hellboy

Interesting that the last two films I've seen (and in the same theater, no less) have been The Passion of the Christ and Hellboy. They should do some kind of crossover movie, don't you think?

Corey and I finally got to the theatre to see Hellboy tonight, and we thoroughly enjoyed it. I've been avoiding the reviews on the radio and in the papers because I really wanted to see it fresh. It was worth it. A decent story, well-told, and faithful to the spirit of the comic (I'm told -- haven't read it). Either way, though, the movie was just dripping with comic book flavor. It seems the film industry has finally picked up a few directors who know how to translate comic books into movies, Guillermo del Toro being one of them. Corey said that he also directed Blade 2, another impressive adaptation. And while both movies were a bit dark for my taste, they brought a lot of heart and soul to a usually soulless translation. Remember the old Superman movies? And Batman Forever? Yeah, that's what I'm talking about.

Del Toro seems to be able to take everything about comic books seriously while not taking them too seriously. Same kind of attitude Joss Whedon had when he created Buffy, the Vampire Slayer. And really, to stretch that comparison a bit, not that different from the attitude Jim Henson had when he did The Muppet Show. Think about it. Here are these guys doing something that most of the world would consider completely silly or ridiculous. Comic book movies. Talking puppets on primetime television. A demon-fighting heroine named "Buffy". And it's not like there haven't been people doing crazy, ridiculous, silly things before them. Lots of people do it. But these guys did something different. They showed up. They took the work seriously. And they busted their asses and put out a good product.

And people noticed.

Maybe that's what it's all about, eh? Doesn't matter what you're called to do, even if it's something everyone else calls silly. What matters is that you take your work seriously, and bring your whole self to it.

Anyway, Hellboy was a well-made film. It was also a comic book film. But first and foremost, it was well-made. Storytelling at its best. Lots of heart. Good humor. Great special effects. Oh, that reminds me. Our friend Naomi deserves congratulations for all the work she and her studio did on the film. (They do special effects, and I think they were responsible for most of the monsters in the movie.) Congratulation, Naomi, and everyone at Tippett Studios. You should be proud of yourselves for the work you did on Hellboy. First-rate work. Really good.

Posted: Sat - April 17, 2004 at 12:03 AM

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hellboy

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