HellBoy II The Golden Army

Once again Guillermo del Toro adeptly brings the cult comic Hero to life in his latest installment of the HellBoy Series. The familiar cast returns including Ron Pearlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones, Jeffrey Tambor and a cameo by John Hurt as well as the voice talent of Seth Macfarlane. Though the film is wonderful to watch with it's grand setscapes, effects and story, it does drag on a bit as do most sequels. Having said that, I still highly encourage watching this film in the theater while you still can, if nothing more than to take in all of the breathtakingly intricate vistas Guillermo portrays in the hidden realms of the mystical world around us. It is hard to conceive, even with the prodigious use of CG, the great lengths and expenditures, Del Toro went through to give life to even the most insignificant parts of his tail, details other such directors would just gloss over or leave out all together. All told HellBoy II isn't as compelling as the original, but in it's own right it doesn't have to be, after all it is a different story altogether.Golden Army does however surpass the first in effects, cinematography and action. If you liked the first movie, this one is a must see.