Hellboy ( Review )

Hellboy ( Review )

Cast: Ron Perlman, John Hurt, Rupert Evans, Selma Blair, Jeffrey Tambor, Doug Jones and the voice of David Hyde Pierce
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Writer: Guillermo del Toro and Peter Briggs
Genre: Action/Sci-fi/Horror/Adventure
Rated: M medium level violence
Running Time: 122 Minutes

Here To Protect

Synopsis:
From visionary writer/director Guillermo del Toro (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 benevolent Dr. Broom (John Hurt), who raised him to be a hero. In Dr. Broom's secret Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defence, Hellboy creates an unlikely family consisting of the telepathic "Mer-Man" Abe Sapien (Doug Jones) and Liz Sherman (Selma Blair), the woman he loves who can control fire. Hidden from the very society that they protect, they stand as the key line of defence against an evil madman who seeks to reclaim Hellboy to the dark side and use his powers to destroy mankind.

My Verdict:
The beginning of 'Hellboy' is one of those vague, confusing segments that are only there to provide the origin behind the main character. Very often this precursor is superfluous and here it definitely was. The origin of Hellboy may well have been explained without this introduction and saved us all much confusion - the recent 'Spiderman 2' got around this by introducing the character and story through the opening credits via a series of comic book drawings. Seeing Dr. Broom, who was to become Hellboy's father, discover the baby Hellboy was laughable and not a good sign for things to come. However, the movie did manage to turn itself around and provide some great entertainment.

'Hellboy' is a comic book adaptation which is very popular (think X-Men, Spiderman, Conan the Barbarian, etc.) and akin to many of the comic book genre where, apart from the main character, there are other characters that have some form of 'special' qualities. Here there are a few and they are all used well - especially Kroenen (Ladislav Beran) who is discovered to have an addiction to surgery, even resorting to having his eyelids removed - yuk! These characters all provide excellent opportunities for some great computer generated image work and associated special effects and make-up.

Ron Perlman is perfect for the role of Hellboy and was the original choice of director Guillermo del Toro, having already worked with Ron in Blade II. Hellboy has a dark sense of humour and delivers some clever lines in a deadpan voice, so he is not without some endearing personality but he struggles with his identity on a daily basis, constantly reducing his horns to stumps and pining for the woman he loves - Liz Sherman (a forlorn Selma Blair) - but thinks he can't have because of his looks. He continues his work against evil for the sake of his father, Dr. Broom, played by an aged John Hurt. Dr. Broom has a new assistant assigned to Hellboy, John Myers (Rupert Evans) who adds a kind of love triangle angle to the already disillusioned Hellboy and Liz. Nevertheless, they head off to finally destroy the evil that created him, which is really another excuse for some more fun and games with special effects and they really are fun.

'Hellboy' is essentially a movie for anyone who loves a comic book adaptation with plenty of action and lots of special effects. Certainly a good-looking B-grade movie that might not be for everyone, but for the diehard fans, this Hellboy manages to give evil hell.

Rating : B-

Christina Bruce

Alien Vs Predator ( Review )

Cast: Sanaa Lathan, Raoul Bova, Lance Henriksen, Ewen Bremner, Colin Salmon, and Tommy Flanagan.
Director: Paul W. S. Anderson
Writer: Paul W. S. Anderson (screenplay)
Genre: Science Fiction
Rated: M medium level violence, low level coarse language
Running Time: 101 Minutes

Whoever Wins, We Lose.

Synopsis:
The iconic monsters from two of the scariest film franchises ever battle each other on Earth in 'Alien Vs. Predator'. The discovery of an ancient pyramid buried under the Antarctic ice sends a team of scientists and adventurers to the frozen continent. There, they make an even more terrifying discovery: two alien races at war. No matter who wins, we lose.

An incredible and horrific adventure begins when billionaire industrialist Charles Bishop Weyland gathers an international team of archaeologists, scientists and security experts, led by environmentalist and adventurer Alexa "Lex" Woods, to investigate a mysterious "heat bloom" emanating from deep under Antarctica.

What they witness 2000 feet below the frozen surface at first excites, and then terrifies them. They discover a pyramid bearing a mixture of Aztec, Egyptian and Cambodian cultures. Inside the pyramid they find a matrix of chambers so technologically advanced that it becomes obvious that an extraterrestrial influence has been at work there for thousands of years. The chamber walls reconfigure unexpectedly, trapping members of the team and cutting them off from their colleagues.

Moving from chamber to chamber, the horrific truth finally reveals itself: Predators have been keeping alive a captive Alien Queen who lays eggs at 100 year intervals. Young Predator warriors are tested by fighting the Alien offspring. The team stumbles into the middle of an incredible rite of passage - and a war between Aliens and Predators.

My Verdict:
'Alien Vs Predator' has been an anticipated movie for so long. Two of the most destructive, vicious evil alien characters created for the screen pitted against one another, a bit like waiting for 'Freddy v Jason'. The movie doesn't introduce either character for a while, slowly building the anticipation as the scientific party discovers an ancient pyramid beneath the Antarctic. This pyramid is interesting as the scientific party soon discover that it reconfigures itself every 10 minutes and reeks of 'Indiana Jones', which increases the level of expectation. Trouble is, the party is soon split into groups and then you know that one by one they are going to be killed off with no hope of saving each other. Enter the Alien and Predator to do just that.

After reducing the human numbers significantly, much of the action where the Predator takes on the Alien(s) is basically in the dark which allows for plenty of 'funny business' - who knows what's really happening, coupled with some very choppy editing making some of the battle scenes a total blur. And then before you know it, the movie is over! There is little human character development; unlike in either of the single franchises, so much of the movie seems pointless. But still, there might be enough to satisfy some fans of the genre but this will never be a great movie.

You know those movies where the best parts are often in the trailer? Count this as one of those. Unfortunately this movie could have been so much better if we weren't let in on some of the secrets in the trailer. A long build up at the start sets a snare for a finale that never really satisfies which was so disappointing. I just wished that these two protagonists had been left alone and their memories kept alive as individual anti-heroes.

Rating : C-

Christina Bruce