Hellboy [Blu-ray] [2004] [US Import]

If there's ever a super hero who has been misused in the cinematic universe, it's easily Hellboy. The character was originally created by Mike Mignola and his first cinematic outing was this film in 2004. The movie is based on the original comic titled, Seed of Destruction. It was directed by the fantastic Guillermo del Toro and stars the fantastic (but loonie) Ron Perlman as Hellboy.The story goes that Rasputin (yes, the same) fails in his attempt to awaken the imprisoned Ogdru Jahad. During this attempt, Hellboy comes into our world as a little red monkey. He's brought up to fight against demon's and all sorts. In modern times, Rasputin is resurrected and plans the destruction of civilisation with the help of our red friend. If you've read the original comic, you'll know the story. It's a little different in places but the similarities are there. However, if you're unfamiliar with Mignola's work. Prepare for some weird things.Hellboy is a film that really stands out. It was quite different back then and I couldn't imagine something this creative being made today. del Toro really outdid himself with the creation of this film. The character designs, the music, the atmosphere and vibe are all very unique and extremely memorable. Perlman oozes charisma, as he always does and the supporting cast do a great job behind him. John Hurt deserves the honourable mention as he is wonderful as Hellboy's adoptive father, Professor Broom.The 4k transfer of the movie is about as perfect as you can get. The movie has always looked great on home media, but this just looks stunning. The clarity is spot on and the colours are quite something. The detail in the shadows is also impressive. The scene where you can barely see Hellboy's hooves is now sharp and highly detailed. It no longer looks drowned out in darkness. You can see every bit of detail in all its demonic glory. The high definition detail of the Hellboy make up and outfit, as well as Abe's blue fishiness etc is wonderful to see. Some of the CGI isn't perfect and looks its age but the overall artistic nature of the film hides it a bit.I have owned multiple of copies of this film and this by far the best Hellboy has looked. It's a fantastic transfer and a must have for fans of the character. It's an excellent and highly underappreciated film in my opinion. Well worth picking up!

The melding together of dark horror and comedic, light hearted plot, is almost impossible, and Guillaume de Toro has done a magnificent job. He didn't need to be faithful to any thruth, crede or dogma, and could do just as he liked with the plot, he had a field day! Any belief in anything must be suspended, and the storyline danced through, just enjoyed by listener and maker alike. It's a romp through dark tunnels lit by fairy lights and balloons! The concept is delightful, a cat loving, tobacco addicted, red demon who shaves his horns and loves publicity just like a pop star, who loves his Dad, makes for a hero/villain who is loved by ......well at least most of us.It borders on the ridiculous, and wodges of fun come out the other end of the machine.There seemed to be a lot of scope for extra films to come out of these two I wonder why it hasn't happened?

Writer and director Guillermo de Toro 2004 production brings to the big screen the comic book character "Hellboy" based on the Dark Horse comic series by Mike Mignola.This film which was released on Blu-ray in 2007 on a region free 50GB disc which has been encoded using MPEG-4 codec in full 1080p resolution in the original cinema aspect ratio of 1.85, comparing the region 1 DVD version of this movie I had against this UK released Blu-ray, the HD transfer shows it has a greater colour palette than the DVD this release also has a better range of hues and blacks which are deeper and of greater variation.The real star of this release is the uncompressed PCM 5.1 audio which when played against Dolby Digital 5.1 version, the PCM soundtrack brings the whole audio playback to life with better all round sound performance, with easier to understand dialogue, a wider soundstage to the music and the bigger sound to the gunfire, hand to hand combat and speaker shaking explosions have an even more satisfying bass sound.There are also audio tracks on this disc in Spanish PCM 5.1 and Dolby Digital 5.1.There are also subtitles for the hard of hearing in English, Hindi and Spanish, there is also a director's commentary and the special features are in standard definition and follow the same contents as the double DVD released earlier a great addition to any action fan's Blu-ray collection.

Great movie👍

HELLBOY follows the story of a demon called HellBoy who works with the bureau of paranormal research and defence to combat supernatural threats with the help of his team, not to mention being guided by his adoptive father who is a professor. It has a good plot with interesting characters, both heroes and villains. The video quality is great. The film has aspects of action, adventure and some funny bits. The bonus features include deleted scenes with optional commentary, featurettes, Hellboy the seeds of creation documentary and directors commentary. All bonus features are in standard definition. Despite what is said in other reviews, this is not a steel case but just a normal blue ray case. Overall it is a great film.