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This is truly strange for me as the theatrical release of this film was the first review I wrote on here, I believe. Well, it was at least AMONG the first. So why write a SECOND review of a film I already reviewed? Well, the fact that it came out last week is one good reason and another is to find out what else, if anything, I got from the film itself. To my surprise, Wal-Mart stores didn't carry this initially, though I did see copies this weekend at one Super Wal-Mart. At any rate, the title may be misleading to many, thinking this film somehow "Fosters a belief in the occult". To those people, I cry RUBBISH! This is not a film about monsters and sorcery but a film about humanity and love. The "occult themes" present are treated with a more cartoony "Men In Black" attitude than with any seriousness and it's all treated tongue-in-cheek enough not to be mistaken for "satanic imagery". In fact, it borrows more from the Lovecraftian Cyclopean horrors than from any real Judeo/Christian Daemonology. The occult themes only serve as a backdrop for the story, an impetus for the action and nothing more. If this is still bothersome, I will point out that BOTH sides are adequately represented. The heroes of this film use Judeo/Christian relics as weapons and it's treated with respect and seriousness. Far more than the evil elements are. If this still does not convince you, then maybe you're just reading too much into things. Instead of "focusing" on the title, watch the content of the film itself. It only takes a very few minutes to forget that Hellboy is, physically at least, a monster. Within the first half an hour, you'll actually forget it's a guy in red make-up and latex and just see him as a man, as "one of the guys". You'll see him fight giant beasts in one scene of garish, cartoony violence and laying on his bed the next moment, trying to write out how much he loves Liz Sherman and looking for another word for "need" that doesn't "sound too needy." It's in these stark contrasts that we find the core of the film, and the central question asked in the opening of the film. "What makes a man a man?" Is where a man began his life the definition of the man, or where he decides to take his life? That was a theme I didn't quite catch in my first viewing. Yes, I caught the "what makes a man a man" thing, but for some reason the central theme of freewill and how we, every one of us, ultimately chooses our own fate escaped me until viewing it again. Yes, it may be hard for many to view a creature born to be the demon of the Apocalypse as a hero, but that's the point. We all have some preconceived notion and we tend to prejudge people in real life based not on where they are, what they've done, rather where they came from. Hellboy may have been born the demon of the Apocalypse, but has chosen a much different path. The path of redemption. The path of fighting against the very things that led to his birth in the first place. The theme that anyone can find redemption is a theme that should not be overlooked. So you see, refusing to see Hellboy based on the title alone is exactly the problem. In this film, our very prejudices are put to the test and we are shown that things are not always as we perceive them. That anyone can redeem themselves and that, if given a chance, we can still be surprised by the humanity within people. The DVD contains plethora of extras including cast and crew commentary, branching comic book, set visits cued through the film and a documentary that's over two hours long covering the making of this film from pre-production to it's premiere. Give it a chance, it's worth the price and the time. Post a comment in response: |
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