Comments on: Film Junk Podcast Episode #176: Hellboy II and The Ruins

By: rus

rus — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:57:13 +0000

oh, and for the CG nerds out there the problem with rubber masks limiting Hellboy’s lips is driving me crazy and I feel betrayed by Del Toro! Why was this not fixed after the first film, he talked about it! He CGs Abe’s eyes, what, too lazy to do a couple scenes with Hellboy’s lips – much more important to making the audience identify with Hellboy. Lazy ass Spaniard! He missed a great opportunity on the awkward non-kiss scene! What was that? Head touch? What, was the studio scared about bestiality overtones? No, they didn’t spend the time and money to do it right and knew they couldn’t with rubber lips. Why didn’t they comically stretch Hellboys lips out for a big pucker? Dam, f*ck!

By: rus

rus — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:38:05 +0000

I must say to all, I did enjoy Hellboy II more than bad versions of visual eye candy movies like Van Helsen and Transformers. IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢m just amazed how the aesthetic choices in this Del Toro feature cover such bad story and character development. I was thinking later about the ONE big hero moment for Hellboy is completely illogical. Earlier, the elf prince uses the Ã¢â‚¬Å“I challenge you lineÃ¢â‚¬Â with the old king elf, what happens? He has to fight through the Elf KingÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s guards. Hellboy uses this same challenge but first, there is no way he should have knowledge of it since he was not there, and secondly, he gets to fight the elf prince one-on-one while the robotic soldiers stand by! I know there is a certain leap of faith and loose ends in these types of movies yet the heroic climax of this film was totally wasted. The multi-eyed winged thingy is another example of poor character development, why is Hellboy not remotely active in the decision to go to this spot, why is everything given to the HellboyÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s clan Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Ã¢â‚¬Å“Go hereÃ¢â‚¬Â Ã¢â‚¬Å“Proclaim your love hereÃ¢â‚¬Â Ã¢â‚¬Å“Now I shall remove the shard for youÃ¢â‚¬Â. These are first year screenplay writing mistakes. Compare this to GOOD comic book movie situations where the hero and villains are active and doing things that allow us to understand their internal workings more. Like Peter Park allowing the robber to go, Peter Park struggles with making a living or selling out, the love triangle in X-men, the development of the JokerÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s character in the Burton Batman. Why are you guys giving this movie a pass? Just admit you are hypnotized by the shining object. We need to demand more from these movies or they will continue to be watered down.

By: Jay C.

Jay C. — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:19:03 +0000

I think we’re connected somehow. He’s the E.T. to my Elliot. Only rather then traveling to other planets collecting plant samples, he travels to discount stores collecting 90 cent jugs of bbq sauce that he’ll never use.

By: Henrik

Henrik — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:12:59 +0000

And it’s weird that (supposedly) it’s Reed who eats all the most horrible foods in the world, but it’s Jay that ends up with the horrible stomach/colon-related diseases.

Perhaps they share more than conversation in all those lunchbreaks!

By: Henrik

Henrik — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:11:05 +0000

“there was just an overabundance of junk mail this week.”

Man, this site has grown since I sent in the lone email suggesting my favorite remake of all time. I think it was the episode where Nacho Libre was reviewed?

By: Shannon the Movie Moxie

Shannon the Movie Moxie — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 15:12:15 +0000

Oh my goodness, this episode cracked me up. I couldn’t contain my laughter walking down the street while listening to it. Fun show.

By: Jay C.

Jay C. — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 19:21:55 +0000

Thanks for the concern Andrew. If things don’t shape up in the next week or two, I’ll probably head back to the doctor. This time I will not tell him I’ve been reading the internet.

By: Andrew James

Andrew James — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 19:09:35 +0000

Greg has the most infectious/contagious laughs ever.
Lovin it.

Ok, back to the show.

PS – Jay, if you really have all those pains you describe, you need to get checked out. That does not sound good. Fuck the internet and get to a doctor. I have two friends right now going through some pretty serious shit and I don’t need it on another friend.

By: Goon

Goon — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 18:44:58 +0000

the winged monster is death, and aside from saving hellboy and looking cool, is planting seeds for Hellboy leading to the destruction of the world – his destiny which has been poked and pushed from him in both movies, in what is likely to be a 3rd Hellboy film.

By: Jay C.

Jay C. — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 17:48:31 +0000

POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD.

“Can you even remember any positive and creative choices made in the film that defined him as a hero?”

I thought the moment in which he’s put in a position to destroy the ‘plant monster’, only after being reminded that it’s the last of its kind, was pretty interesting. Especially considering the ‘us against them’ argument the Prince tries to push on him.

Also, I think the fact that he had to go easy on the main villain in order to protect the girl that his best friend is in love with was an interesting plot device as well.

“What was the overall point of the plant monster and the winged, multiple eyed thingy?”

While the ‘winged, multiple eyed thingy’ may have served only two purposes: two look cool and to save Hellboy, the plant monster, as i stated above, was there to put Hellboy in a position where he has to consider where his loyalty lies…protecting Human who don’t appreciate him, or siding with his own kind, monsters. A tough choice considering the woman he loves is human.

By: Sean

Sean — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 17:10:21 +0000

Hey Rus, I think what it comes down to is that different people want different things from a comic book movie/summer blockbuster. If you want it to tell a deep story and have great character development, then Hellboy II may not meet those demands… but very few blockbusters do. The reason I liked Hellboy II so much is precisely because it knows that comic book movies are inherently silly and mostly about the art and visuals. Not everything has to have a reason for being there, as long as it makes people go “wow”.

Now on the other hand I’m not saying comic book movies can’t be serious and deep (perhaps The Dark Knight will succeed on that front), and if you want to compare it to Transformers and any number of movies that people defend by saying, “I just went for the special effects”, then that’s fine. But for me Hellboy II is a lot funnier and has much more interesting characters and relationships going on that go beyond the visuals. If those particular characters don’t work for you, then I can see why you weren’t as impressed with it.

By: rus

rus — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:59:28 +0000

Hey guys, great show again. My dog lies in my office and she got very nervous when Jay
cough up his lung last week. I hope you are o.k.
I had to stop the podcast because I wanted to see Hellboy before listening to the full
discussion. I must say this film is nothing more than visual eye candy and I don?t agree
with the reviews from your site and the 88% Rotten Tomatoes approval. Answer me this,
how is this monster movie not just as grossly misplotted and underdeveloped from a story
and character perspective as a Van Helsing, and Transformers. The monsters in this film
are obviously motivated by a desire to do a cool thingies and have nothing to do with an
overall story. What was the overall point of the plant monster and the winged, multiple
eyed thingy? (I?m really getting tired of global warming being referenced in every film
like the commies were in the films from the 50s and 60s) When you have all of these
different monsters that are presented with awesome powers the overall affect is to dilute
the entire cast of villains.
The personal interaction between Hellboy and his clan are laughable and don?t take us
deeper in to his mythology. Can you even remember any positive and creative choices made
in the film that defined him as a hero?, I can?t. Plot devices and story direction are
given to him and he does nothing to earn them. This film felt like Pan’s Labyrinth 2 and
Del Toro is following the same path as his friend Robert Rodriguez were they try to cover
their poor story development with crazy visuals. I guess what I?m saying is Del Toro is
the best Art Director ever because you all drank the kool aid.
As far as CG, Del Toro did nothing to fix the problem with the rubber masks limiting the
movement of lips on Hellboy (young and old) he talked about in the first films DVD?!
I?m really begining too worried about The Hobbit (Del Toro set to do in 2 parts).

Rus in Chicago