Hellboy

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Hellboy ★★½ 2004 (PG-13)

Faithful adaptation of the cult Dark Horse comic is a success, thanks mostly to del Toro's smart direction and Perlman's amusing yet complex portrayal of the titular demon/ hero. During WWII, the Nazis and Rasputin team up to try to bring about the reign of the seven gods of chaos. What they bring to earth is actually a baby demon who is found and adopted by Dr. Brutten-holm of the FBI's Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense. Sixty years later, Hellboy is an adult working with the doc, breaking in a new handler, and pining over former bureau denizen Liz (Blair). Rasputin and his Nazi friends plan on using Hell-boy to bring about the Apocalypse. Perlman gives Hellboy depth (even under all the prosthetics), but he has lots of help from a strong supporting cast. 125m/C DVD, Blu-ray Disc, UMD . US Ron Perlman, John Hurt, Selma Blair, Rupert Evans, Karel Roden, Jeffrey Tambor, Biddy Hodson, Doug Jones, Ladislav Beran, Kevin Trainor, Corey Johnson, Stephen H. Fisher; D: Guillermo del Toro; W: Guillermo del Toro, Peter Briggs; C: Guillermo Navarro; M: Marco Beltrami; V: David Hyde Pierce.