THE BEST MOVIE SO FAR THIS SUMMER
Saturday, 12. July 2008, 13:46:43
Hellboy II: The Golden Army is a sequel that is so far better than the original that it's impossible to think of it as a sequel. In fact, this movie is so far better than anything else I've seen this Summer that I want to give it 7 Big Stupid Grins on my 1 to 5 scale. This is how you make Fantasy movies.
First off, you get Guillermo del Toro as your director. Give him lots of money. Let him bring in his army of imaginative geniuses and then get out of the way. If this film doesn't make you drool all over yourself just thinking about what he will do with The Hobbit, well, then, you must not love Fantasy, Epic Fantasy.
I already made it clear before that I think del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth is a masterpiece, one of the best movies ever made. That film is small and intimate but stunning in its impact. Hellboy II, on the other hand, is huge, more imaginative than ten other movies combined, and so stunning it will knock your socks off. There is more creativity on display in this movie than practically anything you care to mention.
This is a living, breathing, fantasy world populated with some of the most bizarre creatures you will ever see. But you will believe every last one of them is real. The make up/special effects are so good that you never once think you're looking at something that only exists in a computer. During one scene a creature is holding a baby to its chest. When someone remarks, "Cute baby," the baby replies, "I'm not a baby, I'm a tumor." And it works beautifully, it's real, it doesn't look or feel like an effect. The amazing thing is there's hundreds of creatures, none the same, and all believeable.
This movie also has one of the best drunken buddy scenes ever put on film. It features several incredible battle scenes, a lot of humor including a hysterical fight with locker doors, quite a bit of love and tenderness, incredible clockwork machinery, an excellent soundtrack, some really impressive kung fu weapon twilring, and social commentary.
I've loved several movies this Summer but this puts them all to shame. It's that good. Next week The Dark Knight really has its work cut out to outdo this awesome spectacle.
First off, you get Guillermo del Toro as your director. Give him lots of money. Let him bring in his army of imaginative geniuses and then get out of the way. If this film doesn't make you drool all over yourself just thinking about what he will do with The Hobbit, well, then, you must not love Fantasy, Epic Fantasy.
I already made it clear before that I think del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth is a masterpiece, one of the best movies ever made. That film is small and intimate but stunning in its impact. Hellboy II, on the other hand, is huge, more imaginative than ten other movies combined, and so stunning it will knock your socks off. There is more creativity on display in this movie than practically anything you care to mention.
This is a living, breathing, fantasy world populated with some of the most bizarre creatures you will ever see. But you will believe every last one of them is real. The make up/special effects are so good that you never once think you're looking at something that only exists in a computer. During one scene a creature is holding a baby to its chest. When someone remarks, "Cute baby," the baby replies, "I'm not a baby, I'm a tumor." And it works beautifully, it's real, it doesn't look or feel like an effect. The amazing thing is there's hundreds of creatures, none the same, and all believeable.
This movie also has one of the best drunken buddy scenes ever put on film. It features several incredible battle scenes, a lot of humor including a hysterical fight with locker doors, quite a bit of love and tenderness, incredible clockwork machinery, an excellent soundtrack, some really impressive kung fu weapon twilring, and social commentary.
I've loved several movies this Summer but this puts them all to shame. It's that good. Next week The Dark Knight really has its work cut out to outdo this awesome spectacle.
WIDGETIZE