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Hellboy II: The Golden Army
Universal Pictures


7.3

based on 36 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 127 votes
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FILM:

MPAA RATING: PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and some language

Starring Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones, Luke Goss, Seth MacFarlane, Anna Walton, Brian Steele, and John Hurt

After an ancient truce existing between humankind and the invisible realm of the fantastic is broken, hell on Earth is ready to erupt. A ruthless leader who treads the world above and the one below defies his bloodline and awakens an unstoppable army of creatures. Now, it’s up to the planets toughest, roughest superhero to battle the merciless dictator and his marauders. He may be red. He may be horned. He may be misunderstood. But when you need the job done right, it’s time to call in Hellboy. (Universal Pictures)

GENRE(S):	Action \| Adventure \| Comedy \| Drama \| Fantasy \| Sci-fi
WRITTEN BY:	Mike Mignola (comic book& story) Guillermo del Toro (& story)
DIRECTED BY:	Guillermo del Toro
RELEASE DATE:	Theatrical: July 11, 2008
RUNNING TIME:	110 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	USA

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

The Hollywood Reporter Michael Rechtshaffen

With writer-director del Toro given free license to go where his singular vision takes him, Hellboy II plays like Guillermo's Greatest Hits with even hotter visual effects.

100

Salon.com Stephanie Zacharek

Poetic, funny, darkly romantic and beautifully structured -- is a very different picture from "Pan's Labyrinth." But there's no doubt that it springs from the same cathedral.

100

Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan

Del Toro is almost alone in his ability to re-create on screen the wide-eyed exhilaration and disturbing grotesqueness that is the legacy of reading comics on the page.

Slate Dana Stevens

Perlman's Red is hilarious, combining the gritty delivery of a film noir cop with the physiognomy of a horned behemoth. And the script, by del Toro and Mignola, alternates action smackdowns with sweet, goofy moments, like a scene in which Red and the lovelorn Abe drink beer and croon along with a Barry Manilow record.

Time Richard Corliss

If the film is just as strange and endearing as its glowing protagonist -- and it is -- that's because the director and co-writer (with Mignola) is Guillermo del Toro, 43, who has the wildest imagination and grandest ambitions of anybody in modern movies.

Variety John Anderson

Not to disparage the f/x guys, but what's onscreen in Hellboy II is all about the seismic eruptions in del Toro's head. Comparing his work to most fantasy cinema is like comparing cave drawings to the Cathedral of Cologne.

Washington Post Ann Hornaday

As he has done in all his movies, from creature features such as "Mimic" to serious dramas such as "Pan's Labyrinth," del Toro creates unforgettable images, filled with color, texture, lyricism and horror.

Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern

Hugely inventive -- and smashingly beautiful.

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

Imagine the forges of hell crossed with the extraterrestrial saloon on Tatooine, and you have a notion of Guillermo del Toro's Hellboy II: The Golden Army.

Miami Herald Rene Rodriguez

It's a dry, mundane title. It's also the only thing about the film that doesn't blow your mind right out of its comfortable, I've-seen-all-this-before rut.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Nathan Rabin

Ron Perlman returns as the film's loveable title character, a demon gone good who's tough on the outside but tender underneath, with a soft spot for kittens, candy, and babies.

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

The Golden Army dazzles like something out of "Jason and the Argonauts." To make a comic-book fantasy this derivative yet this dazzling requires more than technique. It takes a director in touch with his inner hellboy.

Village Voice Chuck Wilson

Despite the rosary beads Red wraps around his wrist, Hellboy II doesn't have much on its mind, but few will care since del Toro and his stellar "Pan's Labyrinth" team, including Oscar-winning cinematographer Guillermo Navarro, stage one virtuoso set-piece after another.

New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman

The endlessly inventive del Toro creates visual fantasies unlike any other, and the creatures on display here are truly extraordinary. But amid all the costumes, all the action, and all the special effects, it's the humanity that makes his work so memorable. Yes, the monsters are amazing. But the moment when a heartsick Hellboy discovers Barry Manilow? Priceless.

Film Threat Pete Vonder Haar

Better than the first in some ways: the superfluous Agent Meyers is gone, Doug Jones is great as Abe, and Strauss is an amusing addition (if almost structurally identical to Kroenen).

Empire Helen O'Hara

As much Tolkien's baby as Mignola's, this has more heart and humour than most fantasy films can dream of. Hellaciously good.

Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov

It's not perfect -- thank Satan! -- but Hellboy II: The Golden Army is by far the most splendidly imaginative and creatively uncorked piece of fantastic cinema since the director's "Pan's Labyrinth" netted an Oscar trifecta in 2007.

Chicago Tribune Michael Phillips

The movie overall is engaging, though it's more cavalier regarding story and relentless in its action than its predecessor.

ReelViews James Berardinelli

Hellboy II is solid entertainment, but it's a shame such blemishes prevent it from achieving a higher level.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold

It definitely gives us our money's worth in the sheer volume of its imaginative fantasy creatures and it's that rare superhero-movie sequel that's better than the original.

USA Today Claudia Puig

Highly imaginative and consistently amusing without pretensions.

San Francisco Chronicle Peter Hartlaub

The talented fantasy filmmaker and heir to the "Lord of the Rings" throne gets the tone right throughout Hellboy 2, and the hip retro charm alone is enough to merit recommendation.

Rolling Stone Peter Travers

A surprise package of fun, fright and untamed imagination.

