Hellboy 2019 Is An Unnecessary Reboot That Suffers From Lazy And Uninspired Filmmaking

      

      Reboots these days appear to either be hit or miss with most cases end up being they miss the goal they originally set out to achieve. In the case of Hellboy 2019, one can't help but ask why anyone felt the need to reboot a series, that was already strong in terms of quality with the first two installments. The Hellboy movies that were directed by Oscar winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro were not only entertaining, but carried with them a visual flare which made them appealing to audiences along with possessing heart with a strong performance from Ron Perlman in the lead role. While the previous Hellboy films weren't runaway box office hits, they managed to churn out reasonable business while achieving critical acclaim from both audiences as well as the fans. Instead of going the most logical route with the franchise which would've been to continue the story with a third installment, the filmmakers behind the reboot chose to start from scratch after Guillermo del Toro wasn't offered the chance to return as both writer-director to continue the series along with Ron Perlman refusing to reprise his role without del Toro's involvement. The end result turns out to be a disaster of a film as the reboot not only fails to reinvigorate the series, but ends up just being an all around terrible film from poor writing to uninspired directing and lack of a true vision, something that the previous Hellboy films despite their own minor faults possessed. The greatest tragedy with the new Hellboy isn't that it just flat out sucks, it's completely devoid of the charm, the heart, and the spirit of the films that warranted its existence in the first place.

      Based on the graphic novels by Mike Mignola, the plot for the Hellboy reboot focuses on the well-meaning half-demon (Played less effectively by David Harbour in comparison to Ron Perlman ) battling an evil queen (Played by Milla Jovovich) that was killed and dismembered by King Arthur centuries prior, but has been revived and put back together with her using her powers against humanity. Rather than continuing from where 2004's Hellboy and 2008's Hellboy ll: The Golden Army left off, the reboot of Hellboy opts for a completely fresh take with the outcome being one that's both frustrating and genuinely heartbreaking for those who enjoyed those films. Everything that was effective and appealing about del Toro's films is completely absent here with the new film lacking a personality of its own. The lack of the originals talented filmmaker along with Ron Perlman, casts a huge shadow over the production of this movie as the dynamic teaming of those two is sorely missed here. Without the vision and guidance of del Toro behind the story, the reboot feels uneven and goes completely off the rails making it a vastly inferior reimagining of the Hellboy story in almost every aspect. The two key elements that automatically prevent the film from being good is the screenplay being poorly constructed with the second being the tone of the film being so over-the-top and uneven due to the lack of a firm grip that director Neil Marshall has over the film. The film essentially feels like a complete mismatch of talents both on the screen and in the developmental department. It also doesn't help that one of the franchises key trademark qualities such as its unique visual style, is shockingly absent here. With the lack of a visual appearance, the new film feels completely devoid of a soul and the imagination to make both its character and story work. Hellboy 2019 is not only a film that fans didn't ask for, it doesn't look or feel as if it tries very hard to justify its existence to the audience nor makes the case that this direction for the character is stronger than the one which del Toro and Perlman laid out for the fans.

     One of the films biggest disappointments lies within the performances of the main cast, many of whom often feel miscast for their parts. The most notable misfire is Stranger Thing's David Harbour in the main title role. Harbor tries his absolute best at playing the role with him even having a similar physical​ structure as the character. No matter how hard Harbour tries, Ron Perlman's shadow hovers over the film and it shows as his performance isn't as commanding. One appreciates the effort that Harbour puts into trying to make Hellboy more charismatic and human in this story compared to the more intimidating approach that Perlman took with the role. Ian McShane is another talented actor whose wasted in this film playing Hellboy's adoptive father and founder of the B.P.R.D Trevor Bruttenholm. Not only does his character feel miscast but he doesn't have the warm and caring vibe that John Hurt brought to the role with the 2004 film. This version of Bruttenholm is less compassionate and not sympathetic to Hellboy questioning his purpose in the world. Milla Jovovich does the best she can playing the films main antagonist Vivienne Nimue, the Blood Queen whose an ancient yet powerful British sorceress from the Dark Ages who seeks to destroy humanity. There's nothing special nor new that Jovovich brings to the role as her type of female villain has been done before numerous times in other films (With most cases being stronger characterization and depth). Other somewhat noteworthy supporting roles in the film are Sasha Lane as Alice Monaghan, a young woman with part Irish descent, who became a powerful medium after being kidnapped by fairies when she was a baby, and Daniel Saw Kim as military member of the B.P.R.D Ben Daimio (His character carries a supernatural transformation such as being able to turn into an intimidating jaguar-style creature when angry, it sounds interesting if not for the fact that it's random and not thoroughly developed in the story). It's not that the main cast delivered terrible performances, they appeared to have done the best work possible with the material given to them but there's a severe lack of guidance and direction that shows with both the performances and actors feeling out of place.

