Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)

The trailers and promos gave us Hellboy fans plenty to be excited about:

And oh, how the real thing delivers!

When we left our big red hero (affectionately known as "Red" to his colleagues), he had just dispatched some evil Nazi leftovers and plugged up a hole that threatened to allow the denizens of the other side to rain havoc upon the earth. With lots of help, of course -- where would Hellboy be without his paramour, Liz, and his pal Abe Sapien, after all? And we were thrilled, laughed out loud, and enjoyed this marvelous adaptation of the comic series by the one guy who was made to adapt big monster epics (among other things), Guillermo del Toro. All that remained was the expected and, for fans, highly anticipated sequel.

He's done it again, only better this time -- Hellboy II: The Golden Army surpasses even the original. In the season dominated by The Dark Knight, it's a shame that it's getting overlooked at the box office (although every movie that isn't TDK could make that claim!), but it is worth making time for and enjoying every minute.

This time around, a long-exiled prince of an otherwise extinct race has vengeance on his mind, and to put his plan into operation, he needs the third part of a crown. Once unified, the crown gives the bearer command over the titular Golden Army, a seemingly unstoppable race of hell-forged soldiers who exist to do their leader's bidding. Complicating matters for Prince Nuada (Luke Goss) is his empathic relationship with his sister, Princess Nuela (Anna Walton); what happens to one literally happens to the other. Oh, and then there's Hellboy, Abe, and Liz, along with their token federal bureaucrat, Dr. Tom Manning (Jeffrey Tambor, in another ace comic performance -- his stock in trade, of course), joined this time by Dr. Johann Krauss, an ectoplasmic inventor from the 19th century who figured out how to preserve his essence in a suit made for that function.

Along the way toward the final battle, Hellboy and his retinue encounter just what you expect (and hope for!) from del Toro: One batch of fantastic creatures after another, all of whom are ready to fight, sing, complain, chat, and otherwise endear us. Particularly noteworthy are the "tooth fairies" that drive the opening set piece, resulting in an early battle that will knock the audiovisual socks out of any mere mortal.

Del Toro doesn't merely rehash the first movie; he adds a key subplot that deepens the relationship between Hellboy and Liz, who are not above a little domestic tiff (don't leave your socks in the floor, Hellboy!); and gives us some of the priceless comedy that makes the (thus far) two-film series just that much more fun. In one delicious scene, Hellboy -- chastened by Liz -- is tossing back a few beers with Abe, who is pining for Princess Nuela. Both broken-hearted, they wind up duetting (badly) on Barry Manilow's "Can't Smile Without You."

I've spilled all my beans, so let me cap it all off by stating the obvious: Loved it. Hellboy II continues del Toro's magnificent development as a cinematic artist while never forgetting that it's all about the fun. And oh, what fun!