Newgnfr Christian film reviews

February 12, 2010

Friday Rewind: Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)

***Originally posted on July 30, 2008***

Should I see it?
No.

Short Review: You know how you thought the first one was going to stink but it didn't? This is the movie you thought you were going to get the first time.

The original Hellboy film was a pleasant surprise. Almost to a person, everyone I know who saw the first film said something to the effect "I thought it was going to be lame but it was pretty good." If you're holding out for another such surprise, I'm here to tell you to you can move on.

The film is pointless sequel. It doesn't expand upon the relationships and story developed in the first film and it doesn't create enough new content to stand on its own. After some spryness to open the film, the whole production lounges back into tedious fight sequences and nonsensical fantasy mumbo jumbo.

Hellboy and his cohorts stand up for humanity when the mythical world beings to rebel. Apparently, humans and all of the extras from Lord of the Rings used to be at war and this and that happened and eventually the mythical creatures were all sent underground. Well, now they're cranky and coming to take over. The mythical folks are led by the aggressive Prince Nuada who looks like the demon spawn of Edgar Winter and acts just like a over reaching character actor stuck in a poorly written role that is still beyond the grasp of his talents. Prince Over Actor, confronts Hellboy and friends in well designed sets and perform some practiced fight choreography.

Written and directed by Guillermo Del Toro, the aesthetics of the film are top notch. The man is a great designer. Visually, there's nothing to find fault in, visually its a treat. His script is the failure of the production. Del Toro's script is predictable, forced and not befitting his design or his cast. Ron Perlman in particular seems almost bored by the expectations of his dialog. In the original film he was given an interesting character to fulfill and he clearly mined the role for everything it was worth. In this film, Perlman is given little to work with and therefore doesn't produce much beyond some grunted one liners and a sense he should be doing more. On top of this one conflict doesn't smoothly lead to the next and its not clear how they all work as one cohesive path to the final fight. This gives the film a stuttering, disjointed feel that never settles down long enough to allow for any real development to take place. Del Toro would have had the same flow if he had a title board pop up between scenes that read "...and then this happens!"

I wanted to enjoy this film. Del Toro is one of the strongest filmmakers working right now, I have high regard for his vision and his craftiness. Unfortunately, he misses his mark here and wastes a strong cast. Rewatch the first film and skip this one.

Click on the poster to view the trailer

Related Reviews:
Other superheroes
Iron Man (2008)
The Dark Knight (2008)

Other Critic's Reviews:
The Critical Critics
ReelViews

Labels: Doug Jones, film, Guillermo Del Toro, Jeffrey Tambor, John Hurt, Luke Goss, movie review, Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Seth MacFarlane

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November 10, 2008

El Orfanato “The Orphanage” (2007)

Should I see it?
Yes.

This is a very patient and intelligent ghost story. Sparse use of cheap horror theatrics, director Juan Antonio Bayona spends time developing characters and situations and allows the story to drive the spookiness. This film is more aligned with Poe inspired horror rather than the blunt Stephen King variety.

Consider this one if you're a fan of Guillermo del Toro. He is the producer of the film and his style is all over this production. It is has the same qualities as del Toro's The Devil's Backbone.

Related Reviews:
Guillermo del Toro movies
The Devil's Backbone (2001)
Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)

Other Critic's Reviews:
Roger Ebert
Mark Reviews Movies

Labels: film, foreign film, Guillermo Del Toro, horror, movie review

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July 30, 2008

Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)

Should I see it?
No.

Short Review: You know how you thought the first one was going to stink but it didn't? This is the movie you thought you were going to get the first time.

Click on the poster to view the trailer

The original Hellboy film was a pleasant surprise. Almost to a person, everyone I know who saw the first film said something to the effect "I thought it was going to be lame but it was pretty good." If you're holding out for another such surprise, I'm here to tell you to you can move on.

The film is pointless sequel. It doesn't expand upon the relationships and story developed in the first film and it doesn't create enough new content to stand on its own. After some spryness to open the film, the whole production lounges back into tedious fight sequences and nonsensical fantasy mumbo jumbo.

