Hellboy (2019) 4K UHD + Blu-ray Combo Pack Review

By Paul Rudoff on Jul. 19, 2019 at 9:45 PM in Home Video, Horror

Hellboy (2019) is the latest screen adaptation of Mike Mignola's comic book creation. How does it fare? Read on to find out...

Hellboy (2019), directed by Neil Marshall, sees the legendary half-demon superhero (David Harbour) called to the English countryside to battle a trio of rampaging giants. There he discovers The Blood Queen, Nimue (Milla Jovovich), a resurrected ancient sorceress thirsting to avenge a past betrayal. Suddenly caught in a clash between the supernatural and the human, Hellboy is now hell-bent on stopping Nimue without triggering the end of the world.

Okay, let's get the comparison between the Guillermo del Toro-directed, Ron Perlman-starring films - Hellboy (2004) and Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008) - out of the way. David Harbour does an amiable job in the role. He certainly looks the part and speaks the part, but without Ron Perlman's growly voice, the character feels a little flat. The film looks good; it's very sharp and clear. That's both a good thing and a bad thing because it gives everything an artificial look. You always feel like you're watching CGI and green screen and not something real. You don't realize how much Guillermo del Toro's fantasy/gothic look contributes to the film until it's not there.

There's lots of blood and gore, all very over-the-top and fun, but it's all very fake looking CGI. Had they gone with practical special effects and gore, this movie could actually end up being considered as a cult classic one day, like the early absurdly-gory Peter Jackson films. However, because it's all just CGI, it doesn't quite have the same heart. So, I'm not sure how this film is going to be seen in the long term. That's not to say that I didn't like the film or what it has to offer. There's a fantastic scene where these marvelously ugly creatures are wreaking havoc in London; impaling, slaying, de-skinning, and doing all sorts of grotesque things to humans. The film definitely earns the R rating, and not just for profanity. That helps to set it apart from the PG-13 del Toro films.

I don't really have much to say about the story. It all feels like I've seen it all before. I can't place it off the top of my head, but I know I've seen other films with stories about evil vivisected beings whose body parts are stored separately all over the world; and who later get resurrected when those parts are rejoined. I've definitely seen the King Arthur/Excalibur legend too many times to count. At two hours in length, the basic story wears out its welcome before you get to the mid-point.

Honestly, I think if you combine the best parts of the del Toro and Marshall films, you'd get the best Hellboy movie ever.

Hellboy (2019) is presented in its original 2.39:1 aspect ratio with a runtime of 2:01:02. Audio languages include English Dolby Atmos, Spanish and French 5.1 Dolby Audio, and English Descriptive Audio. The film includes English, English SDH, French, and Spanish subtitles. The first print run includes a beautiful slipsleeve.

Here's a list of all of the bonus features that can be found on the disc.

Tales of the Wild Hunt: Hellboy Reborn (1:11:28) - An in-depth three part look at the making of the film. Parts include: "The Forever Warriors: Story and Characters", "Ye Gods and Devils: Creatures and Gear", and "Rise of the Blood Queen: Production".
Deleted Scenes (7:56) - Includes "Full Pendle Hill Opening", "Shower Scene", and "Blood Queen & Gru in Parking Lot".
Previsualization (7:18) - Basic computer animated storyboards for these sequences: "Giant Fight", "Gru vs. Hellboy", and "London Apocalypse".

Also included in the 4K UHD + Blu-ray Combo Pack is a second standard Blu-ray disc, which contains the movie and all of the bonus features listed above. Audio languages include English Dolby Atmos, Spanish and French 5.1 Dolby Audio, and English Descriptive Audio. The film includes English, English SDH, French, and Spanish subtitles.