HELLBOY [2004 / 2012] [Limited Edition SteelBook] [Blu-ray + UV Copy] [UK Release]
Here To Protect! Sent To Destroy!
From visionary writer/director Guillermo del Toro (director of ‘Blade II’ and ‘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 Trevor "Broom" Bruttenholm [John Hurt], who raised him to be a hero. In Trevor "Broom" Bruttenholm 's secret Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, ‘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.
FILM FACT: Awards and Nominations: 2004 Golden Schmoes Awards: Nominated: Best Sci-Fi Movie of the Year. Nominated: Best Special Effects of the Year. Nominated: Coolest Character of the Year for 'HELLBOY.' Nominated: Favorite Movie Poster of the Year. Nominated: Best DVD/Blu-ray of the Year “Director's Cut.” 2004 Imagen Foundation Awards: Win: Best Director for a Feature Film for Guillermo del Toro. 2004 Teen Choice Awards: Nominated: Choice Movie for a Drama/Action Adventure. 2005 Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA: Win: Best Make-Up for Jake Garber, Matt Rose and Mike Elizalde. Nominated: Best Fantasy Film. Nominated: Best Costumes for Wendy Partridge. Nominated: Best DVD Special Edition Release for the director's cut. 2005 Bram Stoker Awards: Nominated: Best Screenplay for Guillermo del Toro. 2005 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards: Win: Best Makeup/Creature FX for Chad Waters, Matt Rose and Mike Elizalde. Nominated: Best Wide-Release Film. Nominated: Best Actor for Ron Perlman. Nominated: Best Supporting Actor for John Hurt. Nominated: Best Supporting Actress for Selma Blair. Nominated: Best Screenplay for Guillermo del Toro. Nominated: Best Score for Marco Beltrami. 2005 International Film Music Critics Award: Nominated: Film Score of the Year for Marco Beltrami. Nominated: Best Original Score for a Fantasy/Science Fiction Film for Marco Beltrami. 2005 International Horror Guild Awards: Nominated: Best Movie. 2005 International Online Cinema Awards: Nominated: Best Makeup and Hairstyling. 2005 Online Film & Television Association: Nominated: OFTA Film Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling for Beverley Binda, Bill Sturgeon, Jeanette Freeman, Kazu Hiro, Matt Rose, Mike Elizalde, Rick Baker, Roland Blancaflor and Sylvia Nava. 2005 Visual Effects Society Awards: Nominated: Outstanding Performance by an Animated Character in a Live Action Motion Picture for Dovi Anderson, Paul G. Thuriot, Sven Jensen and Todd Labonte for the Samael character. 2008 Scream Awards: Nominated: Best Superhero for Ron Perlman for ‘HELLBOY.’
Cast: Ron Perlman, John Hurt, Selma Blair, Rupert Evans, Karel Roden, Jeffrey Tambor, Doug Jones, Brian Steele, Ladislav Beran, Biddy Hodson, Corey Johnson, Kevin Trainor, Brian Caspe, James Babson, Stephen Fisher, Garth Cooper, Angus MacInnes, Jim Howick, Mark Taylor, Daniel Aarsman, Bettina Ask, Alvaro Navarro, Emilio Navarro, Rory Copus, Tara Hugo, Richard Haas, Andrea Miltner, Jo Eastwood, Charles Grisham, Jan Holicek, Jeremy Zimmermann, Monty L. Simons, Pavel Cajzl, Andrea Stuart, William Hoyland, Millie Wilkie, Bob Sherman, Ellen Savaria, Petr Sekanina, Ales Kosnar, Justin Svoboda, Winter Ave Zoli, Santiago Segura, Albert Moy, Dennison Betram (uncredited), Guillermo del Toro (Guy Dressed as Dragon) (uncredited), David Hyde Pierce (Voice) (uncredited), Todd Kramer (uncredited), Miroslav Lhotka (uncredited), Michael Lindsay (uncredited), Helene Maksoud (uncredited) and Mike Mignola (uncredited)
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Producers: Lawrence Gordon, Lloyd Levin, Mike Mignola, Mike Richardson and Patrick J. Palmer
Screenplay: Guillermo del Toro (screenplay/screen story), Peter Briggs (screen story) and Mike Mignola (comic books)
Composer: Marco Beltrami
Cinematography: Guillermo Navarro, A.S.C. (Director of Photography)
Image Resolution: 1080p
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audio: English: 5.1 LPCM [uncompressed],
English: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
Spanish: 5.1 LPCM [uncompressed]
Spanish: 5.1 DTS-HD
English: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo Audio
Subtitles: English, English SDH, Spanish and Hindi
Running Time: 122 minutes
Region: All Regions
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Columbia Pictures / SONY Pictures Home Entertainment
Andrew's Blu-ray Review: Marvel Comics and DC Comics have been in a war for superhero dominance in the comics industry for decades, crushing every other company that's sprouted in their shadow and every company, that is, except for Dark Horse Comics. Born into the world of independent publishing in 1986, Dark Horse focused exclusively on fantasy and science fiction, offering an appealing alternative to fans of the superhero genre. But it was the stark art and tales of Mike Mignola's ‘HELLBOY' that first helped the publisher gain critical strength and legitimacy in the world of comics.
