the golden army Tagged Articles at Cinematical

I just knew Jonesy would love Hellboy 2, not just because the flick is full of wild visuals and trippy sounds ... but also because Hellboy loves the kitties. And Jonesy respects that in a bad-ass superhero. And here's some great news for the non-feline readers: Not only is Hellboy 2: The Golden Army a wild, warm, sweet and smart mixture of action, sci-fi, horror and fantasy -- but the movie really gets better with a second and third visit. I initally stood my ground and insisted that the first Hellboy was the (slightly) better film, but I've reversed that opinion recently. And I don't mind admitting it.

Probably my favorite thing about HB2: TGA is the logical-yet-ironic motivation of the main baddie. Watch the movie closely (and listen carefully) and you'd be hard-pressed to actually call him a villain. (Well, at first, anyway. What Prince Nuada does to his own dad is really not cool.) And that awesome sequence with the forest elemental? Very cool on a surface level, but once Del Toro gives Hellboy something to chew on -- that he'll be destroying the last of a powerful species -- the movie transcends simple escapism. Plus there's tons of action, some strong comedy, loads of colorful characters, some really dazzling locations, and tons of meowing cats. Oh, and an animated puppet war that's breathtaking and a Barry Manilow homage that's hilarious.

But here comes the icing: Think of the Guillermo del Toro DVDs that you have in your collection. (Or should!) Virtually every single one is packed to the gills with extra goodies as insightful as they are plentiful. And as far as commentaries go, Guillermo is always a treat to listen to. But there's a LOT more in this package than just a director's chat-track. Keep on reading for a breakdown of the extras and (if you're good) a few nifty clips, just to keep you warm until the DVD hits next Tuesday.

Yesterday we told you that there'd be a brand-spankin'-new Hellboy 2: The Golden Army trailer. So here it is:



Now, that looks like fun to me: Big-time action spectacle mixed with a weird sense of humor and creepy freak monsters as only Guillermo del Toro can create. (Well, and Mike Mignola, obviously.) Thoughts on the trailer?

HB2 is scheduled for July 11. Special thanks to IGN.com!

Now that he's finally found himself a new home, director Guillermo del Toro has really been on the move with his Hellboy 2 project. The Golden Army took awhile to find a home, and you can feel how eager del Toro was to land funding because he has really hit the ground running. He recently shared some more details regarding his plans for the new script with SciFi Wire:

In case you forgot; yes, Agent Myers is gone. Most fans just sorta shrug at this news because the dude wasn't in the comics anyway. And Agent Johann Kraus will be in the movie. He was in the comics, so to me this is a great trade. Out with Myers, in with Kraus.

Roger the Homunculus will also appear in the film, but only in a small cameo role, much like his appearance in the first film. Both del Toro and creator Mignola felt the general principle of Roger was too similar to that of Hellboy himself.

Killer robots -- another Hellboy comic book standby -- will be in the film. But unlike the comics, they won't be gorillas. Gorilla sized? Yes. Gorilla shaped? No.

If you've been reading Cinematical for any length of time, you probably know I'm an unabashed Doug Jones fan. Part of this dedication comes from his performance as Abe Sapien in Hellboy; he did a fantastic job bringing a rather odd character to life. Like many fans, I always felt bad for the guy because he didn't get his voice in the film. I understand director Guillermo Del Toro had David Hyde Pierce in mind from the beginning, and that worked out just fine, but since then Doug Jones has signed on to do the voice for Abe Sapien in animated Hellboy action.*

Recent news from creator Mike Mignola, however, suggests this issue may be remedied for the second Hellboy go-round. The exact quote, in fact, is "I believe Doug is going to do the voice in Hellboy 2," which is about as direct as you can get. Mignola also said he'd be fine with a smaller budget on the second flick, although Del Toro still wants to do a big budget blowout. Whichever way they go (most likely dictated by the studio), I eagerly anticipate the flick, and I'm sure they'll do an excellent job on it.

*Creating the rather humorous circumstance of being a body but not a voice in one instance, and a voice but not a body in the other.