Hellboy 2: The Golden Army - Preview
Preview by Jack Foley
WITH a signature blend of action, humour and character-based spectacle, the saga of the world’s toughest, kitten-loving hero from Hell continues to unfold in Hellboy 2: The Golden Army – released in UK cinemas on August 22, 2008.
Bigger muscle, badder weapons and more ungodly villains arrive in an epic vision of imagination from Oscar®-nominated director Guillermo Del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy).
The plot this time concerns what happens after an ancient truce existing between humankind and the invisible realm of the fantastic is broken, meaning that 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 planet’s 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 (Ron Perlman).
Along with his expanding team in the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Development – pyrokinetic girlfriend Liz (Selma Blair), aquatic empath Abe (Doug Jones) and protoplasmic mystic Johann – the BPRD will travel between the surface strata and the unseen magical one, where creatures of fantasy become corporeal.
And Hellboy, a creature of two worlds who’s accepted by neither, must choose between the life he knows and an unknown destiny that beckons him.
Troubled history
Needless to say, Hellboy fans will be rejoicing at the prospect of a new adventure for their horny hero, especially since a sequel hadn’t looked possible a couple of years ago.
The original – although admired by critics and loved by fans – took under $100 million at the worldwide box office and seemed destined to become a superhero flop.
But distributor Sony was moved to consider revisiting the world by the film’s DVD performance, where it grew into something of a phenomenon. Alas, Sony pulled out once Del Toro had conceived the idea of a sequel and all concerned were forced to pursue other projects.
Del Toro, though, never gave up hope and kept pitching the idea until Universal stepped in with an 11th hour offer and the Hellboy team was quickly reassembled.
The result is a blockbuster rumoured to have cost $72 million, which finds Del Toro bringing his unique vision to multi-plex audiences who may have missed out the first time, or steered clear of Pan’s Labyrinth because it had subtitles.
Or, to coin a phrase from Hellboy himself, aka Ron Perlman, in an interview with Empire magazine: “This is not some pop-culture comic-book romp. This is mind-boggling and beautiful. This is f**king cinema!”
We can’t wait. To get a taste of what to expect, watch the trailer or check out the poster art