In 2004, Academy Award-winning Mexican director Guillermo del Toro of 'Blade II' and 'Pan's Labyrinth,' released his filmed adaptation of 'HELLBOY' to theatres worldwide. Great timing and the director's widely publicised love of Mike Mignola's work made the film possible. ‘HELLBOY' was considered to be totally “unfilmable” property. But showcasing an incredible practical makeup and prosthetics application on its two lead characters, the film impressed with its visual impact and surprisingly won the support of mainstream film critics.
The film's plot sounds way more complicated than it ends up being. A young demon is accidentally summoned to Earth during a bizarre Nazi ritual at the height of World War II. When the Allies intervene and stop the Nazis' bid for world destruction, the creature is "adopted" by Trevor "Broom" Bruttenholm [John Hurt] and raised in the United States. Years later, the red-skinned demon is full grown and answers to the name Hellboy [Ron Perlman]. He and the professor are agents of the B.P.R.D. a secret government taskforce that combats dark forces across the world, along with an aquatic genius named Abe Sapien [Doug Jones] and a reclusive fire starter named Liz Sherman [Selma Blair].
This supernatural strike-team is called to arms to combat the recently-resurrected Grigori Rasputin [Karel Roden] a sorcerer who was killed during the ritual that brought Hellboy to Earth decades ago. The evil madman is determined to finish the ceremony started by the Nazis and wake ancient and dangerous beings from a deep slumber. Using his enormous stone hand, carved with mysterious runes, Hellboy must combat an assassin named Karl Ruprect Kroenen [Ladislav Beran], and stop an army of creepy beasties, and bring an end to Grigori Rasputin's bid for world domination.
Sure the story sounds very camp when you write it down, but the beauty of Guillermo del Toro's 'HELLBOY' is that it actually feels quite grounded in the real world. The character Hellboy is a working class stiff with a blue collar swagger and as a hero, he genuinely feels fresh and different. His banter and dissatisfaction with life is endearing, making it all the more easily to sympathise and root for a giant red guy with a tail. Film fans will appreciate the witty dialogue, exciting action beats, and dark humour sprinkled throughout the story. Comic fans, meanwhile, will appreciate the faithful representation of Mike Mignola's character, the darkness of the imagery, and the folklore weaved throughout the film.
There are some problems, but most of them can be chalked up to taste. Comic fans will certainly have an easier time navigating the strange world of 'HELLBOY' it has its own rules and a system of reality that may make it slightly daunting to newcomers. The story is packed with subplots, side characters, and minor details that some will love and others will find tiresome and convoluted. Luckily, Guillermo del Toro handles potentially laughable imagery with such realism and weight that it keeps unintentional snickers to a minimum. The performances, especially Ron Perlman's droll delivery are stellar and everyone is clearly invested in their character. The only weak spot is Selma Blair who seems unable to convincingly emote, but at least it matches her character's reclusive nature.
