Perlman plays the hero in darkly funny ’Hellboy’

Friday April 02, 2004

By Michael H. Kleinschrodt Movie critic

Congratulations! It’s a boy!

The fact that sonny is red, has two horns projecting from his forehead and a long whip of a tale does little to dispel the enthusiasm of Professor Broom (John Hurt), a paranormal psychologist working with the military to figure out what the Nazis are up to in a remote corner of Scotland in 1944.

The Nazis have joined forces with the unkillable Russian monk Rasputin (Karel Roden) to open a portal to hell and summon forth a demon capable of bringing about the apocalypse. The Nazis are defeated, but not until Hellboy has crossed over to Earth.

In the present day, Professor Broom has taken Hellboy (Ron Perlman) under his wing and raised him to fight the forces of evil as part of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense. Joining their unique family is Liz Sherman (Selma Blair), who has the ability to control fire, and Abe Sapien, a psychic mer-man. That’s Doug Jones in the fish suit, but the voice belongs to David Hyde Pierce.

As Professor Broom confronts his own mortality, he taps young FBI agent John Myers (Rupert Evans) to be Hellboy’s new protector. Myers arrives just as a resurrected Rasputin renews his plan to use Hellboy to reclaim the world for demons.

Director Guillermo del Toro, who has demonstrated a taste for horror and the occult in movies such as "Blade II" and "The Devil’s Backbone," is the logical choice to adapt Mike Mignola’s comic book. Del Toro brings a dark vision to the film that suits the source material.

And, yet, "Hellboy" is not oppressively heavy. There’s plenty of humor (although one can’t help but wish that "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" creator Joss Whedon had taken a stab at sharpening the dialogue).

Particularly effective are scenes depicting Hellboy’s love of cats, his gargantuan meals and a heart-to-heart with a young boy (Rory Copus) on a rooftop. There’s also a side-splittingly funny sequence in which Hellboy recruits a reluctant guide through a Russian cemetery.

Perlman, who previously worked with del Toro on "Blade II," is perfectly cast as Hellboy. He captures Hellboy’s regular-Joe qualities as well as the character’s struggle to accept those facets of his identity that set him apart from the humans around him.

Chief among these humans is Liz, Hellboy’s would-be love interest. Liz has yet to come to terms with her own unique talents, talents that result in tragedy whenever they escape her control. Of course, Hellboy cannot be harmed by fire, so, when you think about it, he’s the perfect guy for her.

Blair isn’t given much to do as Liz, but it’s nice to see the actress avoid sexual humiliation after embarrassing turns in movies such as "The Sweetest Thing" and "A Guy Thing."

Jones and Pierce fare better as Abe. Jones provides otherworldly gestures, while Pierce’s clipped diction underscores the character’s intelligence and wisdom.

The movie doesn’t develop its villains nearly as well. Roden’s Rasputin, despite his back story, is a fairly generic bad guy. A mechanized henchman (wound up like a clock) is an interesting creation, but the audience learns little about him.

Then there are the monsters, all of whom come from the same tentacled genus. It’s a bit too much of the same thing.

Nonetheless, "Hellboy" is a solid entry in the superhero canon. The heroes are compelling and the occult trappings serve the story well. If you love "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," you’ll like "Hellboy."

HELLBOY

(STAR)(STAR)½

Plot: A man, half human and half demon, has been raised to be a force for goodness, but a madman wants to lure him back to the dark side.

What works: The heroes are compelling, the occult trappings serve the story well and the dialogue is laced with humor. If you love "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," you’ll like "Hellboy."

What doesn’t: The villains aren’t particularly well-developed, and, once you’ve seen one tentacled monster, you’ve seen them all.

Starring: Ron Perlman, John Hurt, Selma Blair, Doug Jones/David Hyde Pierce, Karel Roden and Rupert Evans. Director: Guillermo del Toro. Running time: 2 hours 2 minutes. Rating: PG-13, for violence and frightening images. Where: Grand, Elmwood Palace, Clearview Palace, West Bank Palace, Hammond Palace, Hollywood 9, Chalmette, Holiday 12, Movies 8.

Sammael, a beast from hell, battles Hellboy (Ron Perlman), right, in a subway station.