Based on the comic book series by Mike Mignola, Guillermo del Toro's gleefully eccentric film follows the supernatural adventures of Hellboy (Ron Perlman), a cigar-chomping, horn-filing demonic hero enlisted by an occult scholar (John Hurt) to fight evil in the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense. Along with the fire-throwing Liz Sherman (Selma Blair) and the amphibious psychic Abe Sapien (Doug Jones, with the voice of David Hyde Pierce), Hellboy is joined by new recruit John Myers (Rupert Evans), a squeaky-clean FBI agent assigned to keep the big red devil's exploits in check. Things get out of hand, however, when a vicious monster is unleashed by the villainous Rasputin (Karl Roden), leading to events that may set off an apocalyptic nightmare for humanity.
Echoing Peter Jackson's passion for THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy, HELLBOY is a labor of love from del Toro, a longtime fan of the comic and its creator. The director's enthusiasm shows, since HELLBOY is a wondrously strange slice of pulpy adventure, mixed with horror and humor, and enhanced by stunning visual effects. In the title role (and lots of red makeup), Perlman is pitch-perfect, giving the good-natured misfit a powerful--yet surprisingly sensitive--presence. Blair, Evans, Hurt, and other actors are similarly well cast, rounding out an ensemble intent on retaining the movie's dark yet superbly entertaining tone.
Theatrical Release: APRIL 2, 2004
DVD Features:
Region 1
Keep Case
2-Disc Set
Anamorphic Widescreen - 1.85
Audio:
Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
Disc One:
Additional Release Material:
Audio Commentary - 1. Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Rupert Evans, Jeffrey Tambor - Stars
2. Guillermo del Toro - Director, Mike Mignola - Co-Executive Producer
Right Hand of Doom Set Visits (8)
Featurettes - 1. Hellboy's Cartoon Recommendations (4)
Picture-In-Picture Storyboard Feature
Branching DVD Comics By Mike Mignola (8)
DVD-Rom Features:
Director's Notebook
Printable Script
Script Supervisor's Book
Disc Two:
Additional Release Material:
Trailers
TV Spots (9)
Featurette - 1. HELLBOY: THE SEEDS OF CREATION Documentary (150 mins.)
Computer-generated Animated Scene Breakdowns (4)
Board-A-Matic Storyboard/Scene Scene Comparisons (5)
Deleted Scenes w/Optional Commentary (4)
Scene deconstruction with Guillermo del Toro
Kroenen's Lair Storyboard to Film Comparisons (4)
Text/Photo Galleries:
Filmographies
Poster Explorations
DVD-Rom Features:
Weblink to Hellboy Merchandise
Stars
Ron Perlman: Actor, Vincent in the BEAUTY AND THE BEAST series/HELLBOY
Selma Blair: Actor, CRUEL INTENTIONS/HELLBOY
Rupert Evans: Actor, HELLBOY
John Hurt: British Actor
Jeffrey Tambor: American film & TV actor
Karel Roden: Actor, BULLETPROOF MONK (2003)
Doug Jones:
Corey Johnson: Star/ THE MUMMY (1999)
Director
Guillermo Del Toro: Director, PAN'S LABYRINTH, HELLBOY, CRONOS
Producer
Lawrence Gordon: Producer, 1970s-/ 48 HOURS, PREDATOR, TOMB RAIDER
Mike Richardson: PRODUCER/WRITER
Lloyd Levin: Producer
Screenwriter
Guillermo Del Toro: Director, PAN'S LABYRINTH, HELLBOY, CRONOS
Composer
Marco Beltrami: Composer
Executive Producer
Patrick Palmer: American Producer/Second Unit Director
Source Writer
Mike Mignola: Source Writer, HELLBOY (2004)
Story
Peter Briggs: Screenwriter, HELLBOY (2004)
Voice
David Hyde Pierce: American actor, FRASIER
Director of Photography
Guillermo Navarro: Director Of Photography/"Cisco Kid"
Review 1:
"HELLBOY is engaging."
Source: Entertainment Weekly
p.56 04/09/2004
Review 2:
"Mr. del Toro lets loose with an all-American, vaudevillian rambunctiousness that makes the movie daffy, loose and lovable."
Source: New York Times
p.E8 04/02/2004
Review 3:
"There's no shortage of slick special effects and rampaging monsters here. Yet what catches the eye and captures the imagination is the lovingly hand-crafted feel of the design..."
Source: Los Angeles Times
p.C1 04/02/2004
Review 4:
"Guillermo del Toro has crafted a fiery action picture destined to please comics fans..."
Source: USA Today
p.10E 04/09/2004
Review 5:
"It's vibrating with energy, and you can sense the zeal and joy in its making."
Source: Chicago Sun-Times
p.37 04/02/2004
Review 6:
"[A]n engaging supernatural action film....It's easy to be captivated by del Toro's style and the film's overall panache."
Source: Box Office
p.29 05/01/2004
Review 7:
"The bad guys have great looks....HELLBOY succeeds because it brings the visuals from the page to life with a beating red heart."
Source: Sight and Sound
p.50-1 09/01/2004
Review 8:
"Perlman nails Hellboy's blue-collar ethos....[With] visual artistry and sly wit..."
Source: Premiere
p.115-16 07/01/2004
Review 9:
"Perlman is outstanding....Over-the-top fun..."
Source: Uncut
p.144 10/01/2004