      The films directing by Neil Marshall is severely underwhelming compared to the impressive work that Guillermo del Toro left behind with his movies. The new film lacks the majestical feel, heart, and sincerity of the previous films with the humor, wit, and visual elements that made those films so enjoyable and iconic being completely absent here. Guillermo didn't just make the previous Hellboy films entertaining, he managed to transcend the derivative nature of the source material and added more to it. Whereas the action and violence in those films were handled well largely due to del Toro's masterful craftsmanship as a director, the blood and gore presented here is overused and serves as being rather unnecessary at times (The fight scene between Hellboy and the giants is surprisingly devoid of any genuine suspense and thrills). The films cinematography is unappealing and pales in comparison to the impressive work Guillermo Navarro delivered with del Toro's universe. One of the most notable traits about the 2004 Hellboy is how much the film felt like a comic book movie with a look and style similar to Captain America: First Avenger. The cinematography presented in the 2019 reboot leaves much to be desired with the films atmosphere lacking a true visual presence. The editing comes across as being messy with the film attempting to cram so much into it that certain scenes appear to jump around and leave audiences confused with a story structure and narrative, that feels unbalanced at times making the audience question how the characters got to specific points in the story. Another underwhelming element besides the films directing is the lack of impressive CGI as what's presented here doesn't catch the audiences attention, nor is enough to save the film from lazy storytelling. The films makeup effects come across as looking rather silly, particularly the giants with Hellboy's appearance making him appear to be less realistic and uneven with him carrying a Zombie like appearance. The films soundtrack by Benjamin Wallfisch feels both excessive and overused in comparison to Marco Beltrami's music on the previous films, which felt more in line with the majestical feel of those stories. It's not that the new Hellboy doesn't have the right production values to make it work as a decent reboot, it's that the film feels like it was made without a specific vision to take the character other than just being an obvious cash grab (And it painfully shows because virtually every aspect of the films production serves as being vastly inferior to the work established by del Toro's team).

      Besides the lazy direction, the most fatal flaw that automatically flatlines the reboot is the weak screenplay by Andrew Cosby. The films script doesn't feel like it takes the character anywhere new, and often feels like a less interesting remake of the 2004 film. The character development for the most part comes across as feeling one-dimensional with the evil queen subplot, as well as forcing the main character to join her side because they share a commonality is nothing groundbreaking nor new. What made the screenplays for the del Toro movies thrive were that the characters were both charismatic and interesting with enough room being left for their development to make the audience care. The humor presented in those stories was also handled with great care and restraint, which added to their appeal. The biggest problem with the new script is that the story is too generic and bland to make audiences become invested in it. Not only is the villain not very interesting but there aren't characters present that the audience can grow attached to, not even Hellboy. One appreciates the effort that the filmmakers took in trying to differentiate the characters from the previous films such as McShane's Dr. Bloom being more of a warrior figure with knowledge in comparison to the scientist that John Hurt played. Daniel Day Kim's characters surprise twist was interesting, but it lacks the proper development to make it truly shocking nor have the audience care. Sasha Lane's Alice could've been a strong character if handled right, but she pales in comparison to Selma Blair's character Liz Sherman in the earlier films. Wherea's the first Hellboy essentially gave off a magical fantasy romance vibe with Perlman and Blair's characters, that dynamic is replaced with Hellboy going straight into action mode with battling giant monsters. Some of the monsters are so over-the-top and ridiculous (Mr. Pighead for example, what were they thinking?), that they take away from the believability of the story while making Hellboy look less interesting.

      In the end, this film required three essential ingredients to make it work as a standalone reboot. The first was to have a strong director whose both a visionary as well as a solid storyteller like the perfect balance that Guillermo del Toro displayed with his films. The second was to have a lead actor, who could meet the bar that Ron Perlman set with his portrayal of the Hellboy character head on while taking it in a direction that proved to be just as effective. And third was to have a script that provided enough meat for the characters to grow, while having a compelling enough story to draw the audience into the new rebooted universe of Hellboy. Unfortunately, this film lacked all of those items required to make it work and ultimately ends up being a forgettable and tragic misfire, that should've just been a third installment to the original Hellboy series rather than a restart. There's almost nothing about the new film that's redeemable or worth recommending to fans of the series as everything feels like it lacks the proper inspiration to pull it off. What kills this reboot is a stale story, poor character development, and the deliberate and forceful attempt to go against the wishes of the audience with delivering an unnecessary reboot that lacks the fire, the passion, and the visual splendor of the films before it. One sincerely hopes that Guillermo del Toro and Ron Perlman return to the franchise someday to give audiences the Hellboy lll they've been waiting for since the second films release. For those who loved del Toro's masterful work with Hellboy, Hellboy ll: The Golden Army and became infatuated with his dark and twisted enchanting universe, they'd be wise to steer clear of this film as it'll provide no entertainment value and will ultimately leave fans with feelings of both disappointment and depression in most cases. Coming out in a year where attempted reboots to popular franchises failed left and right (Men In Black: International, Terminator: Dark Fate, Charlie's Angels, etc), Hellboy unfortunately adds itself to that list and justifies it by being a complete mess of a film that will be forgotten about in time. Given the strength of the series up to this point, that's not a bad thing. Hellboy is one of the worst films to come out in 2019 with the film ultimately serving as an example for the saying that if something is not broke then don't fix it.

Final Verdict: For fans of Guillermo del Toro and Ron Perlman's Hellboy films, they'd be wise to absolutely skip this reboot as nothing about it measures up to the works of those films and serves to leave fans largely disappointed they didn't just make a third film instead.