Story
Hellboy II begins with a flashback to the Christmas of 1955, where we see a twelve-year-old Hellboy being told a bedtime story by his adoptive father Professor Trevor Bruttenholm (John Hurt). The story tells of a war between humans and mythical creatures such as Elves and Goblins. In an effort to defeat the humans, a Goblin devised and built an army of indestructible golden robot-like warriors, which were controlled by a golden crown worn by Balor (Roy Dotrice), King of the Elves. Balor was so appalled by the destruction inflicted upon the humans by the Golden Army that he forged a truce with the humans – the humans would keep to the cities and non-humans to the forests. The King’s son Prince Nuada (Luke Goss) did not agree with the truce and went into exile. To prevent the Golden Army from ever rising again, the golden crown was broken into three pieces with one piece kept by King Balor, one piece given to the humans, one piece given to Princes Nuala (Anna Walton), Prince Nuada’s twin sister.
The film cuts to present day where Prince Nuada has returned from exile with the intent of reclaiming the golden crown and awakening the Golden Army. To reclaim the piece held by the humans, Prince Nuada raids an auction house with an army of ‘Tooth Fairies’, killing all present. He then kills his father the King to reclaim the second piece, while Princess Nuala escapes with the third piece.
The Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense (BPRD) is determined to track down those responsible for the attack on the auction house. Hellboy, also known as Red (Ron Perlman), his girlfriend Liz (Selma Blair), Abe Sapien (Doug Jones) a psychic fishman, and Johann Krauss (voice of Seth MacFarlane) a ‘special agent’ who exists in a containment suit as gaseous ectoplasm, join forces to find Prince Nuada while Princess Nuala is taken to BPRD headquarters for protection. When Prince Nuada attacks BPRD headquarters, kidnaps his sister, finds out the location of the Golden Army and wounds Hellboy with a magical spear, the battle begins in earnest.
Themes
The supernatural; destruction of the human species
Violence
Hellboy II contains frequent stylised action and fantasy violence. For example:
Sexual references
There are some sexual references in this movie, including a scene in which we hear Abe and Liz taking about Liz being pregnant. We hear Liz telling Hellboy that she is pregnant. Liz later tells Hellboy that she is having twins.
Alcohol, drugs and other substances
There is some use of substances in this movie. For example:
- Several scenes contain images of Hellboy drinking canned beer. We see a locker, belonging to Hellboy, full of cans of beer.
- In one scene, Hellboy and Abe drink beer over an extended period with the two becoming intoxicated as a result. Both slur their words and sing sad love songs.
- In several scenes throughout the movie, we see Hellboy smoking large fat cigars. Hellboy’s boss uses Cuban cigars as an enticement. In one scene, Hellboy becomes disturbed and violent when a cigar he is smoking is damaged.
Nudity and sexual activity
There is some nudity and sexual activity in this movie. For example:
- Liz kisses Hellboy on the forehead.
- Liz performs a pregnancy test several times.
- A large stone fertility statue has an extended stomach and breasts.
- Liz kneels on a bed wearing a tank top and underwear.
Product placement
The film contains some product placement, including the following:
- Red/Hellboy is depicted in several scenes drinking brand-named canned beer.
- Cuban cigars are featured in a couple of scenes.
- Hellboy is depicted eating brand-named candy bars in a couple of scenes.
Coarse language
Hellboy II contains some infrequent low-level coarse language, putdowns and name-calling.
Ideas to discuss with your children
Hellboy II - The Golden Army is the sequel to the 2004 film Hellboy. It is an action fantasy adventure targeted at older adolescents and adults. The film depicts a world full of magic, fantasy and horror with many supernatural and demonic creatures. Hellboy is a reluctant hero who often feels like an unwanted freak and is judged by the public by his appearance, rather than what he does.
You might wish to discuss with your children the values implicit in Hellboy’s behaviour. For example, rather than being a mindless follower, Hellboy continuously questions and evaluates the rightness of his actions and how his actions affect others.