I have Hellboy (2004) on standard dvd and e...njoy the movie but my girlfriend loves this film. I got the Blu-ray version of the movie for her as a gift. I'm always a little wierry when older movies are taken & released in HD-DVD or Blu-ray. Some of these movies come out looking like they were just upscaled and do not have the clarity & sharoness of a newer film released on these formats in 1080p. I was very surprised, the Hellboy in Blu-ray looked amazing. The picture quality & detail is what I expected from a high definition dvd movie. I also enjoyed that fact that the re-release of this movie was an extended version of the film. I always enjoy seeing the delete sceens or the movie as it was originally intended. The only disappointments I had were the special features...they were the same from the standard dvd version, nothing extra added except some blu-ray promos. The deleted sceens in this section are sceens that are in the Director's Cut version of the movie so there was really no need to have these as delete sceen anymore. Also, there is no need to show me a comercial for the Blu-ray format...I bought a Blu-ray movie, that preety much means I have a Blu-ray player already. You already got me as customer, I don't need to see a blu-ray commercail before my film! The standard dvd is rated PG-13, nothing in the Director's cut changes this. This is still a PG-13 movie...people get stabbed & cut but there is no blood on the swords. This film is based on a comic book & is an ejoyable movie to watch about good vs. evil with some odd characters on both sides.
Completely original and stunningly realized, Guillermo del ...Toro's Hellboy is a masterstroke of awe-inspired entertainment that sparkles with bold storytelling that dares to go where no monster movie has gone before. Adapted from the original Hellboy comic miniseries The Seed of Destruction, the film takes creator Mike Mignola's dynamic graphic style and molds it into its own cinematic marvel, using a color palette that explodes around one of the strangest lead characters ever brought to the screen. However dark his origins might be, Hellboy (as brilliantly embodied by Ron Perlman) fits the American action-hero role to a T; full of witty one-liners and the first to fearlessly jump into the fray, the character is immediately personable and a perfect fit for the kind of bigger-than-life heroes to which people have flocked for years. What's wonderful, too, is that there's an incredible amount of heart to this beast -- in fact, to the whole film. When the movie's not wowing you with its stellar production design or thrilling you with its wall-to-wall action, the filmmakers have instilled real emotion into a story line that, for all good measure, probably wouldn't have been this juicy if it were not for del Toro. Bringing a loving humanity to each of this film's strange clique of characters isn't something that any storyteller would just pull out of their hat for a flick like this, which is all the more reason to soak it up here. For your buck, you not only get over-the-top action, but also a comical adventure that's based around a gothic tale of love and belonging (oh yes, with a whole lot of Lovecraftian horror for good measure). If that sounds like a little too much, don't worry, because all of those pieces only fit together only for the sake of pleasing you, the viewer. With a genuinely quirky score from Marco Beltrami that thankfully strays far away from Danny Elfman's recent cut-and-paste superhero jobs, Hellboy in every way looks, feels, and sounds completely different from anything else out there. If ever Hollywood had the cards stacked against it while selling a comic book idea to general audiences, this is it. The fact that it works is unbelievable. The fact that it's as fun as it is makes it that much more satisfying.
I can see why Hellboy would turn... off casual action movie fans. It is more of a high fantasy SLASH superhero movie than anything else. Surprisingly though, a lot of it reminded me of Spider-Man. There is a romance that plays heavily into the plot, much like in the Spider-Man films. Also, Hellboy isn't invincible, also much like Peter Parker/Spider-Man. But for what it has in common with some superhero based movies, I found this to be heavily rooted in fantasy. Everyone involved in the plot, with the exception of the FBI agents, is superheroic, and really far out looking. Some characters were downright scary looking, while others were just amazing to take in, resembling Pan's Labyrinth-type creations. All in all, this movie deserves more critical acclaim. Though it feels longer than it actually is, they didn't waste time telling the story - they just crammed all they could into the movie as possible (Seemingly out of worry that there would not be a Hellboy 2). Guillermo del Toro has yet to disappoint me - he is a genius, no doubt about that.
Awesome as remembered...relationships... between characters keeps audience engaged/invested. However, its not as high quality as new 2019 hellboy, but that ones too horrifyingly disgusting gory for me to take. So im sticking to buying this one... 2008
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
Best quality and picture clarity money can buy
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New