt) adopted as his son, and raised to help mankind via the secret Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defence.

A beautiful animated sequence then introduces the titular army of mechanical soldiers, controlled by whoever wears a certain crown, before the opening action sequence reunites Hellboy (Ron Perlman), his girlfriend Liz (Selma Blair) and his best friend, merman Abe Sapien (Doug Jones).

They're having to deal with some really rather nasty tooth fairies - which feed on calcium - released by the vengeful Prince Nuada (Luke Goss), who wants to reunite the sections of the crown and unleash the Army. His twin sister Nuala, fearing his ambition, flees.

Alongside all of this, there's an issue with Hellboy's fame, given that shots of him keep popping up on YouTube.

He and Liz are still trying to sort out their domestic arrangements, and it's not helped by the presence of a new agent, Johann Krauss (voiced by Seth MacFarlane), who's supposed to keep an eye on things.

The completely brilliant Krauss is made up of ectoplasmic energy (a smoky vapour), which fills a suit, allowing him to walk around with at least a semblance of being a vaguely normal person.

Aside from all of the interesting characters mentioned above, Hellboy II's running time is filled with many, many others. Jones also performs The Guardian and the amazing Angel of Death, joined by Brian Steele as Mr Wink, Cathedral Head and Fragglewump, and you won't know who to look at next.

Most impressive, and I never thought I'd write these words, is Luke Goss, as the truculent Prince. His Aryan looks are perfect for the role, as is his voice, which he once put to good use getting UK teenagers into a frenzy. He's impassioned, impressively physical and very poignant in the role, so let's hope this secures further filmic success for him.

Despite some sluggish moments, Hellboy II makes for entertaining viewing, completely anchored by Perlman. The film is his show, and it wouldn't be any sort of a success at all if it wasn't for his self-deprecating hero, whose gruff exterior masks the most sentimental of hearts.

The film's highlights come from his one-liners, and the standout scene is a simple one where he and Abe, frustrated by the opposite sex, get drunk and sing loudly to Barry Manilow.

We've all been there - haven't we?