Hellboy II: The Golden Army: Way Better than the first. More heart, humor, FX

* * * * (out of 5)

When I saw the trailer for Hellboy II, I said this looks amazing. The trailer had dozens of creatures like you've never seen before on the big screen. It was like the Tattoinne bar scene in the "first" Star Wars, but it seemed like it would be like that throughout the whole movie. The only problem was, I couldn't remember a thing about the first Hellboy.

So I recently rented it out on NetFlix and was pleasantly surprised. It was a much more entertaining film than I first gave it credit for. The always great Ron Perlman (TV's Beast in Beauty and the Beast) was very funny and had some great wordplay with several actors within. One touch I loved was when the nerdy chief of the U.S. Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, Tom Manning (Jeffrey Tambor) showed his thanks for Hellboy rescuing him. As Hellboy lit his cigar with a lighter, Manning stopped him and lit it for him with a wooden match, explaining, "you always light a cigar with a wooden match, it helps bring out the flavor." Hellboy was shocked by Manning's sudden humanity and by the fact that his cigar did taste better.

Here in Number 2, Hellboy and Manning are back at each others' throats. Hellboy longs to be a hero celebrity in New York and Manning is determined to keep his and the other identities of the BPRD secret so as not to alarm the public. Hellboy is caught on camera in a number of instances and this just boils Manning. But there are bigger fish to fry here. Apparently, an ancient sect of gods made an agreement with humans several millenniums ago to rule the forests while the humans ruled the cities. But the gods are angry and feel that man has reneged on the promise and vow to take it all back. Hellboy and his group are in charge of stopping them.

Having just seen the original, I can truly appreciate this film more. As has happened so many times in comic book film history, the first movie is the warm up and the second movie delves deeper into characters and does a better job of presentation for the audience. Superman II, Spiderman II, Dark Knight and X-Men II have all proven this and Hellboy continues the tradition. The interplay between Hellboy and his wife, Liz Sherman is fun, but more so he and his old buddy the alien/psychic Abe Sapien. An odd couple to be sure, but they both appreciate what the other brings to the table. Abe putting in saucer-sized contact lenses to impress a lady was a nice touch.

The villain Prince Nuada is impressive, played by former English pop star, Luke Goss, but the new boss of BRPD is even more so, Johann Krauss. Krauss is merely a gas who embodies a robot suit, but the powers he has with his gas are something to behold. In the coolest bit of casting, Krauss and his German accent are voiced by Mr. Family Guy himself, Seth MacFarlane (voice of Stewie, Peter and Brian the dog). He's very German in his harsh tone and demanding ways, but his role is just as important as the rest of the team, something Hellboy refuses to see.

Writer/director Guillermo del Toro elevated his game two years ago with his brilliant Pan's Labyrinth. A Spanish war drama/fantasy that introduced us to a world of characters we've never seen before. That inventiveness carried over to this film and it really has energized the franchise. On a smaller scale this is the most visually stunning of all the comic book films. The fights scenes might not be too spectacular, but it's who's doing the fighting that will enthrall you.

The Freditor