This Blu-ray edition presents the unrated Director's Cut of the, which includes more than ten minutes of scenes that were removed from the theatrical version. This additional footage gives 'HELLBOY' a bit more room to breathe, but it doesn't add anything of significance other than some amusing character interactions. All in all, 'HELLBOY' isn't the greatest comic-to-film adaptation out there, but it may well be the most unique. A fun romp through a sinister underbelly of the occult, most people will probably have a good time giving this one a shot.
HELLBOY MUSIC TRACK LIST
HEART ATTACK AND VINE (Written by Tom Waits) [Performed by Tom Waits]
RED RIGHT HAND (Written by Nick Cave, Thomas Wydler and Mick Harvey) [Performed by Pete Yorn]
EASY COME, EASY GO (Written by Edward Heyman and Johnny Green) [Performed by Johnny Crawford]
BREATHE IN (Written by James Grundler) [Performed by Paloalto]
LET’S STAY TOGETHER (Written by Al Green, Al Jackson Jr. and Willie Mitchell) [Performed by Al Green]
WE’LL MEET AGAIN (Written by Ross Parker and Hugh Charles) [Performed by Vera Lynn]
Blu-ray Image Quality – ‘HELLBOY' is, quite simply, a fantastic addition to the Blu-ray format. Like most of the recent Sony's 1080p brilliant encoded image, this is yet another first-class example of how a film transfer should be done. The wonderfully saturated colour palette of the film is vivid and never blooms, fine detail is exceptional and the picture is completely free of any distracting artefacts. Many of the scenes in the latter half of the film occur in snowy conditions and feature a character that is soaked, from head to toe, in blood. I was amazed at how this Blu-ray encode handled the extremes of bright crimson without ever blooming or bleeding into the white areas of the picture. This is another prime example of how high definition content that is well encoded can display extremely challenging material with relative ease. ‘HELLBOY' qualifies not only as absolute demo material, but also as being extremely faithful to its theatrical presentation.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – In addition to the fantastic video presentation, ‘HELLBOY' features an immaculate 5.1 LPCM [uncompressed] soundtrack. This really is an outstanding track with an immensely enveloping special ambience and impressive surround usage. While I've never been in an actual gunfight, I can only imagine that bullets flying past my head would sound pretty much like they do in ‘HELLBOY.' There are many diverse settings in the film, from subway tunnels, museums and city streets to cemeteries and giant aquariums, that all spring to life with wonderful expressiveness. I was particularly impressed and awed by the ‘HELLBOY' huge soundstage and its tight, accurate and deep bass. Once again, Sony displays their industry leading commitment to presenting outstanding uncompressed sound on Blu-ray.
Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
Audio Commentary with Guillermo del Toro: Guillermo Del Toro gives a scene-specific commentary that's exclusive to the director's cut. I could listen to this guy all day. A good portion of the commentary is spent discussing all the influences that led Guillermo del Toro to ‘HELLBOY’ with things as far ranging as pulp comics, Jorge Luis Borges, and Sherlock Holmes. Guillermo Del Toro talks at length about Mike Mignola and his work, and how it was to work with Mike Mignola. Of course he also talks about Ron Perlman, Jeffrey Tambor, and the rest of the cast. Guillermo Del Toro speaks nonstop from opening credits to the beginning of the end credits, and he is endlessly very interesting.
