Hellboy Movie

[AC]

MM-- Have you seen the new Hellboy movie? I think you'd like it. It has a lot of energy and style -- a true "comic book movie." Mike Mignola, who created Hellboy, acknowledges your influence on the character and storyline.

[Jerico]

Hellboy. GO SEE IT!

Mignola-- talented creator.
The two screenwriters-- great job!
del Torro and the whole team-- great job!

[Michael Moorcock]

Won't have a chance to see it before we leave for London via NY on Wednesday but we're looking forward to seeing it when we get back.
Looks great. We'll be back the end of April. Won't have a computer with me on this trip, so I suspect the messages will be stacked up here on my return.

[Anonymous]

Have a great trip back in blighty Mike and see you back here again soon!

[Jerico]

Ditto!

[DeeCrowSeer]

I read the first graphic novel of Hellboy, but didn't enjoy it very much (I forget why exactly). How does the film compare to the book?

D...

[Jerico]

The movie is better than the book.
The character development is excellent.
I consider the story to be very character driven,
and there is a lot more story than in the book.
It's a waay cool movie. And I normally don't
like comic book movies; they always fall into
the "so-so" category for me, with X-Men falling
into the "good" category. Hellboy is an exception.
I just might have to throw it into the "excellent" category.
The characters really do it for me.
The pyro-girl has much more of a personality than in the book.
It has the multi-elements that you expect from such movies nowadays--
action, excitement, violence (not gratuitous) special effects, romance, drama, and humor.
Hellboy looks great. The make up is great. They cast the obvious and correct guy to play the part.
They used CGI intelligently. Not overdone. They combined real life actors in good costume/make-up with CG. CG only when needed. Great job.
The obvious Moorcock influence to me is the unusual right
arm of Hellboy = Corum anyone? And the obvious
Lovecraft influences are the tentacled beasties, and threat
of an apocalypse should they be summoned from their nether-region.
I love that kind of theme, so that grabs me immediately.
The use of occult, and one arch-villian in particular is way cool.
Ok that's how I rave for it without giving anything away.
Go see it. It's better than a lot of the other crap that's out right now.

[Alexa]

Gonna search it, tough I'd never heard of it before (maybe I did... but under another name).
Ah, Iterasshai, Mr. Moorcock!

[Michael Moorcock]

Well, if Mike can improve on Hellboy, maybe we can improve on Elric in the movies. It would be nice for movies to be even better than their originals for a change.

[Tales from Tanelorn]

Mike, I just watched the film "Those Magnificent Men in their flying machines". I always liked that film when I was a kid because I loved the thought of building my own flying machine, it fired my imagination. When I saw the film now despite the fact that I know it was a complete farce, the fact that people these days are very sensitive to issues of race, sexuality and religon, I kept wondering whether I should be enjoying this old fashioned film. It charactures many of the worlds nations (vive la difference I say), and stereotypes sexuality, but is it "ok" when done in such a very light hearted way or are creative works like this just no longer acceptable? At the beginning of the film it states the views represented in the film are not the views of 20th century fox! My kids enjoyed it also, I dont know, I just feel that if a film like this is considered more harmful than some of the extreme violence and sex that is on these days then I think we are losing our sense of proportion.

[AC]

I read the first graphic novel of Hellboy, but didn't enjoy it very much (I forget why exactly). How does the film compare to the book?

Seed of Destruction, the first Hellboy GN, was Mignola's first comic as a writer (John Byrne co-scripted it), and hence it's a bit shaky. But the subsequent Hellboy comics have gotten better and better, and I'd recommend them, especially the short story collection, "The Chained Coffin and Others." I also recommend Mignola's "The Amazing Screw-on Head" one-shot, if you can find a copy.

As for the movie, it has some structural problems, and some of the dialogue falls flat, but the good far outweighs the bad. The film's visual density alone is astounding, and I was surprised by how emotional it is. The director's joy in making the film is infectious.

Speaking of del Toro, you guys should all rent a copy of his supernatural thriller, "The Devil's Backbone." It's smart, beautiful, and spooky.