Few people were waiting for Hellboy, and for good reason. Below you will see why. And at the same time, get to know the guy who ranks high on the 25th list of the best heroes in history. Why is Hellboy in danger of becoming the second Venom and making the planet fall in love with him?
Let’s start with the fact that the character himself isn’t very cool. For those completely out of the loop, let’s clarify. Aung Un Rama, the san of the fallen angel, is the main character in the comic book series and the past two Hellboy movies. He was quietly living in hell until the cultists of the Third Reich had the great idea to enlist the support of demons.
It didn’t work out. The summoned devil was intercepted by the Americans, bringing up a true patriot and a great man. In the comics he most often appears as an employee of a special secret bureau that protects the United States from otherworldly forces. After all, there is something to protect, not just a huge machine has superhuman strength – Hellboy, as befits a self-respecting demon, not afraid of fire, has a healing factor and is fluent in any human weapon. And among other things, he dabbles in necromancy. More than once or twice Hellboy raised the dead to knock out of them the necessary information.
He does this between trimming his horns, which are akin to our hair. And it’s not just because the horns don’t let him see. Because of his position as king of demons, Hellboy has a flaming crown growing on his head, and only by trimming the horns can he not draw attention to himself. But the main detail of the character is the conspicuous right hand. It doesn’t belong to Hellboy; it’s a legacy from ancient ghosts who once ruled the earth. One of them used it to create a dragon and restrain it.
Besides the fact that the baby chisels like a sledgehammer and is virtually invulnerable, it is also a powerful artifact. It has been kept since the beginning of time, and legend has it that it is the pen that will start Armageddon. In fact, it is self-sufficient and can be heroic on its own. Hellboy, on the other hand, became the owner of the wunderwaffle for the most part to keep it from falling into the wrong hands.
The universe in which the character lives is no less colorful. Once upon a time, the author invented individual demons and monsters. But later on, characters from world folklore appeared in the world of Hellboy. For example, there is Baba Yaga, who by the way will appear in the upcoming movie, you could see her hut in the trailer. Almost all the elements of earthly mythology are present in the universe. And along with them, people who are aware of the existence of demons, elves and even the real hell. In the latter Hellboy has not just been, but almost lived. So, as you understand, anything is possible in the movie.
Speaking of the picture. We hope you’ve seen two excellent projects by the Oscar-winning Guillermo Del Toro. They promoted the character’s fame around the world, and to this day are part of the golden fund of cinema. But here’s the trouble, both the original and the sequel were very weak at the box office. And, despite the fact that the director had plans for a third part, and Ron Perlman, the performer of the title role, was ready to return, the project has long been given no green light. So long, in fact, that eventually everyone got fed up with the situation and it was decided to saw a complete reboot.
The new Hellboy is a project that was started from scratch. Mike Magnola, the author of the character, is listed as the scriptwriter. But the original version didn’t work out, and eventually, after several rounds of edits, it was known that the project would be rated R. David Harbour, the star of “A Very Strange Thing,” was hired for the lead role. The actor is really pumped up for the character, and what you see is a natural power.
David immediately said that we are waiting for a mixture of “Deadpool” and “Logan. On the one hand, there will be a lot of violence, and on the other hand, there will be a lot of jokes, including below the belt. The trailers should not mislead you. We already know that people’s heads are being ripped off on screen and blood is pouring out in a river. For some reason, the studio decided not to show these moments in the trailer and believe me, the film itself looks much scarier.
As for the plot, it will focus on Armageddon and Milla Jovovich. The latter will play the ancient medieval witch Nimue. She is, by the way, taken from the mythology of the real world. More specifically, from the legends of King Arthur, where the lady was Merlin’s wife, and later killed the wizard, taking his power. Arthur cut off her head with Excalibur and Nimue’s body was cut to pieces and buried. But according to the movie, the followers resurrected the queen. So what does she want? To bring about an apocalypse that will destroy humanity and create a new Eden on its ruins.
As you may recall from the character description, Hellboy was destined to become the rider of the apocalypse along with his pen. But considering the demon king came into our world as an innocent baby and was also raised by humans, he’s not too evil.
Plot
Even though the trailer hinted that this time the guy’s relationship with his adoptive father, played by Ian McChain, wouldn’t be perfect, Hellboy is still a good guy and will stand up to Nimue no matter how she tries to win him over to her side.
He can defeat the bloody queen with Excalibur, one of the few weapons that can hurt her. We’ve seen it in one of the trailers, and it’s quite possible Hellboy will pump it up and make it burn like fire. In addition to edged weapons, the guy will also shoot pistols.
As in the second Del Toro film, we will see the Big Baby, Hellboy’s signature gun. It’s huge and specifically designed so that he can shoot with his right hand as well. There will be plenty of fun. Despite the fact that the action is mostly centered in England, there’s nowhere we won’t be. The trailer showed hell, mountains and a whole bunch of monsters. Especially nice references to Skyrim in the form of giants kicking Hellboy a mile away.
Surprisingly, the project’s budget is tiny. According to Forbes, it doesn’t exceed 50 million. That’s even less than the first Deadpool, and for a modern superhero movie it’s pennies. However, there are so many graphics on the screen that it feels like a $200 million blockbuster.
Still, it’s all about the director. It was Neil Marshall, a master at squeezing out all the juice for a penny. He once made a great film, Dogs of War, with a budget of $2 million. And here, it seems, surpassed himself, because the demons look too realistic and in the style of the Del Toro dilogy. But there are more differences. Besides the obvious brutality and adulthood, there’s also the loneliness. There will be no love interest here like the past installments. David Harbour has stated that his character is incapable of having sex with people and this will leave no small imprint on his development.
The team has also changed. That guy from “Staying Alive” is Major Ben Daimio. Originally they hired Ed Skrein, who played Francis on Deadpool, for the role. But due to the fact that in the comics the character was Asian, Ed refused to participate in the project. And it is a mistake, because the guy is very colorful and in a rage can turn into a jaguar.
Also appearing on screen will be Alice, the girl Hellboy saved from the evil fairies, and Lobster, a violent operative. Aki Zack Snyder’s Batman, he burns his logo on the foreheads of gangsters.
And the appearance of Merlin and a whole placer of guys and mythologies from various corners of the world is also confirmed. The first reviews from the workers who have been to the pre-show are, well, very positive. The only sad thing is that the release date is too close to Avengers 4.
Conclusions
To summarize all of the above. Called the herald of the apocalypse into our world, Hellboy is adopted by humans, and things don’t go according to plan. He grows up to be a good guy, but not all members of society accept him. Along the way, the Blood Queen rises from the dead, who decides to stage the apocalypse and recruit Hellboy as her king. At a certain point in the film, the protagonist does show his crown and flaming sword, which symbolizes the proximity of Armageddon.
Considering the decent-for-low-budget graphics and impressive cast, it is highly recommended that you do not skip this movie. Deadpool’s brutality, blood and below-the-belt jokes will be back in at least a year. And why not defuse the wait with Hellboy?