Thanks to the worldwide critical acclaim of Guillermo Del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth, Universal Studios green lit production of the Hellboy sequel, after two other studios passed up the opportunity. Considering the first Hellboy wasn't a huge hit, it's a minor miracle Hellboy II - The Golden Army got made at all. However, the end result was very much worth the wait as it finds Del Toro working on all cylinders, mashing a mainstream English-language sensibility with his trademark, fantasy-imagination unleashed to it's full potential.
The plot is a dark fairytale, as a fairy prince, fed up with humankind dominating the world, decides to take back the magic kingdoms share by unleashing The Golden Army, a bunch of indestructible clockwork robots.
It's bonkers...much more so than the first film. Gone is agent Myers, our human guide to the monster world, leaving us with hero creatures Red, Liz, Abe, and Johann Krauss to take us round their crazy world of trolls, spirits and mythical monsters.
The humour, characters and creature design is amplified in this installment...taking what gave the original it's edge and turning this into a signature work of an auteur.
When a talented film-maker with a vision, is given free-reign to express himself in the medium of film, the result is usually 10 time better than a director for hire trying to appease the wishes of a studio, producer or movie star.
And that's what you get here. Roll on The Hobbit.
