The Hindu : Karnataka News : A mix of humour, action and magic

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Saturday, Oct 04, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka

A mix of humour, action and magic

Three’s company: (From left) Abe, Hellboy, and Liz Sherman

Hellboy II: The Golden Army (English)

Cast: Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones, Luke Goss

Director: Guillermo Del Toro

“Hellboy” (2004) was a wonderful contra-superhero tale about a demon with red skin, horns and tail ridding the world of things that go bump in the night by bumping them right back. The movie, directed by Guillermo Del Toro, and starring Ron Perlman as the titular character, was delightfully self-referential and refused to take itself too seriously. Thankfully, it left the angst-ridden cogitations of life, the universe and everything to others. The sequel, also directed by Del Toro, (who in the meantime went on to direct the magical “Pan’s Labyrinth”) is a spectacular sequel. The dialogues are delightfully salty, the characters are charmingly delineated, and the monsters backed by Del Toro’s vivid imagination and a multimillion-dollar budget are eye-popping. The action too is mind-altering — verily what more does a movie buff want? This time around, the elf prince decides humans need to be taught a lesson for their conspicuous consumption. So, he violates the centuries-old truce between humans and magical creatures.

Hellboy and friends at the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, including fire-starter girlfriend Liz Sherman, psychic Abe and protoplasmic leader Johann, set out to save the world. The film, at an economical 110 minutes, is a bonanza of humour, action and magic.

MINI ANTHIKAD-CHHIBBER

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