Summary

• Not all successful superhero movies come from Marvel or DC Comics, like The Rocketeer and The Crow, both thriving thanks to streaming platforms.
• Despite the 2019 Hellboy adaptation being a box office bomb, fans still appreciate its action scenes and lore throughout the film.
• While the film may not be perfect, the cheesy pulp fiction horror adventure showcases Hellboy's world and characters, setting the stage for future adaptations.

Without a doubt, there have been some great superhero movies throughout time that didn’t need to leap from the pages of Marvel or DC Comics in order to become successful. Just look at titles such as 1991’s The Rocketeer or 1994’s The Crow. While they were successful in their own right (the first became a cult classic sometime later), each movie’s lasting legacy can also be attributed to streaming services for lengthening the life of these titles.

While Clifford Secord will always be rocketing through the sky on Disney+, Eric Draven’s resurrected alter-ego seeks vengeance for his beloved on numerous outlets like Prime Video and Paramount+. These are just some of the lesser-known comic book names that will remain in the limelight for years to come, thanks to the streaming medium. Recently, another fantastical face has found its way to Netflix, Hellboy, but the version that was brought over just so happened to be the worst adaptation to be made yet (according to nearly every movie review site in existence). Will it be able to find some sort of redemption on the platform?

Hellboy in Live-Action Films

First brought to the live-action space in 2004 by the way of director Guillermo del Toro, Hellboy shines a light on the Dark Horse Comics character of the same name. Creating the story from a 1994 arc called Seed of Destruction (along with occult Nazi philosophies, labyrinths, and techno-magic), this first installment with Ron Perlman and Selma Blair succeeded well enough with critics and moviegoers. Obviously, this is not the entry we’re talking about – it warranted a sequel after all.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army came out four years later and, this time, pitted the World Destroyer and his BPRD clan against the prince of the Bethmoora clan and his many indestructible mechanical destroyers. With the entire cast chiming in later years about the possibility of a third entry, fans were waiting on the edge of their seats for an official announcement – which never arrived.

Instead, audiences were treated to a 2019 reboot with director Neil Marshall and actor David Harbour at the forefront instead of Del Toro and Ron Perlman. It goes without saying that this was a box office bomb and was treated with scathing criticism. Now that it has found a second coming on Netflix, can it somehow also find a forgiving audience?

Fans Still Love Hellboy's Action Scenes

For cynical purposes, let’s put 2019’s Hellboy into a worse jam than it already is by acknowledging the fact the director outright disowned the film. Marshall points out how the script was terrible and would never get any better before it was shot. While the dialogue admittedly doesn’t do the movie any favors (mythical creatures from the times of AD shout modern-day curse words, for starters), the action scenes themselves that involve Hellboy going up against a plethora of mythical creatures still seem to hold some value with fans of the franchise.

The sequence with missing agent Esteban Ruiz (now turned into a camazotz – which is an animalistic vampire) at the beginning is a gory brawl that puts the movie into motion. The always-rotating camera technique adds weight to Hellboy’s scuffle with the three giants in Berlin sometime later. Finally, the end sequence climax that shows our favorite anti-hero teaming with a were-jaguar to take down a giant form of the Grugach is visual candy for those who love monster fights.

Even though the audience only sees them for a minute or two, the hellish kaiju-like beings that storm Great Britain at the end are perfect for horror enthusiasts. These action scenes never look too choppy or out of place either. Maybe all the budget went to these computer-generated sequences?

The 2019 Hellboy Reboot Is Filled With Lore

Some may say that too much Hellboy lore was stuffed into the script. Whether it was to make the movie more enjoyable for hardcore comic fans or trying to introduce this world to casual audiences, the David Harbour rendition of the Dark Horse comic hit on more source material than the last two films combined.

The 2019 version (with all of its subplots and characters) took inspiration from four different Hellboy stories: Darkness Calls, The Wild Hunt, The Storm and the Fury, and Hellboy in Mexico. Talk about ambitious – the 2004 adaptation tried to cover events only from the first miniseries! Considering these arcs are taken seriously in the comics, though, it’s unsurprising that director Marshall laid in thick with the cheesy pulp fiction theme.

Even though the constant comedic tone does not mix well with the otherwise horror-themed visuals, the adventure does have a positive underlying aspect, and that’s the chemistry between Harbour and Ian Mcshane (who plays Hellboy’s father). The bickering between these two always harpoons back to Hellboy’s conflicted place in the world, and that’s what fans always ask to see more of: the half-demon fighting to find out if he’s supposed to aid humans or help his mystical brethren. Both actors give their roles just as much as they give anything else. The camaraderie between them helps to make their interactions with each other more memorable (and makes the emotional side of the world that much more believable).

Don’t Take the 2019 Hellboy Adaptation Too Seriously

The redemption for 2019’s Hellboy is inevitably found in pieces of the film and not in the whole picture. Because of the futile attempt to highlight many comic-based stories in such a short time, many of the characters can resemble hollow caricatures of what they really are. Put aside the well-tuned CGI for the fight sequences, though; admittedly, the slower pace brings out the more embarrassing points of the movie.

When Grugach is not evolved into his final form by the demon sorceress, he has the appearance of a weekly Power Rangers villain from the '90s. Even Hellboy himself is light on the prosthetics – you can clearly tell there is a man underneath all that garb. It is nowhere near as perfect as in Del Toro’s films. The 2019 Hellboy film was ambitious. There is no question about that. But can it stand on its own two feet? Certainly, as long as viewers don't take it too seriously.

Beneath the unbalanced genres and thinly-made supporting characters, this live-action retelling of Mike Mignola’s original character not only ends up serving a purpose (as a cheesy pulp fiction horror mish-mash) but also serves as a tease for what Hellboy's fantasy world can bring to the big screen if done right. That said, Marshall's vision is also worth a watch for those who enjoy lighthearted superhero romps. While the third iteration of Hellboy is now available to stream on Netflix, the upcoming adaptation titled Hellboy: The Crooked Man will be released into theaters in Fall 2024.