After the shattered dream of Guillermo del Toro to see his saga over, Hellboy is back based on Mike Mignola's comics, but this time with a change of direction. In the two previous chapters, the Mexican skilfully mixed the creatures thought by through his inimitable touch Mignola and his personal dark and fantasy vision. Narrator of poignant fairy tales, populated by contrite monsters and often in search of love never felt, the creatures of Del Toro they are the director's alter egos, fragile and misunderstood, which perfectly convey the sense of authorship that Del Toro claimed from the very first films. Previous films with Ron Perlman had pitted critics together and carved a deep groove in every fan's heart. After the second chapter, Del Toro, due to hesitation on the part of the production, was unable to put the final signature on the saga he cared so much. But the Hollywood car never stops and eleven years after the last beautiful "Hellboy the golden army" takes the field Neil Marshall, to direct a chapter disengaged and free from any form of artistic ambition (and for this, probably, closer to paper material), a light-hearted and truculent journey into the imaginative world of Mike Mignola. Between general skepticism and the most hardened detractors, Marshall and his staff do not try to compare with the previous chapters wisely and wisely they push the accelerator on the most horror and grotesque exasperations in history, with a raw and no-nonsense approach.
Setting aside the most fabulous world and that innate ability of Del Toro in knowing how to instill a shred of humanity in every creature he filmed, Marshall directs a smashing adventure with little depth. What is immediately striking is the aesthetics: devoid of that realistic and tangible trait in the splendid creatures recreated from life by Del Toro, who personally studied every single detail from the various characterizations. The brutality of many scenes refer to the director's typical stylistic code Neil Marshall, accustomed to torn bodies and creepy monsters in his previous films including: "The Descent and Doomsday" pity only for the a lot of CGI, often not well maintained, used without any shame that tends to flatten everything a bit. Ron Perlman played a lame Hellboy, sentimental, dejected, but at the same time sarcastic and ready to joke; David Harbor instead - called upon to cover this legacy - he focuses more on the bestial nature of the character. His Hellboy is crushed by the inconsistency of his father's relationship, he expresses himself in a more vulgar way and moves more confidently, without hiding like Perlman's. The sarcastic side of the character remains and, indeed, becomes more pushed and incorrect than its predecessor. At the end of the day, let's face it: Perlman's character was certainly more layered than this, but either way David Harbor he does an honest job, despite the fact that the script is too sticky to wanting to mimic the comic and play little with the "cinema" machine. Milla Jovovich, almost "eternal" in its beauty that does not tend to fade, plays this fairly canonical villain, which perhaps will work on paper, but on the screen it brings back the usual flatness of these queens / witches already widely seen in the cinema, with their small plan of conquest and nothing more.
Even science fiction and fantasy, which Del Toro he masterfully added to his personal mix, in the case of the Marshall there is almost no trace and it turns totally towards the most supernatural horror with high peaks of splatter (too often in CGI) that will delight many fans of the subject. The interiors do not have the slightest visual refinement compared to the films of the Mexican and the lack of notable supporting actors, such as Abe Sapien by Del Toro, does not allow us to ever empathize with the human side of these characters - probably not even interested in Marshall this aspect - but his supporting characters are not up to par. Here monsters are monsters, they speak like monsters and move as such (all except Hellboy who embodies the man / monster dualism). Those who expect something more mature and layered are better off looking elsewhere, but if you are a lover of the original comics and the films triggered by the strong effect component gas you up, then you will have bread for your teeth.
