The mastermind of the creepy fantastic is back, with the premiere of his second ‘Hellboy’ movie on July 11. The taste of director Guillermo del Toro hasn’t altered: same passion for creatures, only better realization of the effects. Therefore, moviegoers should expect from “Hellboy II: The Golden Army” even more, without being far-fetched, del Toro does outstrip his previous performance.

Let’s not forget that in the pause between the two ‘Hellboy,’ del Toro stretched his muscles with another breath-taking movie: “Pan’s Labyrinth.” Have you heard anyone at all complaining about that exceptionally produced fantasy? Of course not, and the answer stands right there in my question. (Yes, because “Pan’s Labyrinth” was exceptionally produced).

As we’ve mentioned and you probably already know, del Toro is fond of creatures. Lots of creatures. The protagonist of our movie here is an abnormal creature, a bloody-red devil supporting humankind. Who said all devils were evil hasn’t met del Toro. Hellboy (still played by Ron Perlman – still the tenebrous voice, still the perfect match for the dark hero) is still the love interest of Liz (Selma Blair), a girl who looks perfectly normal (actually, she’s more beautiful than normal, but we were making reference to the white complexion), but has the special ability to engulf fire. Hellboy is bound to become Helldaddy, only that he doesn’t know it until later, but demonstrates since the beginning of the gig how caring a father he might be.

But what triggers the adventures this time? Hellboy, Liz and the Piscean Abe Sapien (Doug Jones) are still devoted to their work for the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense when a great peril threatens humankind. The ancient truce made between the humans and the ancient people was crossed and Prince Nuada (Luke Goss) wants to wake up the Golden Army. The latter was retired as a result of the before-mentioned truce, as its golden soldiers proved to be ruthless killing machines.

Prince Nuada’s twin sister, Princess Nuala (Anna Walton) sides with the humans and hides the key part of the crown that has the power to wake up the cruelty of the Golden Army. The team that fights for the good of the world also includes the Teutonic gas-organism Johann Kraus (voice of Seth MacFarlane) and Tom Manning (Jeffrey Tambor), who is, unfortunately, not of great help. As promised, the movie includes all kinds of creatures and monsters, battles with giant monsters on the streets of Manhattan, a suite of jaw-dropping action scenes and also, two love stories. Who is part of the second pair in love? Let’s keep it a secret, though if you pay a little attention you might guess. Moreover, “Hellboy II” features a surprising drunken duet on Barry Manilow’s “Can't Smile Without You” – cannot spoil more either.

The “Hellboy” adventures are based on a comic book, obviously. The comic book’s creator, Mike Mignola, was part of the writing team, alongside director del Toro. The movie is 110 minutes long, meaning 110 minutes of living in a fantasy world that needs to be saved by the progenitor of Hell.

Movie Type: Action/Adventure, Suspense/Horror, Thriller and Sequel
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Directed By: Guillermo del Toro
Cast: Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Jeffrey Tambor, Doug Jones, Ladislav Beran
Released: July 11th, 2008 (wide)
U.S. Box Office: TBA