Hellboy (film)

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Hellboy

Promotional poster for Hellboy
Directed by Guillermo del Toro
Written by Comic Book:
Mike Mignola
Story:
Guillermo del Toro
Peter Briggs
Screenplay:
Guillermo del Toro
Starring Ron Perlman
Doug Jones
Selma Blair
John Hurt
Rupert Evans
Jeffrey Tambor
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
Release date(s) April 2, 2004
Running time 122 min.
Budget $66,000,000
Followed by Hellboy 2: The Golden Army
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

Hellboy (also known as Super Sapiens in some countries) is a film based on the Dark Horse Comics work Hellboy. Released worldwide in 2004, Hellboy made around $60 million at the domestic box office ($99,318,987 worldwide)[1], and has a running time of 2 hours and 1 minute. A sequel, Hellboy 2: The Golden Army, is scheduled to be released in 2008.[2]

MSN Movies ranks Hellboy as the eighth best superhero movie to date, behind X-Men, Batman Begins, Spider-Man, The Incredibles, Superman II, Darkman and The Super Inframan.[1]

Taglines:

  • Here to Protect
  • From the Dark Side to Our Side
  • Give Evil Hell

Contents

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

In 1944, aided by the German Nazis' military and scientific departments researching the occult, the Russian mystic Grigori Rasputin spent five years building a huge machine, a dimensional portal device on an island off the coast of Scotland, which he intends to use to bring about the destruction of Earth by awakening the Ogdru Jahad (The Seven Gods of Chaos), monstrous entities which have been imprisoned and asleep since an undisclosed time. Rasputin's magical abilities alone can't sustain the power which the portal requires to remain open, which is why he uses the device to amplify and enhance his abilities. As his time to open the portal nears, he turns his attentions to his servant Ilsa von Haupstein, a member of the Nazi party, and grants her long life, youth and beauty along with the will to serve only him. Also in his employ is the ultra-silent assassin Karl Ruprecht Kroenen, who seemingly can't be killed. Kroenen has been decorated by Adolf Hitler for his work as the Nazis' top assassin, and leads the Thule Occult Society, the Nazis's occult research division, and (as Rasputin's lackey) has been aiding in the construction of the portal.

However, the United States has sent forces of their own, along with a young doctor, Professor Trevor Bruttenholm, who is well-versed in terms of magic and sorcery. After deploying on the island, they watch in silence as Rasputin activates the portal and announces that "what [he] is about to do, can never be undone." After establishing the portal leading to the Ogdru Jahad, Rasputin is vulnerable because he can't simply disengage the link. At this point, fighting breaks out between the Nazi and American soldiers. In the midst of the battle, Bruttenholm manages to toss a grenade at the portal; trying to save his master, Kroenen goes after it and becomes impaled by rebar after the grenade detonates. With the device damaged, Rasputin's life force is drawn through the portal and he disappears through to the other side, seemingly dead.

Although he is lightly wounded, Bruttenholm orders the soldiers to maintain a lookout around the area as anything could have come through the portal due to the length of time Rasputin successfully held it open. The doctor's suspicions are confirmed when he and a soldier discover a bright red creature with a right arm seemingly made from stone moving amongst the crypt they were searching. Saving the creature from being shot to death by the other soldiers, Bruttenholm coaxes the creature into his arms with a candy bar, and later on that morning, the soldiers all make the creature their official mascot and give it the name "Hellboy."

Sixty years later, a young FBI agent named John Myers is sent from Quantico, Virginia to a building in Newark, New Jersey which is identified as Squeaky Clean Waste Management Services. This building is actually the physical location for the Bureau of Paranormal Research & Defense, which is run by Professor Bruttenholm. Bruttenholm tells Myers about their functions, then leaves him to be introduced to Hellboy through another agent, named Clay. Clay is Hellboy's primary bodyguard and housekeeper; he makes sure that Hellboy doesn't go AWOL and is always on hand to receive missions involving special 'parameters.' Also employed with the BPRD is a fish-like creature named Abe Sapien, who has a very advanced psychic ability, and Liz Sherman, a firestarter who has yet to learn to control the her pyrotechnic abilities and is implied to have unintentionally injured people when overly emotional.