Special Feature: Hellboy: Seeds of Creation [2004] [1080p] [1.78:1] [143:08] This documentary is about everything ‘HELLBOY.' Starts with Mike Mignola talking about the genesis of the comic, and goes all the way through to the theatrical premiere. On the way, we see make-up tests, creature designs and models, on the set footage, and more. The documentary goes into almost every detail of the production, although there isn't much rhyme or reason to the way the information is delivered. One minute they may be talking about doing wire work, and the next about CGI effects, and the next about how great it is to work with John Hurt. Still, the lack of segmentation keeps things interesting, because you don't know what you'll be seeing next. This is essential viewing for any Hellboy fan. Contributors include: Nick Allder, Shadi Almassizadeh, Velvy Appleton, Kevin Baillie, Mauricio Baiocchi, Xavier Bastida, Selma Blair, Steve Boeddeker, Blair Clark, Guillermo del Toro, Mike Elizalde, TyRuben Ellingson, Colin Epstein, Rupert Evans, Jake Garber, David 'Rudy' Grossman, Jimmy Hart, John Hurt, Edward Irastorza, Sven Jensen, Doug Jones, Todd Labonte, Lloyd Levin, David Martí, Jim McVay, Mike Mignola, Guillermo Navarro, Wendy Partridge, Ron Perlman, Montse Ribé, Mike Richardson, Matt Rose, Stuart Scott, Mark Setrakian, Monty L. Simons, William Todd Stinson, Jeffrey Tambor, Paul G. Thuriot, Ryan Tudhope and Chad Waters.
Special Feature: Deleted Scenes with Director Audio Commentary: Three scenes, two of which appear in a shortened form in the director's cut. There is a very short sequence showing Ilsa Haupstein and Karl Ruprecht Kroenen’s trek to revive Grigori Rasputin, then a scene where John Myers brings Liz Sherman back, and finally the scene where Grigori Rasputin receives the stone that features in the film's climax. Guillermo del Toro provides optional audio commentary for all three. The scenes include Breaking the Ice Wall [0:30]; Cab Ride [1:24]; Russian Warehouse [2:33], Rasputin and Isla meet the Russian General at the Topockba Military Base.
Special Feature: Visual Effects How-To [2004] [1080p] [1.78:1] [2:54] Here we take a look at several of the larger visual effects shots. Slightly redundant after we got a lot of this information from the previous "Seeds of Creation," but there are still things here not shown in the other documentary.
Special Feature: Make-Up and Lighting Tests with Audio Commentary with Guillermo del Toro [2004] [1080p] [1.78:1] [7:21] Guillermo del Toro gives a fascinating audio commentary in relation to several make-up tests done to figure out how to best light ‘HELLBOY’ for maximum effect. Many of the tests were shown in "Seeds of Creation," but Guillermo del Toro's audio commentary sheds new light on the aspect of this film.
Special Feature: A Quick Guide To Understanding Comics with Scott McCloud [2004] [1080p] [1.78:1] [12:00] Probably the pre-eminent scholar in the comic book field, is Scott McCloud and gives an in-depth crash course on comics as an art form. Scott McCloud imparts a lot of very interesting information without becoming boring or feeling rushed. This is definitely essential must viewing.
Coming To Blu-ray: Trailers for what is coming out on the Blu-ray Format.
Theatrical Trailer: Ghost Rider [2007] [1080p] [2.40:1] [2:32] I suppose Sony figured promoting ‘Ghost Rider’ made sense, seeing as how it's another film made from a comic book character, but the big difference is that ‘HELLBOY' is a study of how to adapt comics well, whereas ‘Ghost Rider’ is an embarrassment in every possible way.
Finally, I was convinced, before seeing the film, that ‘HELLBOY' would be complete waste of time on me. I did not know the story and though it all looked a bit silly. I could not have been more wrong! This is a very inventive and exciting film that is deliciously entertaining. The Blu-ray edition is remarkable with reference picture quality and a soundtrack that is every bit as impressive. The supplementary section of the Blu-ray disc is nicely presented, with plenty of features to satisfy the needs of the most ardent comic book fans and the most clueless newcomer. ‘HELLBOY' is one hell [pun] of a great addition to my ever-growing library of must-own Blu-ray releases. Even though I have not been a big comic book fan, this ‘HELLBOY' franchise really shows why this comic book hero is so popular and this film really brings this comic book character to fruition and now I am a massive fan of this genre and I wonder if there will be any more of these ‘HELLBOY' films in the future, I hope so, especially with the very imaginative director Guillermo del Toro who certainly knows how to make the comic book hero come to life and it has been a great honour to add this beautiful designed Limited Edition SteelBook to my ever increasing SteeBook Blu-ray Collection. Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
