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Sure, the dialogue can be cheesy and the concept of Nazis being the bad guys is a little overdone. But if we focus mostly on the negative aspects of Hellboy, we're missing a valuable point Guillermo del Toro is trying to convey; That his sleeper-hit comedic, supernatural comic adaptation is a work of art that blends many different movie themes together.
As its lack of positive feedback will tell you, Hellboy isn't for everyone. Perhaps audiences aren't considering what the life of an inbred demon boy with no communication with the outside world is like. Hellboy was raised on pop culture being his only connection with humanity, with very minimal interaction with people aside from his own "father." Ron Perlman portrays a big red tank with one-liners equivalent to the quality of a Die Hard movie, though he has his more sensitive moments. Hellboy is strong, yet vulnerable to the few he has been raised around in his life. Namely Liz Sherman (Selma Blair), a fellow member of the BPRD. They have an odd, resentful relationship and she obviously doesn't really dig him. Red (Hellboy's nickname) has a puppy love crush on her, and she rejects him until the final moments of the film. Other supporting characters include Trevor Bruttenholm (John Hurt), the man who found Red when he was only a wee baby demon, and Abe Sapien (played by Doug Jones, voiced by David Hyde Pierce), who is basically a telepathic fish man.
Most of the film's quality comes from these characters and how they protect us ala Men in Black. While we're ignorant to the supernatural occurrences which summons the BPRD's assistance, they give good reason for supporting their cause. There is a similar theme to the X-men films, like the idea of defending an unappreciative society. The film doesn't oversympathize with the characters, even though they rightfully deserve it. Especially with the kind of villain they're up against. Nazism and Satan worshiping aside, these guys are pretty bad ass. Del Toro puts a lot of his film making skills into keeping fantastic characters artistic, and Hellboy is no exception to that.
As its lack of positive feedback will tell you, Hellboy isn't for everyone. Perhaps audiences aren't considering what the life of an inbred demon boy with no communication with the outside world is like. Hellboy was raised on pop culture being his only connection with humanity, with very minimal interaction with people aside from his own "father." Ron Perlman portrays a big red tank with one-liners equivalent to the quality of a Die Hard movie, though he has his more sensitive moments. Hellboy is strong, yet vulnerable to the few he has been raised around in his life. Namely Liz Sherman (Selma Blair), a fellow member of the BPRD. They have an odd, resentful relationship and she obviously doesn't really dig him. Red (Hellboy's nickname) has a puppy love crush on her, and she rejects him until the final moments of the film. Other supporting characters include Trevor Bruttenholm (John Hurt), the man who found Red when he was only a wee baby demon, and Abe Sapien (played by Doug Jones, voiced by David Hyde Pierce), who is basically a telepathic fish man.
Most of the film's quality comes from these characters and how they protect us ala Men in Black. While we're ignorant to the supernatural occurrences which summons the BPRD's assistance, they give good reason for supporting their cause. There is a similar theme to the X-men films, like the idea of defending an unappreciative society. The film doesn't oversympathize with the characters, even though they rightfully deserve it. Especially with the kind of villain they're up against. Nazism and Satan worshiping aside, these guys are pretty bad ass. Del Toro puts a lot of his film making skills into keeping fantastic characters artistic, and Hellboy is no exception to that.
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