 Critics who still like comic books seem to like Hellboy; those who don't, don't. The Chicago Sun-Times' Roger Ebert is one who does, observing that the movie is "not only based on a comic book, but also feels like a comic book. It's vibrating with energy, and you can sense the zeal and joy in its making." Elvis Mitchell of the New York Times compares the movie to the "drizzly Gothic ambience" of Mike Mignola's comic-book renderings and says that director Guillermo del Toro also "lets loose with an all-American, vaudevillian rambunctiousness that makes the movie daffy, loose and lovable." Rick Groen in the Toronto Globe and Mail leads off his review by remarking, "If you like your movies inspired by comic books -- and who among us does not -- then Hellboy is quite the little treat." Lou Lumenick in the New York Post regards the movie as "surprisingly enjoyable, as adaptations of cult comic books go, thanks to a sense of humor all too rare in the genre, winning performances by Ron Perlman and Selma Blair, and a sweet romance of the kind that made Spider-Man a richer experience than its competitors." Joe Morgenstern in the Wall Street Journal says the film "is a perfect fit in the category of instant classic, and, not incidentally, fits the profile of super-profitability." On the other hand, Bob Strauss asks in his review in the Los Angeles Daily News: "Why does it feel like so many other comic book movies?" then answers, "The devil knows." Claudia Puig in USA Today writes that del Toro "has crafted a fiery action picture destined to please fans of other comics-turned-adventure flicks such as X-Men. The rest of us will find ourselves left out in the cold." |
