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Hellboy [Blu-ray] [2004]


RRP: £19.99
Our Price: £9.89 (subject to change)

Editorial
Product Description

Ron Perlman, John Hurt, Selma Blair, Rupert Evans, Karel Roden

Editorial
Amazon.com

In the ongoing deluge of comic-book adaptations, Hellboy ranks well above average. Having turned down an offer to helm Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in favour of bringing Hellboy's origin story to the big screen, the gifted Mexican director Guillermo del Toro compensates for the excesses of Blade II with a moodily effective, consistently entertaining action-packed fantasy, beginning in 1944 when the mad monk Rasputin--in cahoots with occult-buff Hitler and his Nazi thugs--opens a trans-dimensional portal through which a baby demon emerges, capable of destroying the world with his powers. Instead, the aptly named Hellboy is raised by the benevolent Prof. Bloom, founder of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, whose allied forces enlist the adult Hellboy (Ron Perlman, perfectly cast) to battle evil at every turn. While nursing a melancholy love for the comely firestarter Liz (Selma Blair), Hellboy files his demonic horns ("to fit in," says Bloom) and wreaks havoc on the bad guys. The action is occasionally routine (the movie suffers when compared to the similar X-Men blockbusters), but del Toro and Perlman have honored Mike Mignola's original Dark Horse comics with a lavish and loyal interpretation, retaining the amusing and sympathetic quirks of character that made the comic-book Hellboy a pop-culture original. He's red as a lobster, puffs stogies like Groucho Marx, and fights the good fight with a kind but troubled heart. What's not to like? --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com

One of the best releases for picture and sound!
Review date: 2008-11-14 Rating: 10 out of 10

If you can get this on 3 for 2 like I did don't hesitate. The upgrade from the standard DVD is incredible. Hellboy feels as close to 3D as you can get on the format. The colours are vibrant and the image jumps off the screen. I was amazed by how life-like everything looked and watched in awe as the special effects sequences spellbounded me. This is for my money one of the top FIVE releases on Blu-ray. The visuals will impress you and the story is great too. The sound is equally impressive and the extras are many (too many for me to watch) I can't wait for Hell Boy 2!

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Reviews


HELLBOY Blu-ray UK
Review date: 2008-10-21 Rating: 8 out of 10

As dark forces gather to hasten the Apocalypse, Hellboy fights fire with fire and humour in this mind-blasting supernatural action-adventure from visionary director Guillermo del Toro (Blade II, Pan's Labyrinth). Based on the comic book.

Special features:
- Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary.
- Featurettes.
- Hellboy: The Seeds of Creation Documentary.
- Director's Commentary.

Audio format: English 5.1 | English PCM 5.1 | Spanish 5.1 | Spanish PCM 5.1
Video format: Aspect Ratio 1.85:1
Subtitles: English Hard Of Hearing | English | Hindi | Spanish

Notes:
- This is the Director's Cut of Hellboy which includes 12-13 minutes of extra material put back into the film.
- The Spanish audio tracks are in Castillian Spanish not Latin.
- The Subtitles options extend to the special features. All special features have subtitles in English, Spanish and Hindi languages.

If you speak english or spanish this has to be the best edition around. I believe the USA edition doesn't have Spanish subtitles and the other editions doesn't have subtitles in the special features so this is the best edition to buy.


a reason to buy a bluray player
Review date: 2008-09-06 Rating: 10 out of 10

as a fan of the movie in and of itself i suppose i am a bit biased but the visuals of this disc are up there with "appleseed exmachina"which is one of my favourites .

this is a great movie and if you have a ps 3 or a bluray player this is an essential purchase because no hi def collection is finished without it so buy this disc and you will not be disappionted .

Movie: 3.5~4.25/5 Picture Quality: 4~4.75/5 Sound Quality: 4.25~4.75/5 Extras: 3.5/5
Review date: 2008-08-25 Rating: 8 out of 10

Version: U.S.A / Region Free
MPEG-4 AVC BD-50
Running time: 2:12:28 (Director's cut)
Movie size: 39,451,699,200 bytes
Disc size: 49,407,698,878 bytes
Average Video Bit Rate: 26.01 Mbps
LPCM 5.1 4608Kbps 16-bit English
DD AC3 5.1 448Kbps

#Commentary with Director Guillermo Del Toro
#Hellboy - The Seeds of Creation
#Deleted Scenes with Director Commentary
#VFX How-To's
#Make-up and Lighting Tests
#Scott McCloud's Guide To Understanding Comics
#Trailers

In the absence of light, darkness prevails
Review date: 2008-07-17 Rating: 10 out of 10

While some good directors never quite "get it," it took Guillermo Del Toro only one misfire -- the icky, slow-paced "Blade 2" -- to get the whole comic-book adaptation thing right.

