Hellboy

RATING: C+

Hellboy's another one of those comic-book heroes that you probably never heard of until he got a movie--especially since he wasn't Marvel *or* DC. And he has a somewhat ironic name and appearance for a guy who's supposed to be the good guy. I mean, this is a demon we're talking about here. And he's supposed to be the good guy...? What? 

Upon closer look, the guy actually looks like he'd make a pretty decent action hero. This is a gigantic red dude with a huge hammer arm, he lets out various wisecracks during battle, and he has a fondness for kittens. Those things combined certainly seem promising. 

In this film, we're introduced to a 1944 world where Rasputin didn't get killed, and is getting ready to open a portal that will unleash some monsters that will help the Nazis defeat the Allies. The incident is sabotaged by the Allies, Rasputin is absorbed by the portal before it is destroyed and an infant demon is found who came through the portal, deemed Hellboy. Later, he and a couple random other "people" with powers of their own are working for the Bureau of Paranormal Research & Defense--dedicated to defense against the paranormal (duh). Sixty years later, Rasputin returns from the dead (of course) with another plan to open the portal. 

Hellboy is a film that had a fair amount of potential, but unfortunately is missing something. Besides the fact that Hellboy's fondness for kittens isn't utilized nearly enough, he has very little character development. He's a demon and yet he's always fought on the good side. He never really stops to question it. It might've actually been a little better if they had used a certain X-Men element by making Hellboy struggle with being accepted by the people. And although this could've alienated some of the audience, it might've actually been better off with more involvement of theological elements. 

Oddly enough, Hellboy's friend Liz Graham, who is a pyrokinetic, is the one who actually comes closer to portraying inner struggles with hero status and powers better--as she is seen early on locking herself away in a mental hospital to protect everyone from her rather uncontrollable powers. The other sidekick, a cross between a fish and a human, is honestly just plain boring. The story's interesting, but nothing special. I found it kind of hard to take Rasputin seriously--his ninja minion was more fun. 

Hellboy is certainly entertaining, but there are times when it gets way too big for its britches--and other times where it doesn't get big enough. Hellboy is a fun character, but he is unable to carry the movie on his own. There's nothing particularly bad about this film, but there's nothing particularly special about it either. It's passable entertainment, but it's really just that.