Product Description

Columbia Pictures Hellboy (Blu-ray)
From visionary writer/director Guillermo del Toro (director of "Blade II," "The Devil's Backbone") comes "Hellboy," a supernatural action adventure based on Mike Mignola's popular Dark Horse Comics series of the same name. Born in the flames of hell and brought to Earth as an infant to perpetrate evil, "Hellboy" (Ron Perlman) was rescued from sinister forces by the benevolentDr. Broom (John Hurt), who raised him to be a hero. In Dr. Broom's secret Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense, Hellboy creates an unlikely family consisting of the telepathic "Mer-Man" Abe Sapien (Doug Jones) and Liz Sherman (Selma Blair), thewoman he loves who can control fire. Hidden from the very society that they protect, they stand as the key line of defense against an evil madman whoseeks to reclaim "Hellboy" to the dark side and use his powers to destroy mankind.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #570 in DVD
• Brand: Columbia Pictures
• Released on: 2007-06-05
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Original language: English, French, German
• Subtitled in: Arabic, Croatian, Czech, Dutch, English, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Korean, Polish, Slovak
• Dubbed in: French, German
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 3.00 pounds
• Running time: 132 minutes

Amazon.com
In the ongoing deluge of comic-book adaptations, Hellboy ranks well above average. Having turned down an offer to helm Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in favor of bringing Hellboy's origin story to the big screen, the gifted Mexican director Guillermo del Toro compensates for the excesses of Blade II with a moodily effective, consistently entertaining action-packed fantasy, beginning in 1944 when the mad monk Rasputin--in cahoots with occult-buff Hitler and his Nazi thugs--opens a transdimensional portal through which a baby demon emerges, capable of destroying the world with his powers. Instead, the aptly named Hellboy is raised by the benevolent Prof. Bloom, founder of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, whose allied forces enlist the adult Hellboy (Ron Perlman, perfectly cast) to battle evil at every turn. While nursing a melancholy love for the comely firestarter Liz (Selma Blair), Hellboy files his demonic horns ("to fit in," says Bloom) and wreaks havoc on the bad guys. The action is occasionally routine (the movie suffers when compared to the similar X-Men blockbusters), but del Toro and Perlman have honored Mike Mignola's original Dark Horse comics with a lavish and loyal interpretation, retaining the amusing and sympathetic quirks of character that made the comic-book Hellboy a pop-culture original. He's red as a lobster, puffs stogies like Groucho Marx, and fights the good fight with a kind but troubled heart. What's not to like? --Jeff Shannon

From The New Yorker
Ron Perlman is a man born for prosthetics. With his large features and solid but nimble body, he convincingly portrays otherworldly creatures. Here, in the Mexican director Guillermo del Toro's cuckoo comic-book feature, he's a super-sized red demon from hell. The complicated and ultimately senseless plot begins with Hellboy's origins (he was "born" during a Second World War Nazi occult ceremony presided over by Rasputin), then quickly focusses on the modern-day Hellboy and his adventures in fighting some doomsday monsters and the freaks that control them. It's not particularly groundbreaking stuff. Where the film really succeeds is in its dank, almost introspective atmosphere-a del Toro specialty-and in the immensely appealing bravado Perlman brings to his role. When the movie's story line concentrates on the character of Hellboy and his relationships with those important to him (the man who raised him, the girl he loves), the film becomes a unique romp, with an exciting yet vulnerable superhero at the center who just happens to be the spawn of Satan. -Bruce Diones
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

Phenom of a movie!
Opening WWII scene is absolutely amazing. Guillermo del Toro is a film making genius. A must see!

B

A good idea that's poorly executed
At the end of WW2, Hitler attempts to open the gateway to Hell in order to bring back a weapon that will allow him to win the war. He is stopped by the Allies, but while the gate is open, a baby demon, Hellboy (Ron Perlman), comes through. 60 years later, Hellboy, who has been raised by the Allies and is now fighting on the side of good, must go up against the people who brought him to earth in the first place and stop them from bringing about the Apocalypse.

"Hellboy" is a really great idea for a film that is let down by its poor execution. The idea of a demon fighting for good has so much potential, as does the idea of him having a pyrokinetic girlfriend (played by Selma Blair), and as with all Guillermo del Toro films, this one is also visually stunning, but once I got over the initial "wow" factor of the special effects, I soon realized that the plot is pretty thin, the characters are boring and the good ideas are underdeveloped (I thought it was criminal that Liz, the pyrokinetic girl, should really only use her powers about once in the whole film). The ending is also a major let-down. It just isn't big enough for what went before it and my father, who saw the film with me, actually said "that's it?!" when the credits started to roll.

Although I haven't seen it yet, I have heard that "Hellboy 2" is an improvement on this film, which doesn't surprise me, considering the fact that, after a film this disappointing, the only way to go is up.

Action, oh yes, but it's a love story.
When you meet our hero, you should be shocked, but his character melts you, as he plays a charming soul. The action is different, but never the less required to give this film an edge, and the end can only ever be done in this movie, cool yet hot.
Nope the guys won't see the romance, just the well hard action, but you girls will see his soft side, and oddly admire him.
If you want a SCI FI film with a difference even a bit of, should I say cuteness?! He could be your hellish hero too.
Always worth a watch, just see him get love advice from a kid on a roof.