In fact, just about everything is right with "Hellboy" -- Del Toro crafted an action blockbuster with a grimy, slimy cult-movie feel and a quirky sense of humor. It's graced with excellent acting, spectacular action scenes, and the trappings of clockpunk and Lovecraftian horror -- not to mention that it stars a six-foot-tall scarlet demon with a soft spot for kittens.

In 1944, young Professor Broom accompanied an army regiment to a remote Scottish island, where the Nazis -- led by Rasputin -- were about to open a portal to another world, and allow the vast tentacled Ogru Jahad (Seven Gods of Chaos) to enter our world. Rasputin and the Nazis were destroyed, but something came through the portal -- a baby demon, whom Broom names Hellboy.

Fast-forward sixty years -- a grown Hellboy (Ron Perlman) and his fishy friend Abe (Doug Jones) are working at a paranormal government agency that specializes in policing the supernatural, with the weirded-out Agent Myers (Rupert Evans) just joining the team. Soon afterwards, Hellboy is called on to kill Sammael the Hellhound -- but it turns out that Sammael can replicate himself indefinitely.

As Hellboy and his team try to hunt down the remaining Sammaels, the dying Professor Broom (John Hurt) finds that a revived Rasputin and his immortal Nazi followers have orchestrated all this. And Rasputin is continuing to pull the strings behind the scenes -- including using Hellboy's love Liz (Selma Blair), a depressed pyrokinetic. And when Hellboy suffers a devastating loss, his journey will take him right back to his roots -- and the potential destruction of the world.

Watching "Hellboy," it's easy to see how Guillermo Del Toro because world-famous for the exquisitely dark "Pan's Labyrinth," and why he's been chosen to direct the forthcoming "Hobbit" movies. This adaptation could have just been another paint-by-numbers comic-book story, but Del Toro gives it the kind of grime, quirk, brains and heart that a lasting cult movie should have.

Part of that cult appeal is "Hellboy's" distinctive look, with Lovecraftian tentacle-gods and some steampunky details. And the action scenes are pretty spectacular -- trains, slimy hellhounds, sword-swinging Nazis with chopped-up faces, giant clock cogs, and a fiery explosion in a mental asylum. And there are some truly spectacular action scenes in a vast underground labyrinth, full of ancient hammers and collapsing bridges. There's just enough action and grossness, without going overboard.

But Del Toro is able to balance out the action with some truly touching moments, such as the aged Broom's final scenes in his firelit study. And there's a lot of dark humor here as well -- and not all of it is Hellboy's dry one-liners. The movie is liberally peppered with dark humor moments ("1945, you mean. Hitler died in '45." "DID he now?"), including some hilariously macabre scenes involving a bad-tempered Russian zombie ("This is Ivan Klimatovich. Say hi, Ivan." "Go that way, Red Monkey!").

Most importantly, Del Toro is able to give his characters little human quirks -- hair plugs, love of cats, and Hellboy sanding down his horns in the morning. Perlman is simply amazing as "Red," whose gruff scarlet exterior hides a kindly, affectionate heart. Not many actors could emote through that many prosthetics (including a very lifelike tail), but Perlman makes it look natural.

Though he's playing a ninetyish old professor, Hurt plays his role with a quiet, powerful sense of goodness. Jones and Evans also do excellent jobs, one as an erudite psychic fish-man ("We lead a charmed life," he observes as cockroaches skitter around him) and an earnest young agent. Selma Blair is the one downside -- she sort of mumbles in a monotone most of the time.

"Hellboy" is one of the best comic-book adaptations that Hollywood has turned out, primarily because of the darker, eerier aesthetic Guillermo Del Toro brings to it. Definitely a must-see.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Selma Blair
Rupert Evans
Karel Roden
John Hurt
Ron Perlman

Creators:
Ron Perlman (Primary Contributor)
John Hurt (Primary Contributor)

Director(s):

Recording label: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
EAN: 5050629485615
Binding: Blu-ray
Number of items: 1
Format: Dubbed, Widescreen,
Release date: 2007-03-19
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 132 minutes
Theatrical release date: 2004
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: Spanish (Dubbed)

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