I think Guillermo Del Toro might just be one of the most creative and outlandishly visual directors alive today - which is tall praise when you look at some of his competitors; James Cameron, Luc Besson, Peter Jackson, Baz Luhrman, Terry Gilliam, etc... His work on Blade II, Cronos, the first Hellboy, and Pan's Labyrinth shows that this guy has an amazing ability to bring fantastical worlds to life. Unfortunately, for him, I didn't particularly like any of those films I just mentioned. I'll lump in Hellboy II with the first lot.
Visually, the movie is stunning. There is a bit of animation in the opening sequence that is some of the best animation I've seen in years (even though its obviously animation). The creatures are all amazing - but I was especially enamored with the new German agent on the team and the elves. One of the bad guys also had a really cool appendage that was a star in its own right. Everywhere that Del Toro used one of these practical effects (vs. CGI) I was mesmerized. Unfortunately, I was not mesmerized by the plot.
Story, story, story! How many times do I have to repeat myself?! The story, in this case, was so very basic and so very cliched that within about five minutes you know how the movie is going to end. There are some wonderful character moments in the film - like Hellboy and Abe getting drunk - but overall, this was a fairly unimaginative storyline. If the story was half as creative as the visuals, the film would have been Oscar worthy.
The good news is that while Del Toro is directing the next two LOTR films (Hobbit and Hobbit II - Electric Boogaloo), he is not writing the scripts - the brilliant screenwriting team from the first LOTR trilogy will be doing the honors. Also, he'll be working with WETA and with a cast and crew familiar with LOTR. Combine that with his insane ideas for visuals, and I think the Hobbit is in very capable hands - different that Jackson's, but spectacular in their own right. I just hope that PJ gets the final cut and manages to keep the humanity in the films that seem to be lacking in any of Del Toro's films so far.
Next week... BATMAN!
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