Introduction
As the sequels are coming thick and fast these days from Hollywood, it was not long before a sequel to Hellboy came along. Given my disappointment with recent sequels I waited for this movie to come on a DVD to check this out.

The Plot
Professor Broom tells a little Hellboy a bed time story about an ancient war between humans and magical creatures. As per the story, the magical creatures were on the back foot from the offensive of the humans. At this stage, a goblin blacksmith came up with a blueprint to build an army called the Golden Army which would be indestructible. Though initially reluctant to use it, King Balor ordered the creation of such an army. 

To command the army King Balor had to be unchallenged in his assertion to use them. As no one opposes him, King Balor sends the Golden Army and it destroys the humans. King Balor is taken aback by the ruthlessness of the army and decides to abandon the army and for this he creates a crown and breaks it into three and keeps one with himself, gives one to his daughter and one to the humans for safe keeping and calls a truce to the war. Without the crown the Golden Army cannot be beckoned.

Years later, Prince Nuada sone of King Balor decides that truce with the humans is not worth it, so declares war on the humans. For this, first he needs to get the three pieces of the crown and the Golden Army. To this end he gets the piece with the humans through an auction, then kills his father for the second piece. The third piece is with his twin sister, Princess Nuala. Princess Nuala flees from her father's palace and finds refuge with the BPRD organization. Thus Hellboy and Abraham Sapien are safeguarding her.

What happens next? Does Nuada get the third piece, does he awaken the Golden Army? Do agent Red and Blue crack this one? Check out this second movie of the Hellboy series for the details.

Critic's Viewpoint
I think there is a lesson or two to learn in Hellboy 2 for directors making superhero movies. The movie simply sticks to his Superhero aspect without really dragging the viewers to any dark emotions or weak introspective feelings of a superhero. We go to watch a superhero movie to see him do the superhero activities and not see him cry in the dark or have self doubt about himself :).

The action in Hellboy 2 is almost constant and has a real novel aspect with a wide ranging enemies and creatures. The movie is very fast paced and there is hardly a dull moment in the movie. Even the odd romantic moments are pickled with humour and does not really bore the viewer per se. Director Guillermo Del Toro has to be congratulated for this and of course the box office response he got in the first week is a confirmation of that.

The visuals were fantastic, especially the island where the Golden Army is hidden. That whole sequence of the rock coming to life and opening up was well concieved. The other action sequences including the final fight sequence between Hellboy and Prince Nuada was well done. I also liked the Troll market and the scene was reminiscent of the Harry Potter movies.

Another aspect of the movie that I liked was the wry humor throughout the movie. Whether it be Hellboy's need for attention, or his fights with Liz or the romantic discussion with Abe, it kept the movie going with a light feel to it. The performances overall were decent without anyone really being outstanding.

Summary
Overall a very good follow-up to the original movie. The movie also laid some basis for a third movie where in Hellboy would destroy the world.
I would give this movie a high 4 star rating.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age