Hellboy 2: The Golden Army

You know I said I’d catch you after the movie … ?

I wasn’t wrong …

I’ve literally just seen out Kevin D, Movie Night Adrian, Squeaky and Big Josh, after we all managed — here at my place — to catch Hellboy 2: The Golden Army.

And, my word, it was entertaining …

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5/12/2010

Hellboy 2: The Golden Army follows on from the original, with a small teaser section that sees John Hurt — briefly reprising his rôle as Professor Broom — telling a very young Hellboy — played by Montse Ribé in this scene, and Ron Perlman in the rest of the film — about the truce between elves and humans and it’s possibly for elven rebel, Prince Nuada* to break that truce by accessing the Hellboy 2 McGuffin: the Golden Army.

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Now, I’ll happily admit that the Hellboy series isn’t exactly high art, full of depth, meaning and reflections on humanity’s place in an alien and dark universe.

No.

It’s a blockbuster, popcorn movie!

So don’t expecting anything drastic on the intellectual front!

Sit back.

Relax.

And enjoy the fun.

As I think I mentioned to Adrian and Kevin, last night … ?

It’s high octane panto …

* Played by Luke Goss. Which is actually something of a minor niggle. Actually, not even that: more of a trainspottery, spot-the-influence thing. I’ve got to admit, I spent a happy couple of minutes explaining to Adrian, Josh and Squeaky where I thought Hellboy 2’s producers — as well as the designers of Jeremy Iron’s make-up, in the 2002 version of The Time Machine — got their ideas for the look of Prince Nuada. I’m not going to accuse anyone of outright plagiarism. But I definitely think both were heavily influenced by Michæl Moorcock’s Elric.

Hellboy: How to have a natter about Lovecraft, messiahs and Wrestling …

Which sort of sums up the whole evening’s entertainment the Movie Night Adrian, Kevin D and I were watching, tonight …

Because, literally, the post-movie and half time natter were literally all over the place.

Including covering various martial arts: Kevin D’s done Jitkyùndouº, whilst Adrian prefers Catch wrestling*.

Personally … ?

I’m a lover, not a fighter … !

All boys, together, eh … ?

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1/9/10

At any rate, the film we were watching last night … ?

Was the 2004, Guillermo del Toro directed, supernatural action-adventure thriller, Hellboy: starring Ron Perlman as the eponymous hero.

And I think this is a films that caused a decided outbreak of … let’s call it scholarly discussion, shall we … ?

Mostly, I think, where I, Adrian and Kevin have known each other long enough to not have outright passionate rows!

Now other’s have summed up the plot of Hellboy better than I have: I think we can sum it up, though, as a steampunked mix of Blade and Ghostbusters that works well enough, and is entertaining.

But where me and the guys got talking … ?

Was whether it could be truly called — wait-for-it — Lovecraftian … !

The trouble is, though, of course, is that, whilst all three of us have seen some of the films derived from the work of the Gentleman from Rhode Island, I think I’m the only one to have read the original short stories: something I think gives me a very different view.

Whilst both Adrian and Kevin pointed out that quasi-demonic entities worshipped as gods were all over the place in Lovecraft’s work, and in Hellboy.

Yes, there were plenty of them.

But, unlike Hellboy, and more akin to the original Alien and, more recently, Outpost, Lovecraft’s work didn’t call these beings good or evil.

It called them what they were.

OTHERª than human.

Which I think is profound, but that’s just me.

In any case — phew — I think we all of us saw an entertaining two hours worth of well paced movie, with enough action, wit, and slimy bits to keep us all going.

’Til the next time!

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* And both have tried to talk me into something: my usual response is something along the lines of “Blow THAT!”

º Or 截拳道, if you want me to be REALLY showy …

ª Seriously, read that bit again. You might be thinking I’m stating the obvious, there. You’re right, I am. But I personally doubt that talking to aliens with a Star Trek style Universal Translator is going to be easy: after all, we have trouble communicating out ideas to someone from a different culture. That someone is human, and shares the same needs and biology as us.

An alien species? Will have nothing in common with us that we can understand.

Outlander …

You know, I’ve got to say, I think Adrian picked a blinder, for tonight’s movie, I really do …

Says I, as “Animal House”, complete with the late John Belushi at his eyebrow waggling best, plays in the background!

But “Animal House” isn’t the film that myself, Allison, Adrian and Steve watched, tonight.

Oh, no …

It’s a Saturday, which my regular readers will know means that — every so often — means a film. And tonight’s was the 2008, Howard McCain directed, “Outlander”.

And, while I know Steve wasn’t stunned, I know know me, Adrian and Allison enjoyed it.

I don’t know about anyone else, but I certainly found the cross-genre plot rather interesting.

“Outlander” stars Jim Caviezal as Kainan, the outlander of the title, an apparently human space traveller whose ship crashes on Earth.

Inevitably!

But not in 20th or 21st century America, as you’d possibly expect.

Oh no …

In 8th century Norway …

In the middle of a rather bloody feud between two local chieftains; one, Rothgàr, played by John Hurt, the other, Gunnàr, played by an almost unrecognisable Ron Perlman.

And of course, there’s a fair maiden, Freyà, played by the Girl in the Fireplace, herself, Sophia Myles.

But there is a complication …

You wouldn’t have a story, without a complication …

This one is simply the fact that Kainan has been followed by a dragon.

Well, ok, an alien, called a Moorwen*.

Which is where the excitement starts, possibly.

Okay, debatable excitement.

But this is a film that does make an effort to be an action packed fight-fest, a movie with an emotional journey to show us, and one that has an interesting concept.

Whether it does so well, is another matter; we were talking heavily tonight, about whether “Outlander” compares favourably with “The Thirteenth Warrior”, the John McTiernan film that also features a fish out of water in Viking territory; something I know Steve wasn’t convinced, although I know Adrian and I both felt it did.

Mostly because “The Thirteenth Warrior” was a faux-historical retelling of the Beowülf story; “Outlander”, I’m thinking, is a little more removed from the territory, by introducing those science fiction elements I mentioned, earlier.

It’s different, in other words.

And all the better for that, I think.

* Can I make a confession, here? I don’t know where I’ve picked up the idea that a ‘Moorwen’ is some sort of demon or dragon, but I’m blowed if I can find a reference for that. If you do, feel free to post a comment, and leave a link!