The Dark Prince is about to unleash unseen creatures to the universe and put human existence in jeopardy, leaving Bellboy and his team to fight off this rebellious creatures.
A sleek action picture by Guillermo del Toro, who's making a corner for himself in the horror-fantasy world in his native Mexico, in Hollywood and in Spain.
Let's hope Universal stays the course and gives us that opportunity. People as creative as del Toro and his gang need all the support we can give them.
This, like the first Hellboy, is del Toro on holiday in Hollywood, having as much fun as he can without totally compromising his considerable powers of invention.
Del Toro's previous film, the complex, visually arresting Pan's Labyrinth, demonstrated his growth as a filmmaker, and though the themes here aren't as profound, the striking set design and use of nonhuman characters carry over.
This film is happy to coast on its good humor and brilliant action pieces. Fair enough, since del Toro has taken the poetry of some of his best work and butched it up, creating some of the most amazing-looking creatures and battles of his career.
In the succession of brilliant directors who invent fantasy creatures, del Toro now seems poised to inherit the mantle of creature fetishism pioneered by David Cronenberg, Tim Burton and Peter Jackson.
The parade of creatures Del Toro and his team have come up with as this scenario unfolds, starting with a tour of the legendary Troll Market that one-ups the Mos Eisley cantina scene in Star Wars, will make you want to tip your hat in wonder.
