OK, dear readers, it’s taken me a little while to get the review up of Hellboy (2019), I missed the cinema release of the movie, so now that it is out on Blu-ray I thought I’d check it out to bring you my thoughts of this rebooted version of a much-loved franchise.
Hellboy has arrived on Digital Download and on DVD, Blu-ray™, 4K UHD and Steelbook editions courtesy of Lionsgate Home Entertainment UK, so after the Blu-ray arrived I was on two minds if it was going to be one of those “Marmite Movie”, you know the ones, you either love it or hate it.
Let’s start by saying that Hellboy (2019) does have a great cast with David Harbour (Stranger Things) as Hellboy, Milla Jovovich (Resident Evil series) and Ian Mcshane (John Wick), it’s also packed to the rafters with action sequences, over the top CGI gore sequences and plenty of F-Bombs to return Hellboy from the comic books of Mike Mignola to the screen.
In the 2019 reboot, Hellboy is called to the English countryside to battle a trio of rampaging giants, I do have to say they were well-designed but the CGI for me was a bit on the poor side. ThereHellboy discovers The Blood Queen, Nimue (Milla Jovovich), a resurrected ancient sorceress thirsting to avenge a past betrayal. Suddenly caught in a clash between the supernatural and the human world that can only bring an end to the world as we know it. It’s now down to Hellboy to stop Nimue without triggering the end of the world.
OK, I’m a big fan of the original Hellboy movies with Ron Perlman (So prepare that I may be a little biassed on this one), so having someone else play the role of Hellboy was a little daunting and deep down inside I was already thinking that this new version wasn’t going to be a patch on those movies, suffice to say I was right, the reboot doesn’t have that style that they had and much like having your own Doctor Who, I have my own Hellboy.
That’s not to say that David Harbour doesn’t play his role well, because he does, he carries off the Hellboy persona and costume well, his face does look more like the comic book, but I just couldn’t get past the physique with what looked like a beer belly!
There are many moments of Mignola’s comic books that come to life in Hellboy (2019) and in an interview on the special features of the Blu-ray he brings us his thoughts on bringing some of the elements and characters from the comic books to this version of the movie, but if you listen carefully it almost sounds like he hated the original movies!
Neil Marshall has certainly made the effort with directing such a demanding movie that is not only non-stop when it comes to the action, but also when it comes to directing with CGI moments. Probably not one of his best movies, but I tip my hat to Neil for his work on the movie.
As I mentioned earlier in the article, the CGI is something that is one of the things that has bugged me in Hellboy (2019), there is a creature in the movie, which I think was called Gruagach, it’s a kind of upright walking warthog and when it is talking it just looks so wrong, it kind of distracted me from the scenes I was watching, I know not a major point but it is rather off-putting.
If you love your gore and bad language then Hellboy (2019) is packed with it, it also has plenty of action and fights, but it just lacks something for me that I can’t put my finger on, it’s not the worse film ever made, good grief I could name a few of those such as The Devil Inside, but it’s not the Hellboy reboot I was expecting, maybe we should have had Hellboy III and brought Ron Perlman and Guillermo del Toro back, but if you have been living on the moon and not seen the other movies, then maybe this will be your Hellboy.
Hellboy is out now with never-before-seen special features, including a three-part documentary, deleted scenes, and more! Experience four times the resolution of full HD with the 4K Ultra HD, which includes Dolby Vision® HDR, bringing entertainment to life through ultra-vivid picture quality.
HELLBOY Special Features
- Tales of the Wild Hunt: Hellboy Reborn (3-Part Documentary) (Blu-Ray™ and 4K UHD only)
- Deleted Scenes
- Previsualization
Hellboy Rebooted
Movie title: Hellboy (2019)
Movie description: Based on the graphic novels by Mike Mignola, Hellboy, caught between the worlds of the supernatural and human, battles an ancient sorceress bent on revenge.
Date published: August 20, 2019
Director(s): Neil Marshall
Actor(s): David Harbour, Milla Jovovich, Ian McShane
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Karen Woodham is the founder and owner of the Blazing Minds. She is also a Cinema reviewer and works with RealD 3D reviewing the latest 3D releases and IMAX, she has also had several articles published in various publications including the first edition of SFW Magazine. In 2015 she became an Award Winning Blogger and also has her website listed as one of the UK’s Top 10 Film Blogs.
