Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)
It was very hard to determine which movie was the best of the first two Hellboy movies. In the end, Hellboy II had to come in second to the original for a number of reasons.
I think the big difference between the sequel and the first movie is that they attempted to get louder and a bit more over the top. I understand wanting to push boundaries in a sequel in order to differentiate from the original, however, it almost makes it too much. At the same time, the storyline is brilliant.
Once again, the movie starts off with a flashback to Hellboy’s younger years. It was a chance to learn a bit more about him and his past, but in a way that allows us to understand where the story is going. It was a brilliant move by the director, writers, and producer, as it gave us a connection between who Hellboy is now, how he was raised, and the battles that he is facing today.
As with the first movie, it was all about the details. And honestly, it’s hard to differentiate the first movie from the sequel in terms of rankings, because of how well both movies focused on the littlest details. We got to see growth in the characters from the first movie to the second. And it was nice to see the relationships that had been built between Hellboy and his team.
This movie would not have been nearly as brilliant without Ron Perlman’s Hellboy. He gave the character the perfect amount of dry humor and wit. He was able to bring a sense of grittiness to the character, and he did it in a way that made you believe he truly was Hellboy! And that’s why it is so hard to say that the second movie isn’t better than the first because it delivered exactly what we needed it to deliver. In fact, that sequel was so good that people are still asking for a third movie in the franchise. People want Ron Perlman‘s Hellboy back on their screen, and that has a lot to do with this sequel.