Hellboy II
So here’s my take on Hellboy II. I feel like this movie is getting a pass from most critics, and it shouldn’t: it’s not nearly as good as the original. Some of this is blind Guillermo Del Toro love, some of it is a hangover from the critical success of the first movie.
Speaking of Del Toro, did you know he turned down a chance to direct Se7en? Here was his reasoning:
I rightfully said no to Se7en, because it was a great script but it was a very cynical view of the world. I loved it, I wanted to see it, but I’m a romantic, fat bastard and I don’t subscribe to that view.
Hey, if he’s not feeling it, he’s not feeling it…but to say that Se7en had a “very cynical view of the world” and that’s the reason he turned it down…I mean, really? This from the man who made Pan’s Labyrinth, easily one of the darkest movies of the last decade? Hokay…
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2 Comments - add your own
Christian Toto — July 11, 2008 at 10:55 am
Agreed … del Toro worship has only just begun. The flick works best as a series of well choreographed set pieces … it’s not a story.
When I was writing my review that became crystal clear to me — how do I describe this to the reader? If I struggle putting the plot together, then something’s amiss with what the movie was trying to convey.
Makes you wonder how del Toro will botch “The Hobbit” …
Still, Perlman is a hoot as Red.
Sonny Bunch — July 11, 2008 at 11:00 am
The thing is, I love Del Toro…I think Blade II was a ton of fun, and Hellboy is one of the five best comic book movies ever made. Pan’s Labyrinth vies with Time Bandits for my favorite fantasy flick of all time. But this is definitely a misfire. I trust him with The Hobbit for two reasons: Peter Jackson is producing and has the force of will to keep him in line, and the story is already in place.