Hellboy and his cohorts stand up for humanity when the mythical world beings to rebel. Apparently, humans and all of the extras from Lord of the Rings used to be at war and this and that happened and eventually the mythical creatures were all sent underground. Well, now they're cranky and coming to take over. The mythical folks are led by the aggressive Prince Nuada who looks like the demon spawn of Edgar Winter and acts just like a over reaching character actor stuck in a poorly written role that is still beyond the grasp of his talents. Prince Over Actor, confronts Hellboy and friends in well designed sets and perform some practiced fight choreography.

Written and directed by Guillermo Del Toro, the aesthetics of the film are top notch. The man is a great designer. Visually, there's nothing to find fault in, visually its a treat. His script is the failure of the production. Del Toro's script is predictable, forced and not befitting his design or his cast. Ron Perlman in particular seems almost bored by the expectations of his dialog. In the original film he was given an interesting character to fulfill and he clearly mined the role for everything it was worth. In this film, Perlman is given little to work with and therefore doesn't produce much beyond some grunted one liners and a sense he should be doing more. On top of this one conflict doesn't smoothly lead to the next and its not clear how they all work as one cohesive path to the final fight. This gives the film a stuttering, disjointed feel that never settles down long enough to allow for any real development to take place. Del Toro would have had the same flow if he had a title board pop up between scenes that read "...and then this happens!"

I wanted to enjoy this film. Del Toro is one of the strongest filmmakers working right now, I have high regard for his vision and his craftiness. Unfortunately, he misses his mark here and wastes a strong cast. Rewatch the first film and skip this one.

Related Reviews:
Other superheroes
Iron Man (2008)
The Dark Knight (2008)

Other Critic's Reviews:
The Critical Critics
ReelViews

Labels: film, Guillermo Del Toro, Jeffrey Tambor, movie review, Ron Perlman, Selma Blair

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June 30, 2008

Movie Trailer: Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Guillermo Del Toro has proven himself to be quite the cultural force and one seriously talented filmmaker. He returns to helm this sequel to 2004's Hellboy. The films are based on the graphic novel* of the same name. Ron Perlman also returns as the demonic, cigar chomping hero.

It would seem easy to dismiss this film, and its predecessor, as another example of the decline of our society - great, now the devil is the good guy. Its a fair criticism to an extent, this is well designed spot of post modernism. In a strange way, the play of what Hellboy is (a demon) opposing what he tries to be (a hero) has some interesting subtext going going for it.

Del Toro put a good deal of thought into his first outing and created an enjoyable twist on what should have been a predicable McMovie. This one? Well, Perlman seems made for this role and Del Toro's eye for design is certainly in full effect. If the story is sound it will probably be worth the hassle of seeing it in the theater.

Visit the official site

Return to the Movie Trailer Page

* - "Graphic novel" eh? How fancy, its a novel but its graphic. It's a comic book with better binding. And while we're at it, action figures are dolls.

Screenwriter: Guillermo del Toro (El Laberinto del fauno (Pan's Labyrinth))
Director: Guillermo del Toro (Blade II)
Actors: Ron Perlman (The Ice Pirates), Selma Blair (The Fog), Doug Jones (Lady in the Water), Jeffrey Tambor (Hellboy), Luke Goss (One Night with the King), and John Hurt (V for Vendetta)

Labels: Guillermo Del Toro, Jeffrey Tambor, John Hurt, movie trailer, Ron Perlman, Selma Blair

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El Espinazo del diablo “The Devil’s Backbone” (2001)

Should I see it?
Yes.

Fans of Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth will find familiar ground covered here. This earlier film shows del Toro’s touch and has the same mystical vibe as his international hit. Carlos (Fernando Tielve) is left at an far away orphanage in 1939 Spain. There he discovers the ghost of a boy who holds a secret that haunts the place. The final act gets a little rushed and there are some moments harsh sex and violence. Forgiving these things, the piece is intelligent and worthwhile.

Related Reviews:
Fantasy movies
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988)
The Brothers Grimm (2005)

Other Critic's Reviews:
Beyond Hollywood
Pop Matters

Labels: film, Guillermo Del Toro, movie review