Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Thursday 28 August 2008 7:06PM (view full episode)

Mexican director Guillermo del Toro astounds once more with this lush comic adaptation about a muscle-bound red demon working for a secret government agency. Hellboy (Ron Pearlman) acts tough like a maverick 70s cop, with all the same macho blindspots. When he's not fighting a supernatural albino warlord, he's battling commitment issues with his feisty, human flame girlfriend (Selma Blair). Over-analysing this playful mash-up of pop culture kitsch and high fantasy would be a mistake. The scene where Hellboy drowns his sorrows with his blue-skinned fish-man friend, while both sing along to Barry Manilow's 'Can't Smile without You' -- sums up its considerable kooky appeal. Go with it.


Jason Di Rosso