Meanwhile, Kroenen and Ilsa find a sacred cave and maze in the mountains of Moldavia. Kroenen deceives and stabs his sherpa to death, spilling his blood into an engraved portal and resurrecting Rasputin. Rasputin and his companions travel to New York and the Machen Library of Paranormal Artifacts. There, they release a demon known as Sammael, who resembles a hell-hound with a distinct insectoid appearance, and because of magical influence from Rasputin himself- now possesses the ability to split his essence in two each time he is killed, thus resulting in two Sammaels being reborn for every one that is killed. Hellboy has to defend the city, battling the Sammaels through alleys, streets, and the subway, while trying to protect his friends from each attack. He is eventually pushed over the edge when Rasputin has Kroenen kill Professor Bruttenholm, who grasps onto a rosary as he dies.

Director Tom Manning takes over the BPRD and with the help of Hellboy and the others manages to find Rasputin at a mausoleum outside Moscow, Russia. Hellboy kills Kroenen to avenge the death of his adoptive father. Meanwhile Liz, with some help from Myers, lets go of the fear that has prevented her from unleashing her full potential and uses her pyrokinetic powers to encase herself in blue fire which she unleashed in a 'nova' effect, which she used to incinerate the army of Sammael demons. Unfortunately, Hellboy, Liz, and Myers are captured by Rasputin and Ilsa. Obsessed with wanting Hellboy to fulfill his destiny, Rasputin sucks Liz's soul away, killing her, and tells Hellboy that Liz will come back to life if he opens the locks of the stone that will open the portal to the Ogdru Jahad. Hellboy, caring for Liz, transforms into his true power as Anung un Rama, growing giant red horns and breathing hot breath. Just before Hellboy opens the locks with his right hand of doom that will activate the Ogdru Jahad's transformation of Earth into Hell, Myers reminds Hellboy of his Catholic faith and tosses Broom's crucifix necklace into Hellboy's grasp. Hellboy realizes that it means much more to him to live life on Earth as it is and snaps off his horns, causing the Ogdru Jahad to vanish from the world. As Rasputin expresses his disappointment in Hellboy, Hellboy stabs Rasputin with one of his broken horns.

However, Rasputin does not die; he is possessed by a demon from the Ogdru Jahad. This gigantic demon bursts out of Rasputin's body and grows to full size, crushing Ilsa in the process. Hellboy grabs a sword from a nearby statue and attacks the demon's tentacles and later tosses a band of hand grenades into its gullet; the demon dies in the resulting explosion. Liz's soul appears to have returned to her body with Rasputin's death, and she and Hellboy kiss as she surrounds them in flame. When Liz later queries why her soul was returned, Hellboy comments that he simply told the demons of Hell that if it wasn't returned, they "would have him to deal with;" it is difficult to tell if he is joking or not.

[edit] Cast

Actor Role
Ron Perlman Hellboy
Selma Blair Liz Sherman
Doug Jones Abe Sapien
John Hurt Professor Trevor Bruttenholm
Rupert Evans John Myers
Karel Roden Grigori Rasputin
Jeffrey Tambor Tom Manning
James Babson Agent Moss
David Hyde Pierce Abe Sapien (voice, uncredited)

[edit] Awards

The film has won 2 awards and been nominated for 7 others [2]

[edit] Won

[edit] Nominated

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Hellboy". Retrieved on 2006-08-04.
  2. ^ "Hellboy 2 Finds a Home at Universal" (2006-08-04). Retrieved on 2006-08-04.

[edit] External links

v • d • e
The films of Guillermo del Toro

Cronos • Mimic • The Devil's Backbone • Blade II • Hellboy • Pan's Labyrinth • Hellboy 2: The Golden Army

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