Hellboy is an interesting superhero tale, just as its lead character isn't your usual guy in tights. I've no experience with the comic the film is based on, but I've heard good things. Director Guillermo del Toro comes up with something halfway between Spider-Man and Batman - it's not full on with the camp, but neither does it pass on the human elements.
Ron Perlman is a personal favorite when a role calls for a lot of prosthetics. I grew up on the small screen live action Beauty and the Beast, where Ron defined the role for me. He brings Hellboy to life, and gives him that streak of humanity that makes his resistance to his nature as the Son of Satan credible. Most of the other characters form the backdrop against which Hellboy is painted. Many are interesting, but none are as full-formed as you might like.
The story has decent pacing, slowing down for character sets then speeding up for the action. Speaking of the action, the CGI is competent, and the dark, gritty setting fits the overall feel of the movie.
Bottom Line: Thumbs up, an entertaining romp well worth seeing.
Our other film of the day, Sky High, is the other side of the coin that Hellboy graces. This is a full-on fun film, a superhero take on the regular teens-in-school growing up and proving themselves template. The writers (there are three of them credited, indicating a degree of rewrite) got the tone right. Have fun, but there are real world parallels here. It's almost like The Incredibles in live action. Sort of.
The issues? The need to live up to famous parents, the need to fit in at school, cliques, identity, dealing with judgment on your potential... I'm sure there's more. The ensemble cast does a good job, but credit director Mike Mitchell and whoever his editor was with keeping the whole thing moving at a good clip.
The kids with the lead roles are pretty good, but Bruce Campbell steals the show with his take as Sky High's answer to Hogwarts' Sorting Hat. His power of talking really loud fits Bruce, and he's damned funny as always.
Bottom Line: If you want 100 minutes of entertainment, you could do far worse than Sky High.
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