Hellboy Sits in Purgatory

Hellboy (2019)

Hellboy was fine. It was well deserving of its R-rating, due to the significant bloody gore and the cussing, but that was about all that it had over Guillermo del Toro’s Hellboy. This version was well acted and looked good, but it was boring at parts. Hellboy’s biggest problem was that he showed up late to every scene. He always arrived after most of the action had occurred and then the culprit would escape or knock him out and then he would wake up and the cycle would begin again. The saving grace of this movie is the visual prowess. The blend of practical and digital effects was gorgeous, dark, and satisfying. The setting and scenery carried the movie, taking the viewer from beautifully rendered fields to dark, creepy castles, to demon-infested London. It is a shame that the story wasn’t very interesting and had no subtlety because the actors all did an excellent job. David Harbour was great as the dour lead, plodding through battle after battle, trying to find his place as death constantly followed him. Hellboy is an incredibly interesting character that was wasted on this story. I hope that he eventually gets another worthy adaptation after two consecutive mediocre showings. Overall, I am mostly indifferent to Hellboy and give it 3 out of 6 rounds in his giant revolver.