Hellboy II: The Golden Army (Blu-ray Review)

30 Nov, 2008 By: John Gaudiosi

Hellboy II the Golden Army

Universal
Action Fantasy
Box Office $75.8 million
$29.98 DVD, $34.98 three-DVD set, $39.98 two-disc Blu-ray
Rated ‘PG-13’ for sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and some language.
Stars Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones, Jeffrey Tambor.

Even if you’re not a fan of the “Hellboy” comics, Hellboy II is a must-have for any Blu-ray Disc library. Director Guillermo del Toro has crafted one of his most entertaining and visually fantastic films. Special effects-driven spectacles such as this were made for high-definition.

BD allows fans to see every nook and cranny of del Toro’s visual masterpiece — especially the Troll Market sequence. Hellboy II also makes full use of its DTS-HD 7.1 Master Audio soundscape.

Among the BD-exclusive extras, Universal is making great use of BD Live. One of the coolest features is the “Comic Book Builder,” which allows users to select still images from the movie and drop them into comic book layouts, personalizing them by typing in the text. These comics can be shared with friends online. Hellboy II also supports U-Control picture-in-picture for in-film navigation of the special features. For those not familiar with the comic, there’s a feature that offers comic book backstories for each of the characters.

The rest of the bonus material is also available on the DVD. Casual fans will enjoy “Troll Market Tour with Guillermo del Toro,” which takes a behind-the-scenes look at the film’s most memorable set.

It’s also worth listening to del Toro’s commentary track, which offers a ton of interesting anecdotes. Sadly, Perlman is not included on either of the commentary tracks.

For the large contingent of die-hard “Hellboy” fans, a special collector’s edition Blu-ray includes a figurine, production journal from del Toro and a mini poster.