Portland Oregonian Shawn Levy

The sheer volume of amazing things that del Toro is able to mine from his unconscious and render plausibly on the screen is remarkable. Hellboy II feels pretty sequel-y, as these things go, but there's a lot in it that has no precedent of any kind, anywhere, ever. That stuff makes it worthwhile.

Christian Science Monitor Peter Rainer

Hellboy II comes across as an original. But being original is not always the same thing as being wonderful.

Baltimore Sun Michael Sragow

Del Toro stuffs the film with wit and wonderments. Yet, coming out this superhero summer, it plays like a lovingly crafted synthesis of every fantasy saga we've seen in the past decade.

Boston Globe Ty Burr

Of all the comic book movies that have spun out of theaters this long and pulpy summer, Guillermo del Toro's Hellboy II: The Golden Army is the most unapologetically comic book-y.

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

The same super-heated visual imagination that made Guillermo del Toro's "Pan's Labyrinth" such a darkly thrilling delight is very much in evidence in his sequel to "Hellboy." It's a shame that it's at the service of such a blandly conventional story.

Chicago Reader Joshua Katzman

A funny, offbeat superhero flick.

The New York Times A.O. Scott

The whole affair is pulpy, jokey, sometimes touching and frequently nonsensical: a big mess and, mostly, a lot of fun.

Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea

Goes somewhere the first "Hellboy" never ventured: into the Realms of Tedium.

Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman

Fanboys won't mind the absence of depth or emotion; they may even welcome it for making the film more representative of its comic-book origins. The rest of us, however, cannot rejoice at the overspending and overkill likely to come in Hellboy III.

Premiere Stuart Levine

It's in the script, however, that del Toro the writer falls a wee bit short of del Toro the visionary.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Liam Lacey

Like a lot of well-staged parties, though, the affair peaks shortly after the introductions, and then devolves into intrigues, fights and mayhem.

New York Post Kyle Smith

Despite all of the hideous critters Hellboy encounters, there is a hint that things are considerably weirder elsewhere.

New York Magazine David Edelstein

The best scene is when Hellboy and Abe get drunk and sing out raucously, which after "Hancock" suggests a trend toward superhero alcoholism.

The average user rating for this movie is 7.3 (out of 10) based on 127 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Nick gave it an8:
Loved it - much more so than the first film. I found it frequently beautiful and moving, enjoyed all the performances. My only qualm is that the 2nd movement before the finale needed some tightening up... it slowed down just a little too much for my liking. All in all though I thought it was great.

Chris K gave it a2:
Good visuals. Nearly everything else to do with the plot was contrived, and obvious. If you didn't see the ending coming within the first scene i'm sorry, you've failed miserably. There are just so many plot holes... if you sit back and think for one second it becomes a huge joke. Oh and the 'reason'... did she just swap one word and rip the Neo/Trinity speech at the end of The Matrix? The action is passable, but largely boring (and goes with the Underworld Evolution approach of 'aah, so they are immune to bullets.... what shall i do..... fire more bullets'... It's not even funny. Equallying Crystal Skull in sheer rubbishness. I nearly fell asleep a few times, and i almost left. You could only make this film worse by giving Lucas some control, and even then he'd only add some stupid small animals and some extra sound effects for no good reason at all.

Nick K. gave it a2:
Painful viewing experience. The first movie wasn't very good but much easier to take than number II. The ending of the movie is thrown in your face about half way through and then when it actually happens you're still expected to be surprised by it. Hey, but the visual effects are great!

Jordan R. gave it a6:
Fairly well done, Del Toro's visual extravaganza goes slightly over board though. It feels like some points we are just watching the stuff Del Toro dreams about. The Humor is fairly dry but gets a chuckle.

Vezar gave it a10:
Tsk, tsk! You can't recognize greatness when is front you, because you are so closed minded, this is one of the best fantasy movies ever, and a true work of art.

Nick B gave it a10:
Most satisfying surrealistic action fantasy movie I've ever seen, and noticeably better than the first Hellboy. I may have watched Dark Knight and thought, "here is a film which transcends its genre", but with Hellboy 2 I saw a film that had mastered its own genre, and made it fun, as well.

Gabe N. gave it a2:
This movie is bad bordering on the incompetent. I was a fan of the first movie, even with all its flaws, and had high expectations for the sequel. The fear set in almost immediately with the scene between a young Hellboy and Professor Bruttenholm IJohn Hurt banking a paycheck). This was not Hellboy as a kid - this was Guillermo del Toro lazily and incomprehensibly grafting a pointless backstory onto the film. It was downhill from there. Hellboy has gone from a flawed hero to a mildly repulsive loser. Individual scenes fall apart with no sense of significance or consequence (e.g. killing the elemental is done purely to let loose the set designers even though emotionally it's completely disconnected from the narrative). And all the praise the art direction and creature design has received in completely undeserved. Taking a monster from the Star Wars cantina scene and putting a house on top of its head is not design, it's self-indulgence. Just like fight scenes, good monster design has to tell you something about the world, the characters, or the story, and not just be an excuse for more latex costumes composed of pieces selected by a random number generator. B--23! A monster with wings and bananas. C-17! A siamese twin with a mouth where its belly button goes. This was a badly written, ill conceived film that comes across as a director indulging his worst tendencies. It makes me worried for The Hobbit.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army Universal Pictures

Hellboy II: The Golden Army
Universal Pictures